Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions vs Southern Jaguars Prediction, 3/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions vs Southern Jaguars

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Location: Gateway Center in College Park, GA

TV: ESPN+

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (13-18) are on their way to Gateway Center on Thursday where they will take on the Southern Jaguars (15-16) in the SWAC Tournament.

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions played Alcorn State and earned the victory with a final of 83-48 in their last game. Arkansas-Pine Bluff ended the game with a 52.3% field goal percentage (34 of 65) and made 4 out of their 16 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Golden Lions made 11 of 14 shots for a rate of 78.6%. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 34 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 21 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and having 11 steals. With respect to defense, Arkansas-Pine Bluff allowed 32.1% from the floor on 18 of 56 shooting. Alcorn State recorded 8 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, Alcorn State grabbed 32 rebounds (6 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Alcorn State shot 58.8% from the charity stripe by making 10 of 17 shots. They also made 2 of their 16 attempts from 3-point range. In reference to personal fouls, the Golden Lions ended up walking away with 14 while Alcorn State finished the game with 10 personal fouls.

Quion Williams is one guy who was a factor in the matchup. He accounted for 18 points on 7 out of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 36 mins played and collected 13 rebounds. He ended up shooting 50.0% from the field and distributed 5 assists.

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Arkansas-Pine Bluff heads into this one with a mark of 13-18 so far this year. They have an average of 77.1 pts per game (150th in the nation) while hitting 45.0% from the floor. The Golden Lions are shooting 34.0% on shots from downtown (234 of 689) and 75.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Arkansas-Pine Bluff is pulling down 33.9 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 483 assists on the season, which ranks 99th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.6 times per contest and as a team they are committing 19.5 fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Golden Lions are able to force 12.4 turnovers per game and they draw 16.5 fouls. They are surrendering 32.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 340th in college in PPG from their opponents (80.9). The Golden Lions defense is allowing a FG percentage of 45.6% (847 of 1,857) and they concede 36.4 rebounds per game as a team. They are 259th in college in giving up assists with 454 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Southern Jaguars got the victory with a final of 88-85 when they played Alabama A&M. The Jaguars snagged 27 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards for a total of 31 for this game. They also gave up possession 11 times, while getting 6 steals for this game. Alabama A&M committed 24 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Jaguars to the charity stripe for a total of 37 tries. They were able to bury 28 of those for a clip of 75.7%. In reference to three-point shots, Southern buried 6 out of their 10 tries (60.0%). When all was said and done, the Jaguars ended up shooting 27 for 52 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 51.9%. The Jaguars permitted Alabama A&M to convert 29 of 63 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.0% for the matchup. They finished 35.7% from downtown by shooting 5 of 14 and finished the contest at 22 out of 29 at the free throw line (75.9%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Southern permitted Alabama A&M to get 30 overall (8 offensive).

Terrance Dixon Jr. pitched in for the Jaguars for this contest. He knocked down 7 out of 10 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 70.0%, and had 4 rebounds. He tallied 19 points in his 24 mins of playing time and had 1 assist for the game.

Southern has a win-loss mark of 15-16 this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Jaguars are shooting 45.3% from the floor, which is 181st in the nation. Southern has tallied 2,484 points for the season (80.1 per game) and they average 35.6 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 14.8 times per contest (120th in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.0 times per game. The Jaguars have committed 19.0 personal fouls every game and they shoot 69.9% from the charity stripe.

The Southern defense concedes 34.5% on 3-point attempts (239 of 693) and their opponents are connecting on 75.3% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 14.0 dimes and 35.7 rebounds per game, which ranks them 238th and 263rd in those categories on the defensive end. The Jaguars on the defensive end are ranked 304th in Division 1 in points given up per game with 78.3. They have forced 14.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.1% from the floor (244th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Southern

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