Lamar Cardinals vs SE Louisiana Lions Prediction, 1/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Lamar Cardinals vs SE Louisiana Lions

Date: Monday, January 5, 2026

Location: University Center in Hammond, LA

TV: ESPN+

University Center is the location where the SE Louisiana Lions (4-9) will attempt to beat the Lamar Cardinals (7-6) on Monday.

The Lamar Cardinals faced off with East Texas A&M and walked away with a win by a score of 69-62 in their last contest. Lamar wrapped up the contest having earned a 40.6% FG percentage (26 out of 64) and made 5 of 16 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Cardinals knocked down 12 of 17 tries for a rate of 70.6%. Regarding grabbing boards, they collected 37 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 12 assists in this game in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With regard to the defense, Lamar allowed the other team to shoot 37.3% from the field on 19 of 51 shooting. East Texas A&M earned 13 dimes and had 8 steals for the contest. Furthermore, East Texas A&M snagged 29 rebounds (6 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. East Texas A&M finished 87.5% when shooting free throws by converting 14 of 16 tries. They buried 10 out of their 29 attempts from downtown. In regard to fouls, the Cardinals left the arena with 13 and East Texas A&M finished the game with 20 fouls.

Andrew Holifield is a player who was a major factor for the contest. He scored 16 points on 5 of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 30 mins played and pulled down 5 rebounds. He finished the game at 41.7% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

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Lamar heads into this game with a record of 7-6 so far this season. They turn it over 12.0 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.5 personal fouls every game. As a team, Lamar is grabbing 37.6 boards per game and has accounted for 203 assists for the season, which is 162nd in D-1 in terms of passing. The Cardinals are hitting 32.7% from downtown (90 of 275) and 67.8% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 72.8 points per outing (281st in college hoops) while hitting 44.3% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Cardinals have forced 14.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.7 personal fouls. They are giving up 35.4% on shots from downtown and they are 66th in college hoops in points per game allowed (67.8). The Cardinals are allowing a FG percentage of 42.7% (298 of 698) and they relinquish 33.6 boards per contest as a group. They rank 78th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 158 surrendered this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the SE Louisiana Lions took a loss by a score of 79-70 when they played Incarnate Word. The Lions recorded 27 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds totaling 41 for the matchup. They gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while getting 10 steals for the contest. Incarnate Word was called for 18 fouls in the matchup which took the Lions to the free throw line for a total of 20 tries. They were able to make 16 of the free throws for a rate of 80.0%. In reference to three-point shots, SE Louisiana converted 4 of 20 tries (20.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Lions finished shooting 25 out of 65 from the field which gave them a rate of 38.5%. The Lions allowed Incarnate Word to bury 26 of their 63 tries from the floor which had them shooting 41.3% in this game. They finished 51.7% from distance by shooting 15 out of 29 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%). Concerning how they cleaned up the glass, SE Louisiana permitted Incarnate Word to collect 36 overall (10 offensive).

Isaiah Gaines ended up having an impact for the Lions for the contest. He knocked down 6 out of 10 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and earned 5 rebounds. He earned 15 points in his 22 mins of playing time and accounted for 1 assist in this game.

SE Louisiana has a win-loss mark of 4-9 this year. The Lions have committed 18.5 fouls per contest while shooting 71.8% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 12.0 times per contest (325th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 12.5 times per game. SE Louisiana has accounted for 857 pts on the campaign (65.9 per contest) and they average 32.6 boards per game. As an offense, the Lions are connecting on 40.5% from the field, which has them ranked 345th in D-1.

The SE Louisiana defense allows 35.6% on shots from distance (93 of 261) and their opponents are making 73.5% of their free throw attempts. They concede 13.1 assists and 34.8 rebounds per game, which is ranked 168th and 200th in Division 1. The Lions on the defensive side of the court are 109th in D-1 in points given up per game with 70.2. They are able to force 14.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.7% from the floor (291st in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Lamar

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