Cincinnati Bearcats vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/21/2026

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Venue:  McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, AZ 

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cincinnati +13.5, Arizona -13.5; Over/Under:  153.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cincinnati +13.5, Arizona -13.5; Over/Under:  153.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cincinnati +13.5, Arizona -13.5; Over/Under:  153.5 points

Cincinnati Bearcats:  10-8 (2-3) (9th place, Big 12)

Arizona Wildcats:  18-0 (5-0) (1st place, Big 12)

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Cincinnati Bearcats:  2-3  last 5

Arizona Wildcats:  5-0  last 5

Cincinnati is entering this game with a 10-8 record overall, a 2-3 record in conference games, and they are 0-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Iowa State Cyclones in their last game. Day Day Thomas led the team in points in that game with 19 while Jizzle James was next on the team with 15. Baba Miller led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Baba Miller led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 43.5% from the field, 29.4% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.2 PPG against them. Cincinnati has an ATS record of 8-10 this season and their O/U record is 4-14.

Arizona is entering this game with an 18-0 record overall, a 5-0 conference record, and they are 10-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Central Florida Knights in their last game. Jaden Bradley led the team in points in that game with 23 while Brayden Burries was next on the team with 18. Jaden Bradley led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Motiejus Krivas led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 52.7% from the field, 23.1% from 3-point range, and 69.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 90.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.3 PPG against them. Arizona has an ATS record of 10-7-1 this season and their O/U record is 11-7.

The current betting odds have Arizona listed as a 13.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Arizona has looked great in their games this season with their 18-0 record overall and their 5-0 conference record which has them right at the top of the Big 12. They have looked great on their home court too with their 10-0 home record this year. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has looked good in their games this season with their 10-8 record overall, but their 2-3 conference record has them in the bottom half of the Big 12. They have been a terrible road team too with their 0-3 road record this season. Cincinnati hasn't looked good lately as they are 2-3 in their last 5 games, struggling against Big 12 opponents, but they didn't look that great in the preseason either. They are off a big win over Iowa State in their last one and that was a huge win for the program with how bad they have looked this year, but they don't have the talent to do that repeatedly and they are due for a let down game here. Arizona has been rolling all season with multiple wins by double digits and they are one of the few undefeated teams left in the nation too. They are ranked like one of the best teams in the nation and they have the talent to back it up too. Cincinnati isn't going to be able to recreate what they did against Iowa State, especially on the road here, so look for Arizona to continue rolling in this game as Cincinnati comes back down to Earth. The best way to place a bet here is on Arizona to cover the spread in this game. 

Cincinnati Arizona Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, January 21, 2026 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Arizona 92 Cincinnati 68.

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Cincinnati Bearcats: 13-22 ATS versus good defensive teams - shooting pct defense of 42% or less. 8-17 ATS versus excellent teams - shooting 45% or more with a defense of 42% or less. 17-25 ATS vs. good free throw shooting teams - making 72% of their attempts or more. 18-9 UNDER as an underdog. 13-5 UNDER when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%).

Arizona Wildcats: 26-18 ATS as a favorite of 10 or more points. 9-5 ATS off a road win against a conference rival. 26-14 ATS versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game. 8-3 UNDER when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%).

Cincinnati Bearcats:  K. Kriisa (G) Questionable - Shoulder. J. Haynes (F) Questionable - Lower Body.

Arizona Wildcats:  None.

"We'd make him dribble through two different pick and roll actions, and then we'd cut just to get our offense started. We did that probably 10-14 times. So think about all the pressure he had to handle just to get our offense started. I thought he did it masterfully. I thought it was as good a floor game as I've ever seen him play, aside from the turnover there on the right sideline late when he handled the pressure, he got us installed into offense, and then everybody was able to make plays because of that." - Wes Miller after his team’s win against ISU in their last game. 

"It's really comfortable. Our young guys have experience beyond their years. Ivan even had some turnovers today that are probably a little bit regretful that he'll learn from. Whether they were fouls or not fouls, I don't know, but at the end of the day, you've got to be stronger with the ball on the road especially." - Tommy Lloyd on his young players this season. 

S. Abaev 

K. Kriisa 

B. Miller 

M. Thiam 

D. Thomas

J. Bradley 

B. Burries 

I. Kharchenkov 

M. Krivas 

K. Peat

PPG: Baba Miller (13.2)

APG: Kerr Kriisa (3.8)

Reb/G: Baba Miller (10.8)

PPG: Koa Peat (14.7)

APG: Jaden Bradley (4.6)

Reb/G: Tobe Awaka (9.8)

Coaches:

Cincinnati Bearcats: Wes Miller (5th season)

Arizona Wildcats: Tommy Lloyd (5th season)