| MATCHUP | Florida Gulf Coast Eagles | Central Arkansas Bears |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 6-7 | 5-8 |
| Where | Farris Center, Conway, AR | |
| When | Thursday, January 1, 2026 | |
| Time | 02:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the Central Arkansas Bears meet Thursday in college basketball action from Farris Center in Conway. Here’s a Florida Gulf Coast vs Central Arkansas prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Florida Gulf Coast vs Central Arkansas 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.
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Betting Preview
Florida Gulf Coast started out the year on a pretty nice 5-2 run. The wins in that time were versus New College FL, Chattanooga, Samford, Oral Roberts and Rice. A losing streak began after that however, as the Eagles would lose to Kennesaw State, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, New Mexico and UCF, giving the team a 5-7 overall record across their first dozen games.
In their Sunday matchup with Fort Lauderdale, the Eagles were up by 13 points going into the second half. Florida Gulf Coast hit a 50-22 run the rest of the way, winning easily by an 84-43 margin. Isaiah Malone put up 15 points with 14 rebounds and Rory Stewart had 14 points with seven rebounds. Darren Williams added 10 points with four assists in the win as well.
Central Arkansas Bears Betting Preview
Over on the Bears’ side, they lost four of their first five versus North Carolina, Arkansas, Samford and North Texas. Central Arkansas would beat Eastern Washington, Eastern Illinois and Little Rock over the next four games but they’ve since gone 1-3 with losses to East Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and SMU. That gives the Bears a 5-8 record across 13 games this year so far.
In the SMU matchup on December 21, the Bears entered the second half with a 51-47 deficit. Central Arkansas didn’t get any closer on a 48-35 run from there and lost 99-82 in the end. Ty Robinson was the team’s top scorer with 28 points and eight boards while Camren Hunter added 19 points. Javion Guy-King chipped in with 16 points in 22 minutes in the loss as well.
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles @ Central Arkansas Bears Betting Trends: January 1, 2026
Why the Central Arkansas Bears will win
- The home team has won 13 of Central Arkansas’ last 14 games.
- Florida Gulf Coast has lost five of its last six games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Florida Gulf Coast has lost the first half in nine of its last 11 road day games against the ASUN Conference.
Why the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles will win
- Central Arkansas has lost each of its last seven Thursday games at Farris Center.
- Florida Gulf Coast has won four of its last five games against the ASUN Conference.
- Florida Gulf Coast has won the first half in five of its last six day games against the ASUN Conference.
Florida Gulf Coast vs Central Arkansas Prediction
I’ll stick with Central Arkansas I suppose. Probably not touching this one, though. The Bears lost their last game to a good SMU team despite shooting a nice 47.5 percent from the field. Central Arkansas was outmuscled on the boards 34-19 and 56-26 in the paint while coughing up 15 turnovers along the way. The Bears have scored 68 or more points in five straight games but they’re just 2-3 in that time.
As for FGCU, they blew right past Fort Lauderdale in their last outing, shooting 45.1 percent from the field with a 53-20 rebounding edge and a 36-24 advantage on points in the paint. Florida Gulf Coast has put up 70 or more points in all but one game this season, but they’re just 1-5 in the last six due to some lax defense.