Nicholls State Colonels vs East Texas A&M Lions Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nicholls Colonels vs East Texas A&M Lions

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: The Field House in Commerce, TX

TV: ESPN+

The East Texas A&M Lions (8-13) will take on the Nicholls Colonels (8-13) at The Field House on Saturday.

The Nicholls Colonels faced New Orleans and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 80-62 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Colonels ended up with 19 while New Orleans totaled 16 personal fouls. They converted 5 out of their 15 shots from three-point range. New Orleans ended up going 80.8% at the free throw line by making 21 of their 26 tries. On top of that, New Orleans grabbed 39 rebounds (10 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't have a block. New Orleans distributed 15 dimes and had 9 steals for the game. With regard to the defense, Nicholls State allowed their opponent to shoot 47.4% from the floor on 27 of 57 shooting. They also doled out 12 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing 18 turnovers and getting 12 steals. Regarding getting rebounds, they earned 24 with 8 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Colonels made 8 of their 15 attempts for a percentage of 53.3%. Nicholls State finished the contest with a 36.1% field goal percentage (22 of 61) and buried 10 of their 33 shots from downtown.

Zee Hamoda is a player who was a major contributor for the game. He finished the game at 50.0% from the field and totaled 2 assists. He saw the court for 35 minutes played and also totaled 7 rebounds. He ended up with 19 points on 8 out of 16 shooting.

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Nicholls State enters this game with a record of 8-13 for the campaign. They currently have an average of 74.0 points per game (242nd in Division 1) on 43.0% from the floor. The Colonels are shooting 34.7% on three-point attempts (199 of 574) and 66.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Nicholls State is pulling down 30.8 rebounds per game and has 286 dimes this year, which has them ranked 212th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 12.1 times per game and as a group are committing 18.5 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Colonels are able to force 15.9 turnovers per game and they draw 16.9 fouls. They are relinquishing 36.0% on three-point shots and they are ranked 267th in D-1 in PPG allowed (76.9). The Colonels defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 48.5% (557 of 1,148) and they concede 36.8 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 282nd in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 310 conceded for the year.

The last time they took the court, the East Texas A&M Lions took a defeat with a final score of 82-61 when they played Lamar. The Lions collected 18 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 27 for this game. They also turned it over 9 times, while recording 9 steals in this contest. Lamar was called for 13 personal fouls in this game which took the Lions to the free throw line for a total of 17 shots. They were able to make 8 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 47.1%. When talking about shots from beyond the perimeter, East Texas A&M knocked down 7 out of their 24 attempts (29.2%). When the final whistle blew, the Lions shot 23 out of 64 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 35.9%. The Lions permitted Lamar to convert 31 out of 64 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.4% in this matchup. They went 45.8% from downtown by going 11 of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 14 at the free throw line (64.3%). In the matter of rebounding, East Texas A&M permitted Lamar to collect 46 overall (13 offensive).

Damian Garcia ended up having an impact for the Lions for this contest. He earned 11 points in his 34 mins on the court and accounted for 4 dimes for the contest. He made 4 out of 9 for the game giving him a rate of 44.4%, and had 1 rebound.

East Texas A&M has a win-loss record of 8-13 on the year. As an offense, the Lions are hitting on 43.4% from the floor, which ranks them 283rd in the nation. East Texas A&M has accounted for 1,506 points for the season (71.7 per game) and they collect 33.9 rebounds per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.9 times per contest (47th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.8 times per game. The Lions commit 17.6 fouls per contest and they hit 67.0% from the charity stripe.

The Lions on defense are ranked 225th in college in points per game surrendered with 75.3. They are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.6% from the floor (226th in college). The East Texas A&M defense concedes 36.0% on 3-point shots (169 of 469) and opponents are converting on 68.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 14.9 dimes and 38.0 rebounds per game, which is 293rd and 333rd in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Nicholls State

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