Nicholls State Colonels vs Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nicholls Colonels vs Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: William R. Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches, TX

TV: ESPN+

William R. Johnson Coliseum is where the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (24-3) will meet the Nicholls Colonels (11-16) on Saturday.

The Nicholls Colonels faced Houston Christian and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 72-68 in their last contest. Nicholls State finished having earned a 41.8% FG percentage (23 out of 55) and converted 5 of their 18 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Colonels made 17 of their 24 attempts for a percentage of 70.8%. With respect to rebounding, they collected 30 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 12 assists for the matchup while forcing 6 turnovers and having 4 steals. In reference to the defense, Nicholls State let their opponent shoot 44.6% from the field on 25 out of 56 shooting. Houston Christian doled out 14 dimes and had 5 steals for this game. Moreover, Houston Christian collected 33 boards (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Houston Christian finished shooting 73.1% at the charity stripe by making 19 of 26 shots. They made 3 of 14 attempts from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Colonels walked away with 23 and Houston Christian accounted for 16 personal fouls.

Trae English is someone who had an impact in this matchup. He scored 17 points on 6 out of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 40 mins and grabbed 6 boards. He ended up shooting 50.0% from the floor and also earned 6 dimes.

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Nicholls State comes into this game with a record of 11-16 this year. They are averaging 73.9 points per game (244th in college hoops) while hitting 43.9% from the field. The Colonels are shooting 34.2% on shots from distance (238 of 695) and 66.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Nicholls State is collecting 30.3 rebounds per game and has accumulated 359 dimes so far this season, which ranks 222nd in the country in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.5 times per contest and as a team they are committing 18.3 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Colonels are forcing 14.9 turnovers every game and they draw 17.3 personal fouls. They give up 35.3% on shots from distance and they are 254th in D-1 in opponents points per game (76.7). The Colonels are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 48.3% (716 of 1,483) and they relinquish 36.6 rebounds per game as a team. They currently rank 283rd in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 394 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks got the win with a final of 78-68 when they faced Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Lumberjacks collected 24 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 31 in this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 5 times, while recording 6 steals in the game. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi committed 19 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Lumberjacks to the charity stripe for a total of 26 tries. They were able to make 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 69.2%. In regard to 3-point shots, Stephen F. Austin made 8 of 19 tries (42.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Lumberjacks went 26 out of 58 from the floor which had them sitting at 44.8%. The Lumberjacks allowed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to convert 26 of 62 attempts from the field which left them shooting 41.9% in the game. They finished shooting 28.0% from three-point range by hitting 7 of 25 and finished the contest at 9 of 12 at the charity stripe (75.0%). In reference to rebounding, Stephen F. Austin permitted Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to pull down 34 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Lateef Patrick Jr. ended up being a factor for the Lumberjacks in this matchup. He recorded 21 points in his 31 minutes of playing time and totaled 2 assists for the matchup. He made 7 out of 17 for the matchup for a rate of 41.2%, and had 1 rebound.

Stephen F. Austin has a win-loss record of 24-3 this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Lumberjacks are shooting 45.2% from the field, which ranks 181st in D-1. Stephen F. Austin has totaled 2,094 pts so far this season (77.6 per contest) and they pull in 38.3 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 14.0 times per game (181st in D-1) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.4 times per contest. The Lumberjacks commit 16.3 fouls per game and they hit 66.9% from the free throw line.

The Lumberjacks on defense are ranked 16th in college in PPG given up with 65.3. They are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.1% from the field (44th in Division 1). The Stephen F. Austin defense allows 28.9% on shots from distance (154 of 532) and opponents are knocking down 71.7% of their free throw attempts. They concede 10.4 dimes and 33.3 rebounds per contest, ranking them 11th and 113th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Nicholls State

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