Nicholls State Colonels vs McNeese Cowboys Prediction, 1/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nicholls Colonels vs McNeese Cowboys

Date: Monday, January 12, 2026

Location: Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles, LA

TV: ESPN+

The Nicholls Colonels (7-8) are on their way to Townsley Law Arena on Monday where they will take on the McNeese Cowboys (12-3).

The Nicholls Colonels faced off with Northwestern State and went home with a win by a final score of 74-72 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Colonels finished with 20 while Northwestern State had 24 fouls. They knocked down 5 of their 22 tries from 3-point land. Northwestern State shot 71.4% at the free throw line by knocking down 15 of 21 tries. Moreover, Northwestern State pulled down 33 rebounds (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Northwestern State totaled 11 assists and had 5 steals in the game. In terms of defense, Nicholls State allowed the other team to shoot 46.4% from the floor on 26 out of 56 shooting. They also distributed 12 assists for the game as well as creating 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned 28 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Colonels knocked down 15 of their 31 tries for a rate of 48.4%. Nicholls State finished with a 50.0% FG percentage (27 of 54) and made 5 of their 21 three-point attempts.

Jaylen Searles is a player who was a contributor in the matchup. He went 50.0% from the floor and distributed 3 assists. He played 35 mins and grabbed 6 rebounds. He ended up with 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

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Nicholls State enters this contest with a record of 7-8 on the season. They have an average of 75.5 pts per contest (223rd in Division 1) while connecting on 44.3% from the floor. The Colonels are hitting 34.9% from downtown (137 of 392) and 64.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Nicholls State is grabbing 31.7 boards per game and is sitting with 208 assists this year, which is 244th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.8 times per contest and as a team they commit 18.2 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Colonels have forced 16.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.2 fouls. They give up 34.3% on 3-pointers while they are 228th in the country in points per game from their opponents (75.1). The Colonels are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 48.3% (393 of 814) and they surrender 35.5 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 278th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 229 conceded on the year.

For their last game, the McNeese Cowboys took home the win by a final score of 66-64 against Stephen F. Austin. With respect to how they attacked the glass, McNeese permitted Stephen F. Austin to collect 33 overall (10 offensive). They finished 37.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 10 out of 27 and finished the contest at 4 of 7 at the charity stripe (57.1%). The Cowboys allowed Stephen F. Austin to make 25 of 58 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.1% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Cowboys finished the game shooting 25 out of 63 from the floor which had them shooting 39.7%. In regard to shooting from distance, McNeese converted 8 of their 29 tries (27.6%). They were able to convert 8 of the free throw tries for a rate of 61.5%. Stephen F. Austin was called for 16 personal fouls in the game which got the Cowboys to the charity stripe for 13 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while getting 10 steals in this game. The Cowboys recorded 22 defensive rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 for this game.

Larry Johnson ended up being a major contributor for the Cowboys for the game. He accumulated 18 points in his 28 mins on the court and added 1 assist in this contest. He buried 7 of 21 in this game for a field goal rate of 33.3%, and had 8 rebounds.

McNeese has a mark of 12-3 for the year. The Cowboys are committing 19.3 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 76.4% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.1 times per game (137th in the country) and they are turning it over 9.9 times per game. McNeese has accounted for 1,275 pts for the campaign (85.0 per contest) and they grab 36.5 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys are shooting 48.6% from the floor, which is 51st in the country.

The Cowboys on defense are ranked 77th in D-1 in points given up per game with 68.9. They have forced 17.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 39.9% from the field (43rd in college). The McNeese defense allows 33.2% on 3-pointers (138 of 416) and their opposition makes 71.2% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.7 assists and 34.4 boards every game, which has them ranked 135th and 173rd in the country.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take McNeese

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