Temple Owls vs UTSA Roadrunners Picks and Prediction for Saturday January 24 2026
Use Code WWWC College hoops action within the AAC on Saturday afternoon, and we have a Temple vs UTSA prediction loaded up and ready to roll. Temple enters this contest off a 69-65 road win over Rice, and they are now 12-7 on the year. UTSA is off to a rough 4-15 start to the year, and they come in off an 81-62 road loss to North Texas. These teams met on January 3rd and Temple won that game at home by a score of 76-57. Continue reading to see our Temple vs UTSA Prediction.
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Temple Grinds Out Win Over Rice
Temple heads to UTSA with a little momentum again after grinding out a 69–65 road win at Rice, a game that snapped their brief two‑game slide and showed some needed toughness late. They got 15 points each from Jordan Mason, Aiden Tobiason, and Derrian Ford, with Mason adding six assists and Tobiason delivering 11 of his points in the second half as Temple finally steadied itself in a game that featured 12 lead changes. The Owls weren’t perfect — turnovers popped up again, and they had trouble defending Rice’s perimeter shooting early — but they tightened up defensively after halftime and hit their free throws down the stretch. Big picture, Temple’s statistical profile is a mixed bag: they average 75.4 points, shoot 45.2%, and hit 35.7% from three, but they’re near the bottom nationally in offensive rebounding and turnover rate. Defensively, they’ve been steadier, holding opponents to 69.7 points and 43.5% shooting, with solid numbers guarding the arc.
Against UTSA, the formula is pretty straightforward: Temple has to value possessions and avoid the sloppy stretches that have repeatedly put them in early holes. UTSA wants to speed the game up and turn it into a shot‑trading contest, and Temple’s turnover issues — 9.3 per game, but with spikes in recent outings — can’t feed that fire. The Owls need Ford to stay aggressive as a scorer, Mason to control tempo, and their defense to run UTSA off the three‑point line, where the Roadrunners can get streaky. If Temple keeps the game in the halfcourt, wins the rebounding margin, and avoids the giveaways that nearly cost them at Rice, they’re built to grind out another road win. But if the pace gets loose and the turnovers pile up, UTSA becomes a much trickier matchup than their record suggests.
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UTSA Loses 12th In A Row
UTSA returns home still searching for answers after an 81–62 loss at North Texas, a game that looked competitive for about ten minutes before the Mean Green’s defense squeezed the life out of the Roadrunners’ offense. UTSA shot just 38.6% from the field and 28.5% from three, turned it over 15 times, and never found a rhythm against a North Texas team that dictated pace from start to finish. That defeat marked their 12th straight loss, and the season‑long numbers paint the same picture: UTSA averages 68.2 points, shoots 38.6% overall (bottom 40 nationally), and just 28.5% from deep, while ranking near the bottom of Division I in two‑point efficiency and turnover rate. They rebound the ball reasonably well on the offensive end (12.5 per game, top‑75), but defensively they’ve struggled across the board, allowing 79.3 points, 43.7% shooting, and a staggering 9.8 made threes per game to opponents.
Against Temple, the Roadrunners need to find a way to keep the game from tilting into long scoring droughts — the same stretches that have buried them throughout this losing streak. Temple’s defense is disciplined and strong at the arc, so UTSA has to generate cleaner looks inside and avoid settling for early threes that feed the Owls’ transition game. Ball security is another major key: UTSA’s 12.8 turnovers per game often turn into quick points the other way, and Temple thrives when it can control tempo. The Roadrunners will need to lean on their effort on the offensive glass, slow the game down, and force Temple into contested mid‑range shots to stay within striking distance. If they can’t protect the ball or improve their shot quality, it becomes another uphill climb against a team that’s far more comfortable in tight, possession‑by‑possession games.
Temple vs UTSA Pick
Temple vs UTSA Spread Pick
- Temple -11 (4 Units)
Temple -11 lines up with how these two teams are trending. UTSA is stuck in a 12‑game skid, and the numbers behind it aren’t fluky — they’re shooting under 39%, barely 28% from three, and they routinely go five or six possessions without a clean look. That’s a tough way to stay competitive against a Temple team that, while inconsistent, defends at a much higher level and just showed on the road at Rice that it can close out a tight game. The Owls also match up well stylistically: UTSA’s biggest lifeline is the offensive glass, but Temple’s defensive rebounding has been steady, and the Roadrunners’ turnover issues play right into Temple’s hands. If the Owls keep the pace controlled and avoid the sloppy stretches that have burned them in other spots, they’re built to create separation here. This is the kind of matchup where Temple’s discipline and shot creation should win out over UTSA’s volatility.
Temple vs UTSA Over/Under Pick
- Under 145.5 (5 Units)
UTSA just doesn’t have the firepower to consistently push games toward the mid‑140s, and the numbers back it up across the board. They’re scoring 68.2 points per game, shooting 38.6% from the field, and barely 28.5% from three, and most of their possessions turn into long, grinding trips that end with contested jumpers. When they face defenses that can stay disciplined and avoid giving up transition points — which Temple generally does — their scoring dries up even faster. On top of that, Temple isn’t built to run, and they’re perfectly comfortable playing a slower, halfcourt game that limits possessions. Unless Temple completely melts down defensively or UTSA suddenly shoots way above its season norms, this matchup leans heavily toward a lower‑tempo, lower‑efficiency game. The Under 145.5 fits the way both teams actually play.
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