Utah Valley vs Abilene Christian Prediction 1/3/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Utah Valley Wolverines and the Abilene Christian Wildcats meet Saturday in college basketball action from Moody Coliseum. Here’s a Utah Valley vs Abilene Christian prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Utah Valley vs Abilene Christian 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.

Utah Valley Wolverines Betting Preview

Utah Valley went just 2-2 over their first four games this year, but then took wins over UC Irvine, South Dakota State and Samford in succession. The Wolverines would lose to San Diego State, then beat Bowling Green, Idaho State, UC Santa Barbara, Weber State, Bethesda and Cal Baptist in the next six. That would give Utah Valley an 11-3 overall run across the first 14 outings this year.

On Thursday versus Tarleton State, the Wolverines held a slim three-point lead at the break. Utah Valley hit a 48-45 run the rest of the way though, preserving a 91-85 win in the end. Jackson Holcombe put up 22 points with five rebounds and four assists and Hayden Welling had 15 points with seven boards. Trevan Leonhardt added 15 points with six rebounds and five assists in the win as well.

Abilene Christian Wildcats Betting Preview

Over on the Wildcats’ side, they won their first three games of the season then fell versus Stephen F Austin, Texas State and William & Mary over the next four outings. Abilene Christian beat Jarvis Christian, Pepperdine and New Mexico State before losses to Arizona State and BYU. Following a win over Texas Southern, the Wildcats had an 8-5 record through 13 games.

Matched up against Utah Tech on Thursday, the Wildcats were in trouble at halftime with a 40-24 deficit. Abilene Christian got better from there on 40 more points but still lost 79-64 in the end. Leading the team in the losing effort was Rich Smith with 22 points and six assists. Joseph Scott added 13 points with seven rebounds and Joseph Venzant had 10 points and four boards in the defeat.

Utah Valley Wolverines @ Abilene Christian Wildcats Betting Trends: January 3, 2026

Why the Abilene Christian Wildcats will win

• Abilene Christian has won each of its last six day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• The home team has won the first half in four of Abilene Christian’s last five games.

Why the Utah Valley Wolverines will win

• Utah Valley has won each of its last seven games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Abilene Christian has lost three of its last four games against Conference opponents.
• Abilene Christian has lost the first half in three of its last four games against Conference opponents.

Utah Valley vs Abilene Christian Prediction

I’ll stick with Utah Valley. The Wolverines put together a solid win over a pretty good Tarleton State team at EECU Center in their last outing. Utah Valley shot 54.7 percent from the field in that one with a 38-24 rebounding edge and 44 points in the paint. The 15 turnovers were just about the only thing to really complain about. The Wolverines have now won seven straight games, scoring 73 or more points in six of them (68 in the other).

As for Abilene Christian, they couldn’t quite keep pace with a middling Utah Tech team in their last game, thanks mostly to 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from outside, 56 percent shooting allowed and 16 turnovers along the way. The Wildcats have lost three of the last four games, but to be fair two of those were against ranked teams in Arizona and BYU.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Utah Valley Wolverines -8