Northwestern State Demons vs Nicholls State Colonels Prediction, 3/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern State Demons vs Nicholls Colonels

Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026

Location: Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles, LA

TV: ESPN+

The Nicholls Colonels (13-18) will try to beat the Northwestern State Demons (10-21) at Townsley Law Arena on Sunday in the Southland Tournament.

The Northwestern State Demons faced off with UT Rio Grande and went home with a loss by a final score of 74-62 in their last contest. Northwestern State ended with a 47.9% FG percentage (23 of 48) and converted 3 of 10 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Demons converted 13 of their 22 shots for a rate of 59.1%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 26 with 5 of them being offensive. They also doled out 14 dimes for the matchup while forcing 8 turnovers and having 4 steals. In the matter of defending, Northwestern State allowed their opponent to shoot 49.2% from the floor on 29 out of 59 shooting. UT Rio Grande doled out 16 dimes and had 7 steals for the contest. On top of that, UT Rio Grande snagged 28 boards (6 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. UT Rio Grande finished the contest at 70.0% at the free throw line by converting 7 of their 10 tries. They knocked down 9 of their 23 shots from distance. Regarding fouls, the Demons ended up walking away with 15 while UT Rio Grande totaled 19 fouls.

Willie Williams is one guy who played a role for the matchup. He ended up walking away with 18 points on 8 out of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 32 mins and grabbed 11 boards. He finished the game shooting 72.7% from the floor and totaled 3 assists.

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Northwestern State comes into this matchup with a record of 10-21 this year. They currently have an average of 69.0 pts per game (329th in D-1) while shooting 44.2% from the field. The Demons are hitting 33.3% on three-point attempts (184 of 552) and 74.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, Northwestern State is collecting 31.3 boards per contest and has totaled 373 dimes this season, which is 301st in the country in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.6 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.8 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Demons are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game while drawing 18.8 personal fouls. They currently rank 190th in Division 1 in allowing assists with 410 conceded for the campaign. The Demons are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.9% (793 of 1,727) and they concede 34.4 rebounds per game as a team. They concede 35.8% on 3-point shots while they are 150th in the nation in PPG allowed (72.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the Nicholls Colonels walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-65 against McNeese State. With respect to rebounds, Nicholls State allowed McNeese State to get 22 in total (6 on the offensive side). They shot 20.8% from three-point range by shooting 5 out of 24 and ended up going 24 of 28 at the free throw line (85.7%). The Colonels permitted McNeese State to convert 23 of their 54 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 42.6% for the contest. In all, the Colonels went 18 for 55 from the field which gave them a rate of 32.7%. Concerning 3-point shots, Nicholls State buried 9 of their 31 attempts (29.0%). They were able to convert 20 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 66.7%. McNeese State committed 20 fouls for the game which took the Colonels to the free throw line for 30 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 15 times, but couldn't earn a steal. The Colonels earned 20 defensive boards and 17 offensive boards totaling 37 in this game.

Trae English ended up having an impact for the Colonels in the matchup. He made 7 of 18 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 38.9%, and had 4 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 40 mins of playing time and accumulated 2 dimes for this contest.

Nicholls State has a win-loss mark of 13-18 for the season. The Colonels are committing 17.9 personal fouls every game and they shoot 66.2% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 13.2 times per game (236th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 11.8 times per game. Nicholls State has accounted for 2,259 points so far this year (72.9 per contest) and they collect 31.2 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Colonels are shooting 43.5% from the floor, which ranks 285th in the nation.

The Nicholls State defense gives up 34.1% on three-point shots (221 of 649) and their opponents are knocking down 77.8% of their free throw shots. They concede 14.5 dimes and 36.1 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 271st and 286th in the nation. The Colonels on the defensive end are ranked 229th in college in points given up per game with 75.4. They are able to force 14.5 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.5% from the floor (336th in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Nicholls State

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