Florida A&M Rattlers vs Southern Jaguars Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Florida A&M Rattlers vs Southern Jaguars

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: F.G. Clark Activity Center in Baton Rouge, LA

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Jaguars (13-14) welcome the Florida A&M Rattlers (11-15) at F.G. Clark Activity Center on Thursday.

The Florida A&M Rattlers played Alabama State and notched a win by a score of 76-63 in their last contest. Florida A&M ended with a 49.1% FG percentage (27 of 55) and knocked down 5 of their 20 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Rattlers buried 17 of 28 shots for a rate of 60.7%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they earned 43 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 14 assists for the game while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 4 steals. In relation to defending, Florida A&M allowed the other team to shoot 40.0% from the field on 22 out of 55 shooting. Alabama State doled out 14 assists and had 8 steals in this matchup. In addition, Alabama State collected 24 rebounds (6 offensive, 18 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Alabama State ended up shooting 50.0% from the charity stripe by making 12 of their 24 attempts. They also buried 7 of 19 tries from downtown. In relation to personal fouls, the Rattlers ended up finishing with 17 while Alabama State recorded 25 personal fouls.

Antonio Baker is someone who was important for this game. He accumulated 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting. He played 37 mins and also pulled down 9 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 77.8% from the field and also earned 2 dimes.

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Florida A&M comes into this matchup with a mark of 11-15 this season. They average 69.8 points per game (316th in Division 1) while shooting 43.4% from the floor. The Rattlers are hitting 33.0% on three-point attempts (186 of 564) and 67.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Florida A&M is collecting 33.3 boards per contest and has totaled 329 assists on the campaign, which is 326th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 15.3 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 18.4 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Rattlers are able to force 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are giving up 35.4% on shots from distance while they are 239th in D-1 in PPG allowed (75.8). The Rattlers are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 45.8% (668 of 1,459) and they relinquish 34.6 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 64th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 328 conceded for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Southern Jaguars got the victory with a final of 87-73 when they faced Grambling. With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, Southern allowed Grambling to grab 31 in total (11 on the offensive side). They finished 25.0% from distance by connecting on 4 out of 16 and finished the game at 19 out of 26 from the free throw line (73.1%). The Jaguars allowed Grambling to knock down 25 out of 57 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 43.9% in this contest. In all, the Jaguars went 30 out of 51 from the field which gave them a rate of 58.8%. Regarding three-point attempts, Southern converted 8 out of 16 tries (50.0%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw tries for a clip of 82.6%. Grambling had 20 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Jaguars to the free throw line for 23 shots. They gave up possession 15 times, while earning 12 steals for this contest. The Jaguars snagged 23 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards totaling 26 in this matchup.

AJ Barnes was important for the Jaguars for the matchup. He earned 22 points in his 30 minutes on the court and added 3 assists in this matchup. He converted 8 out of 10 in this game for a rate of 80.0%, and had 4 rebounds.

Southern has a record of 13-14 for the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Jaguars are connecting on 45.7% from the floor, which is 156th in Division 1. Southern has totaled 2,175 points for the year (80.6 per game) and they grab 35.8 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.8 times per game (130th in college) and they are giving up possession 12.4 times per contest. The Jaguars have committed 19.2 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 70.2% from the free throw line.

The Southern defense surrenders 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc (219 of 622) and opponents are converting on 75.4% of their foul shots. They surrender 14.0 dimes and 35.6 boards per contest, which is 233rd and 251st in the nation. The Jaguars are ranked 300th in college in points per game surrendered with 78.3. They are able to force 15.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.9% from the floor (231st in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern

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