Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Appalachian State Mountaineers Prediction, 1/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Appalachian State Mountaineers

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Location: Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, NC

TV: ESPN+

The Appalachian State Mountaineers (11-9) will try to defeat the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (5-15) at Holmes Convocation Center on Thursday.

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns faced South Alabama and earned the victory with a final of 59-56 in their last game. Louisiana finished the contest having earned a 38.2% FG percentage (21 of 55) and converted 15 of 42 three-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Ragin' Cajuns knocked down 2 of 4 attempts for a percentage of 50.0%. In terms of pulling down rebounds, they collected 27 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 14 assists for the contest as well as creating 8 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In terms of the defense, Louisiana allowed the other team to shoot 43.4% from the floor on 23 out of 53 shooting. South Alabama doled out 9 assists and had 5 steals for the game. Additionally, South Alabama snagged 30 rebounds (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. South Alabama finished the game at 30.0% at the free throw line by burying 3 of their 10 shots. They knocked down 7 out of their 15 attempts from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Ragin' Cajuns finished with 9 while South Alabama racked up 7 fouls.

Jaxon Olvera is someone who played a role for the game. He walked away with 14 points on 5 of 13 shooting. He played 27 minutes and snagged 3 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 38.5% from the floor and dished out 1 assist.

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Louisiana steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 5-15 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 12.0 times per game and as a squad are committing 19.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Louisiana is pulling in 30.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 207 assists this season, which is 344th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Ragin' Cajuns are shooting 32.2% on three-point attempts (157 of 487) and 67.0% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 60.2 points per contest (365th in the nation) while going 39.6% from the floor.

Defensively, the Ragin' Cajuns are forcing 11.2 turnovers per game and they draw 14.3 fouls. They give up 36.5% on shots from downtown and they are 66th in Division 1 in opponents PPG (69.1). The Ragin' Cajuns defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.9% (455 of 1,013) and they relinquish 34.5 boards per game as a unit. They are currently ranked 161st in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 240 surrendered this year.

In their last game, the Appalachian State Mountaineers went home defeated by a final of 75-73 against Old Dominion. The Mountaineers earned 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 30 in this matchup. They also turned it over 7 times, while earning 6 steals for the contest. Old Dominion had 22 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Mountaineers to the charity stripe for 25 shots. They were able to knock down 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 60.0%. In regard to shots from beyond the arc, Appalachian State converted 6 of 22 tries (27.3%). Overall, the Mountaineers walked away from this one shooting 26 for 56 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.4%. The Mountaineers permitted Old Dominion to bury 25 of 49 tries from the floor which left them shooting 51.0% for this contest. They went 47.8% from three-point range by going 11 of 23 and ended up shooting 14 of 23 at the free throw line (60.9%). In reference to team rebounding, Appalachian State permitted Old Dominion to get 26 overall (3 offensive).

Alonzo Dodd was important for the Mountaineers in this matchup. He knocked down 10 out of 16 for the game for a field goal rate of 62.5%, and earned 4 rebounds. He totaled 27 points in his 36 mins of playing time and totaled 9 dimes in the game.

Appalachian State has a win-loss record of 11-9 this year. The Mountaineers commit 16.4 fouls per contest and they hit 61.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.8 times per contest (282nd in Division 1) and they turn the ball over 9.8 times per game. Appalachian State has totaled 1,457 points so far this year (72.9 per contest) and they collect 38.8 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Mountaineers are shooting 45.2% from the field, which ranks 187th in the country.

The Appalachian State defense allows 32.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (158 of 492) and their opposition makes 69.5% of their foul shots. They relinquish 12.3 dimes and 34.5 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 91st and 182nd in those defensive categories. The Mountaineers on defense are ranked 35th in college hoops in points given up per game with 67.1. They are able to force 9.9 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 39.9% from the field (33rd in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Louisiana

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