Wichita State Shockers vs Charlotte 49ers Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Wichita State Shockers vs Charlotte 49ers

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Halton Arena in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPNU

The Wichita State Shockers (9-5) are headed to Halton Arena on Saturday where they will take on the Charlotte 49ers (6-8).

The Wichita State Shockers faced off with UAB and took home the win by a score of 75-70 in their last game. Wichita State finished the contest with a 44.3% FG percentage (27 out of 61) and converted 9 of their 20 3-pointers. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Shockers knocked down 12 of 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. In terms of pulling down rebounds, they collected a total of 37 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 12 assists in this game as well as creating 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In relation to the defense, Wichita State let their opponent shoot 43.9% from the field on 25 of 57 shooting. UAB distributed 15 dimes and had 5 steals for the game. In addition, UAB pulled down 24 rebounds (7 offensive, 17 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. UAB went 70.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 17 of 24 tries. They also converted 3 of 12 shots from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Shockers ended up finishing with 20 and UAB finished the game with 14 fouls.

Kenyon Giles is a guy who was a factor for the game. He ended up with 26 points on 9 out of 17 shooting. He saw the court for 40 mins and totaled 2 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 52.9% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

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Wichita State will enter this matchup with a record of 9-5 for the campaign. They turn the ball over 9.9 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 16.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Wichita State is pulling in 40.4 boards per game and has earned 171 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 297th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Shockers are shooting 36.8% on shots from 3-point land (110 of 299) and 69.3% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 77.7 points per outing (182nd in Division 1) while going 45.4% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Shockers are forcing their opponents into 10.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are surrendering 31.1% from 3-point land while they are 52nd in D-1 in points per game allowed (66.7). The Shockers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.5% (332 of 800) and they relinquish 31.6 boards per contest as a team. They are 137th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 171 conceded this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Charlotte 49ers took a defeat with a final score of 76-73 against Temple. When talking about cleaning the glass, Charlotte allowed Temple to get 25 in all (5 offensive). They finished 50.0% from behind the 3-point line by going 7 of 14 and ended up going 15 of 24 from the free throw line (62.5%). The 49ers permitted Temple to convert 27 out of 53 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.9% in the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the 49ers shot 22 for 50 from the floor which had them sitting at 44.0%. Concerning shooting from beyond the arc, Charlotte converted 5 out of their 17 tries (29.4%). They were able to convert 24 of the free throws for a percentage of 85.7%. Temple committed 20 personal fouls for the contest which took the 49ers to the free throw line for 28 tries. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while recording 6 steals in the matchup. The 49ers snagged 20 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 28 for this contest.

Anton Bonke pitched in for the 49ers for this contest. He scored 20 points in his 25 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He converted 5 out of 10 in the game for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 8 rebounds.

Charlotte has a win-loss mark of 6-8 so far this year. The 49ers commit 17.6 personal fouls every game while shooting 70.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 13.1 times per game (285th in the nation) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per game. Charlotte has tallied 1,010 pts on the year (72.1 per game) and they pull in 35.0 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the 49ers are shooting 44.6% from the floor, which ranks them 238th in Division 1.

The Charlotte defense surrenders 36.2% on 3-point attempts (111 of 307) and their opposition knocks down 65.5% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 12.6 dimes and 30.3 rebounds every game, which ranks 123rd and 24th in those categories. The 49ers defensively are ranked 161st in Division 1 in PPG given up with 72.1. They have forced 10.4 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 45.8% from the floor (295th in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Wichita State

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