Abilene Christian vs Southern Utah Prediction 1/17/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Abilene Christian Wildcats and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds meet Saturday in college basketball action from Central Center Utah in Cedar City. Here’s an Abilene Christian vs Southern Utah prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Abilene Christian vs Southern Utah pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Abilene Christian Wildcats Betting Preview

This year the Wildcats opened the season on a pretty solid 7-3 run. The losses in that time were versus Stephen F. Austin, Texas State and William & Mary. The next seven games were a sketchy 3-4 run though. Abilene Christian lost to Arizona, BYU, Utah Tech and Texas-Arlington in that time. Across the first 17 games of the season that would give the Wildcats a 10-7 run in the books.

Matched up against Cal Baptist on Thursday the Wildcats were demolished in the first half 46-29. Abilene Christian got ever-so-slightly better in the second on a 29-28 run but still took the sizable loss at home 74-58. The only player on the team to reach double-digits was Rich Smith, who tallied 22 points with six assists and three rebounds over 35 minutes during the defeat.

Southern Utah Thunderbirds Betting Preview

Over on the Southern Utah side, they only managed to win four of their first 10 games this year, falling otherwise to Arizona State, UTRGV, Omaha, Gonzaga, Washington State and Robert Morris. After that came losses to Oregon State, Washington, Northern Arizona, Utah Tech, TX-Arlington, Utah Valley and Cal Baptist in the next seven outings. That would make for a 4-13 record over the first 17 outings.

In Thursday’s game versus Tarleton State, the Thunderbirds were up 52-44 by the break. Southern Utah gave that lead away in the second half however, and had to go to overtime to eke out a home win 106-105 in the end. Dylan Jones put up 22 points with two rebounds and two assists while Tanner Hayhurst added 20 points with seven rebounds and four assists in the victory effort.

Abilene Christian Wildcats @ Southern Utah Thunderbirds Betting Trends: January 17, 2026

Why the Southern Utah Thunderbirds will win

• Abilene Christian has lost five of its last six night games against the Western Athletic Conference.
• Southern Utah has won four of its last five home games.
• Southern Utah has won the first half in four of its last five home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Abilene Christian Wildcats will win

• Southern Utah has lost each of its last eight Saturday games against the Western Athletic Conference.
• Abilene Christian has won each of its last three night games against Southern Utah.
• Abilene Christian has won the first half in three of its last four road night games against Conference opponents.

Abilene Christian vs Southern Utah Prediction

I’ll lean toward the Wildcats, but I’m probably staying away. Abilene Christian really needs a good bounce-back here after a listless loss to Cal Baptist this week. The Wildcats shot just 37.3 percent from the field with a 39-24 deficit on the boards and a 38-24 disadvantage on points in the paint in that one. Abilene Christian has now lost consecutive games, and they’ve given up 68 or more points in nine straight outings.

As for Southern Utah, they get credit for powering out an overtime win at home versus Tarleton State this week. The Thunderbirds shot a nice 49.2 percent from the field with 31-of-42 (73.8 percent) from the line in that one. That said, Southern Utah also coughed up 18 turnovers and got outscored in the paint 54-36. The win halts a seven-game losing skid, and if the Thunderbirds can keep the offense up they’ll be competitive here as well.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Abilene Christian Wildcats -4