USC Upstate Spartans vs High Point Panthers Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Upstate Spartans vs High Point Panthers

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Qubein Center in High Point, NC

TV: ESPN+

The High Point Panthers (16-4) host the USC Upstate Spartans (9-10) at Qubein Center on Saturday.

The USC Upstate Spartans played Charleston Southern and earned the victory with a final of 86-81 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Spartans ended up finishing with 21 and Charleston Southern totaled 20 fouls. They also buried 8 out of their 25 shots from beyond the perimeter. Charleston Southern finished the game shooting 52.0% from the free throw line by making 13 of 25 tries. In addition, Charleston Southern grabbed 36 rebounds (5 offensive, 31 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Charleston Southern earned 17 assists and had 2 steals in this matchup. In relation to the defense, USC Upstate allowed 48.4% from the field on 30 of 62 shooting. They also doled out 6 dimes in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In the matter of getting rebounds, they earned 39 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Spartans buried 16 of 25 shots for a rate of 64.0%. USC Upstate finished having earned a 43.4% field goal percentage (33 of 76) and made 4 out of their 12 three-point shots.

Breylin Garcia is someone who played a role for the matchup. He ended up walking away with 16 points on 7 out of 7 shooting. He played 19 mins and also collected 6 boards. He went 100.0% from the field and totaled 1 assist.

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USC Upstate comes into this one with a record of 9-10 so far this season. They are averaging 76.9 pts per contest (181st in D-1) on 45.0% from the floor. The Spartans are connecting on 34.2% on shots from 3-point land (141 of 412) and 68.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, USC Upstate is pulling in 37.7 rebounds per game and has earned 246 assists this season, which has them ranked 191st in the country in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 11.9 times per contest and as a group are committing 18.7 fouls per game.

On defense, the Spartans are able to force 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.1 fouls. They currently rank 104th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 215 surrendered so far this season. The Spartans defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 41.7% (473 of 1,135) and they concede 37.7 rebounds per contest as a unit. They surrender 31.8% on 3-pointers and they rank 148th in D-1 in points per game allowed (72.2).

The last time they took the hardwood, the High Point Panthers took a defeat with a final score of 92-75 against Winthrop. The Panthers were able to corral 18 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 29 in this matchup. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 5 steals for the contest. Winthrop earned 19 personal fouls in this game which got the Panthers to the free throw line for 28 shots. They were able to convert 20 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. Concerning shooting from distance, High Point knocked down 7 of 30 attempts (23.3%). Overall, the Panthers finished 24 for 61 from the field which gave them a percentage of 39.3%. The Panthers allowed Winthrop to knock down 30 of 56 attempts from the field which had them at 53.6% in the game. They finished 38.5% from distance by connecting on 10 of 26 and ended up going 22 out of 33 from the free throw line (66.7%). When it comes to rebounds, High Point permitted Winthrop to snag 33 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Rob Martin ended up being a major contributor for the Panthers in this contest. He totaled 20 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the contest. He buried 6 of 19 in this contest for a field goal rate of 31.6%, and accounted for 2 rebounds.

High Point has a win-loss record of 16-4 for the campaign. The Panthers are responsible for committing 18.2 personal fouls every game and they connect on 72.6% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 17.4 times per game (44th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 9.5 times per game. High Point has accounted for 1,860 points this year (93.0 per contest) and they grab 37.1 boards per game. As an offense, the Panthers are connecting on 51.2% from the floor, which ranks them 15th in college.

The Panthers on defense are ranked 84th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 69.7. They have forced 16.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.6% from the floor (132nd in the nation). The High Point defense concedes 32.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (149 of 465) and their opponents are connecting on 69.4% of their free throw shots. They give up 13.0 dimes and 32.9 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 157th and 87th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take USC Upstate

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