Ohio vs Eastern Michigan Prediction 1/3/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Ohio Bobcats and the Eastern Michigan Eagles meet Saturday in college basketball action from EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. Here’s an Ohio vs Eastern Michigan prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Ohio vs Eastern Michigan 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.

Ohio Bobcats Betting Preview

Ohio opened the year on an ugly skid, losing to Arkansas State, Saint Mary’s, Louisville, Bethune-Cookman, George Mason and Loyola Marymount in the first seven games. Since then it’s been a 6-1 run though, featuring wins over Maine, Marshall, St. Bonaventure, Ohio Wesleyan, Miami-OH-Hamilton and Central Michigan. That gives the Bobcats a 7-7 record through 14 games this year.
In the Central Michigan game on Tuesday, the Bobcats entered the second half with a two-point edge. Ohio hit a 49-35 run the rest of the way, rolling to an 80-64 win in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Jackson Paveletzke with 23 points, nine assists and seven boards. JJ Kelly chipped in 15 points and Aidan Hadaway doubled up on 13 points with 11 rebounds and six assists.

Eastern Michigan Eagles Betting Preview

Over on the Eastern Michigan side, they opened the year on a 6-4 run over their first 10 games. The wins in that time were over Georgia State, Detroit, Oakland, Cincinnati, NJIT and Cleary University. After losses to Fort Wayne, Akron and Wright State in the next three, Eastern Michigan took out UMass. That gives the Eagles a 7-7 record over 14 games this year as well.

Matched up against UMass on Tuesday, the Eagles were down by three points at halftime. Eastern Michigan hit a 42-33 run the rest of the way however, leading to an 80-74 win in the end. Carlos Hart put up 23 points with 12 rebounds for a double-double and Mohammad Habhab added 20 points with nine boards. Addison Patterson doubled up as well with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Ohio Bobcats @ Eastern Michigan Eagles Betting Trends: January 3, 2026

Why the Eastern Michigan Eagles will win

• The home team has won nine of Eastern Michigan’s last 10 games.
• Ohio has lost four of its last five games against the Mid-American Conference.
• Ohio has lost the first half in three of its last four games against Conference opponents.

Why the Ohio Bobcats will win

• Ohio has won eight of its last nine day games against Eastern Michigan.
• Eastern Michigan has lost three of its last four games.
• Eastern Michigan has lost the first half in each of its last four games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Ohio vs Eastern Michigan Prediction

I’ll stick with Ohio. You could make a case either way here, though. The Bobcats took a little while to pull away from a cold-shooting Central Michigan team (0-of-13 from 3-point range) in their last outing, hitting 45 percent from the field with 36 rebounds, 18 team assists and 40 points in the paint. Ohio wasn’t great from 3-point range (4-of-20 for 20 percent) or the line (22-of-34 for 64.7 percent) themselves, but still managed to score 80 points. That gives the Bobcats 79 or more points in each win during this current 6-1 stretch.

As for Eastern Michigan, they had a 44-37 rebounding edge and just nine turnovers while shooting 45.5 percent from the field in their latest win over UMass. The Eagles hit just 3-of-12 (25 percent) from outside, though. Eastern Michigan has been below 66 points in two of the last four games (a 1-3 run), so I’d like to see a good total from them here.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Ohio Bobcats -2