| MATCHUP | UT Arlington Mavericks | Southern Utah Thunderbirds |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 9-5 | 4-10 |
| Where | America First Events Center, Cedar City, UT | |
| When | Saturday, January 3, 2026 | |
| Time | 08:30 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The Texas-Arlington Mavericks and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds meet Saturday in college basketball action from Centrum Arena Utah in Cedar City. Here’s a Texas-Arlington vs Southern Utah prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Texas-Arlington 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.
TX-Arlington Mavericks Betting Preview
Texas-Arlington got off to a 6-2 start this year, beating UNT Dallas, Arlington Baptist, Missouri State, Evansville, Weber State and Stephen F Austin. The next five games were a 2-3 run with wins over UTRGV and Oral Roberts among losses to Arkansas State, Stanford and Tarleton State. That would give the Mavs an 8-5 record through their first 13 games of the season.
In the Thursday game versus Tarleton State, the Mavericks were up by just two points at halftime. Texas-Arlington hit a 35-25 run the rest of the way however, leading to a 63-51 win in the end. Tops in scoring was Marcell McCreary with 14 points and six rebounds. Raysean Seamster added 13 points with six rebounds and Bahsil Laster had 12 points with four boards.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds Betting Preview
Over on the Southern Utah side, they were only able to beat Bethesda University in their first six games of the year. The Thunderbirds would hit a 3-1 run after that with wins over Nobel, Stetson and West Coast Baptist, but since then it’s been losses to Oregon State, Washington, Northern Arizona and Utah Tech. That gives the Thunderbirds a 4-10 record so far this year.
In the Utah Tech game on Monday, the Thunderbirds exited the locker room with a two-point deficit. Southern Utah was outscored 39-27 the rest of the way in an 80-66 loss. Dylan Jones led the team on 12 points with two rebounds and both Elijah Duval and Zach Bell contributed 11 points each with a combined five rebounds during the losing effort.
UT Arlington Mavericks @ Southern Utah Thunderbirds Betting Trends: January 3, 2026
Why the Southern Utah Thunderbirds will win
- UT Arlington Mavericks has lost five of its last six games against the Western Athletic Conference.
- Southern Utah has won each of its last three home games.
- Southern Utah has won the first half in each of its last three home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the UT Arlington Mavericks will win
- Southern Utah has lost each of its last four games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- UT Arlington Mavericks has won three of its last four night games against Southern Utah.
TX-Arlington vs Southern Utah Prediction
I’ll stay with Texas-Arlington. The Mavericks didn’t have the most overwhelming offensive day versus Cal Baptist this week, shooting just 34.5 percent from the field with 5-of-20 (25 percent) from outside. TX-Arlington notched 12 steals on 16 Lancers turnovers though, and did well at the line with 20-of-23 for 87 percent. The Mavs have scored few than 70 points in seven straight games now, notching a middling 4-3 run during that time.
As for Southern Utah, they had a spotty second half in their latest loss to Utah Tech, eventually shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the line alongside a 39-33 rebounding deficit and 14 turnovers. Southern Utah has now lost four games in a row, and they’ve been below 70 points in each of the last three. I’m not jazzed about their scoring chances these days.