| MATCHUP | Sam Houston State Bearkats | Florida International Golden Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 10-7 | 9-8 |
| Where | Ocean Bank Convocation Center, Miami, FL | |
| When | Saturday, January 17, 2026 | |
| Time | 02:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The Sam Houston State Bearkats and the Florida International Panthers meet Saturday in college basketball action from FIU Arena in Westchester. Here’s a Sam Houston vs FIU prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Sam Houston vs FIU 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.
Sam Houston State Bearkats Betting Preview
Sam Houston kicked off the season on a 7-3 run over their first 10 games. The Bearkats lost to only Texas Tech, Utah and Oklahoma State in that time. Since then Sam Houston has posted a pretty rough 3-4 stretch with wins over College of Biblical Studies, Delaware and Jacksonville State. Across the first 17 games of the season that gives Sam Houston State a 10-7 record in the books so far.
In the Jacksonville State game on Wednesday the Bearkats were up by 12 points going into the second half 34-22. Sam Houston kept it up the rest of the way on a 43-40 advantage and left with a 77-62 road victory for their troubles. Tops in scoring was Veljko Ilic with 18 points and seven rebounds. Both Damon Nicholas (seven rebounds) and Justin Begg (four rebounds; four assists) added 11 points each.
Florida International Panthers Betting Preview
Over on the FIU side, they went 5-4 over their first nine outings this year. The losses in that time were versus Nebraska, LSU, James Madison and Miami. The Panthers would win four of the next five games with a lone loss to Liberty, but they’ve since lost three straight versus Jacksonville State, Missouri State and Kennesaw State. Over 17 games this year that gives the Panthers a 9-8 run.
In the Kennesaw State matchup back on Wednesday the Panthers came out of halftime with a 51-47 advantage. Florida International was outscored 42-35 the rest of the way however, and ended up falling on the road 89-86. Zawdie Jackson led the team with his 25 points, four rebounds and three assists. Eric Dibami managed to double up with 15 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes.
Sam Houston State Bearkats @ Florida International Panthers Betting Trends: January 17, 2026
Why the Florida International Panthers will win
- Sam Houston State has lost each of its last eight road day games against the Conference USA.
- Florida International has won seven of its last eight home games.
Why the Sam Houston State Bearkats will win
- Florida International has lost each of its last 10 Saturday games against the Conference USA.
Sam Houston vs FIU Prediction
I’ll just stay with Sam Houston but you could call this one either way. The Bearkats didn’t have much issue with a middling Jacksonville State team on the road in their last outing, shooting a very nice 57.4 percent from the field with 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from outside. Sam Houston had a 33-22 rebounding edge and a 40-26 advantage in the paint as well. That gives the Bearkats a 2-1 record in the last three games, with 72 or more points scored in each of those.
As for Florida International, they posted a 41-37 rebounding advantage and were up 34-24 in the paint during their loss to Kennesaw State. The Panthers fell victim to a nice shooting performance from outside by the Owls (45.7 percent on 16-of-35) and couldn’t hang on. That makes three straight losses for FIU, giving up 71 or more points in each of those defeats.