UT Arlington Mavericks vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UT Arlington Mavericks vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: America First Events Center in Cedar City, UT

TV: ESPN+

America First Events Center is the location where the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (4-10) will try to beat the UT Arlington Mavericks (8-5) on Saturday.

The UT Arlington Mavericks faced off with Tarleton State and took a loss by a final of 69-63 in their last game. When discussing personal fouls, the Mavericks ended up finishing with 22 and Tarleton State totaled 23 personal fouls. They made 4 of their 13 shots from downtown. Tarleton State finished the game shooting 46.4% when shooting free throws by knocking down 13 of 28 tries. Furthermore, Tarleton State collected 22 boards (5 offensive, 17 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Tarleton State doled out 13 dimes and had 11 steals in this matchup. In regard to defense, UT Arlington let their opponent shoot 50.0% from the floor on 26 out of 52 shooting. They also recorded 11 assists in the game while creating 6 turnovers and earning 2 steals. In regard to pulling down boards, they earned 32 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. From the charity stripe, the Mavericks made 20 of 28 attempts for a rate of 71.4%. UT Arlington wrapped up the contest having earned a 42.2% FG percentage (19 out of 45) and buried 5 of their 16 3-point shots.

Marcell McCreary is someone who was a major factor in this game. He notched 12 points on 3 out of 10 shooting. He played 36 mins played and also snagged 6 rebounds. He finished the game at 30.0% from the floor and earned 2 assists.

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UT Arlington will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 8-5 this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.0 times per contest and as a unit are committing 19.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UT Arlington is grabbing 38.5 boards per game and has tallied 176 assists this year, which has them ranked 281st in the nation in terms of passing. The Mavericks are hitting 29.4% on shots from downtown (68 of 231) and 68.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 71.9 pts per game (296th in the nation) while shooting 46.2% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Mavericks have forced 13.5 turnovers every game while drawing 18.2 fouls. They are 31st in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 143 relinquished for the year. The Mavericks are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 40.4% (285 of 705) and they concede 30.0 rebounds per contest as a team. They concede 24.5% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 22nd in college hoops in opponents PPG (64.6).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 80-66 against Utah Tech. The Thunderbirds snagged 23 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 33 in this game. They turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 4 steals in this matchup. Utah Tech was called for 17 personal fouls for the game which took the Thunderbirds to the free throw line for a total of 21 attempts. They were able to make 13 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 61.9%. In relation to 3-point shots, Southern Utah knocked down 5 of their 19 attempts (26.3%). When all was said and done, the Thunderbirds finished shooting 24 out of 58 from the floor which had them at 41.4%. The Thunderbirds allowed Utah Tech to bury 31 out of 69 tries from the field which had them shooting 44.9% in this contest. They finished 43.5% from downtown by shooting 10 out of 23 and ended up shooting 8 of 13 at the free throw line (61.5%). In reference to rebounding, Southern Utah permitted Utah Tech to snag 39 in all (12 on the offensive glass).

Dylan Jones ended up being a major contributor for the Thunderbirds in the game. He buried 4 of 8 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He earned 12 points in his 21 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in the matchup.

Southern Utah has a record of 4-10 for the season. The Thunderbirds are committing 15.7 personal fouls every game and they shoot 71.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 14.3 times per game (194th in college) and they are turning it over 13.6 times per game. Southern Utah has accounted for 1,076 pts for the season (76.9 per game) and they average 37.1 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Thunderbirds are hitting on 45.3% from the floor, which ranks 200th in college.

The Thunderbirds defensively are ranked 329th in college in PPG allowed with 80.9. They are forcing their opponents into 10.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 47.0% from the floor (317th in college). The Southern Utah defense allows 37.6% on 3-point attempts (106 of 282) and their opponents are converting on 72.5% of their foul shots. They allow 13.5 assists and 36.6 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 200th and 275th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UT Arlington

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