Abilene Christian vs Tarleton Prediction 1/8/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Abilene Christian Wildcats and the Tarleton State Texans meet Thursday in college basketball action from EECU Center. Here’s an Abilene Christian vs Tarleton State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Abilene Christian vs Tarleton State 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

Abilene Christian opened the year on a 7-3 run, taking losses to only Stephen F. Austin, Texas State and William & Mary during that time. The Wildcats would go 2-3 in their next five games, though. The wins in that time were over Texas Southern and Utah Valley; the losses came versus Arizona, BYU and Utah Tech otherwise, giving Abilene Christian a 9-6 record across their first 15 games.

In the Utah Valley matchup back on Saturday the Wildcats were in the locker room with a five-point edge 41-36. Abilene Christian closed on a 44-32 run and took the win easily 85-68 in the end. Bradyn Hubbard topped the team with a double-double on 22 points, 10 boards and six assists. Joseph Venzant added 15 points with two boards and Rich Smith had 13 points with seven assists.

Tarleton State Texans Betting Preview

Over on the Tarleton State side, they opened up the year on a shaky 2-3 run, but then hit an 8-1 stretch after that. The wins in that time were over Angelo State, Rice, Midwestern State, Howard Payne, Cameron, Mississippi Valley State, Florida A&M and Texas-Arlington. After a loss to Utah Valley and a win over Cal Baptist, Tarleton State has an 11-5 run through their first 16 games.

In the Cal Baptist matchup over the weekend the Texans entered the second half with a 29-28 edge. Tarleton State had to go to overtime in the end, but would eventually finish off an 81-76 victory. Dior Johnson managed a team-high 34 points in 29 minutes of work and Freddy Hicks added 12 points with eight boards. Kade Douglas chipped in nine points in 22 minutes during the win as well.

Abilene Christian Wildcats @ Tarleton State Texans Betting Trends: January 8, 2026

Why the Tarleton State Texans will win

• Tarleton State has won eight of its last nine home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Abilene Christian has lost each of its last four night games against the Western Athletic Conference.
• Abilene Christian has lost the first half in each of its last four night games against the Western Athletic Conference.

Why the Abilene Christian Wildcats will win

• Tarleton State has lost four of its last five night games against the Western Athletic Conference.
• Abilene Christian has won three of its last four road games against Conference opponents.

Abilene Christian vs Tarleton State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Tarleton State but you could make a case either way. The Texans didn’t get a ton of production out of their starters in the overtime win versus Cal Baptist but they’d eventually get the job done. Tarleton State was outfoxed on the boards 36-19 and gave up 51.9 percent shooting, however they also generated 13 steals on 21 Lancers turnovers in an opportunistic outing. The gives the Texans six wins in the last seven games, with 69 or more points in all seven of those.

As for Abilene Christian, they shot very well (54 percent) from the field in their win over Utah Valley, adding 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) from the line and a 46-32 advantage in the paint. The Wildcats had scored fewer than 68 points in three of the previous four (all three were losses) but to be fair they were playing against some tough competition. This matchup should be a good one to watch, and I could see it going either way.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Tarleton State Texans -6.5