SE Louisiana Lions vs Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SE Louisiana Lions vs Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: William R. Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches, TX

TV: ESPN+

The SE Louisiana Lions (6-15) are headed to William R. Johnson Coliseum on Saturday where they will play the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (18-3).

The SE Louisiana Lions took the court against McNeese State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 76-66 in their last contest. SE Louisiana ended the contest having earned a 38.5% field goal percentage (15 of 39) and knocked down 8 out of their 22 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Lions knocked down 28 of 36 shots for a percentage of 77.8%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they compiled 26 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 6 assists in this contest as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When discussing the defense, SE Louisiana let their opponent shoot 51.0% from the floor on 25 of 49 shooting. McNeese State doled out 10 assists and had 13 steals in this game. In addition, McNeese State totaled 27 rebounds (8 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. McNeese State finished the game at 72.4% from the charity stripe by knocking down 21 of their 29 shots. They made 5 of their 15 attempts from 3-point range. In regard to fouls, the Lions ended up walking away with 20 while McNeese State racked up 25 fouls.

Makhi Myles is one guy who was a contributor in the game. He accounted for 16 points on 3 of 7 shooting. He saw the court for 28 minutes played and also pulled down 7 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 42.9% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

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SE Louisiana will play this game with a win-loss mark of 6-15 so far this season. They are averaging 65.3 points per outing (353rd in Division 1) while hitting 40.3% from the field. The Lions are connecting on 27.5% on 3-point shots (126 of 458) and 70.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, SE Louisiana is pulling in 32.7 boards per game and has accounted for 245 assists this season, which has them ranked 327th in college in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 13.0 times per game and as a team they commit 19.1 fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Lions are able to force 13.7 turnovers per game and they draw 19.0 personal fouls. They give up 33.5% on shots from distance while they are 76th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (69.7). The Lions defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 44.1% (483 of 1,096) and they concede 35.3 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 74th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 250 conceded so far this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks took home the win by a final score of 69-67 against Northwestern State. The Lumberjacks pulled down 30 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 37 for this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while recording 7 steals for this contest. Northwestern State earned 13 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Lumberjacks to the free throw line for 18 attempts. They were able to bury 11 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 61.1%. With regard to three-point attempts, Stephen F. Austin knocked down 6 out of 18 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Lumberjacks shot 26 for 61 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.6%. The Lumberjacks permitted Northwestern State to convert 26 out of their 67 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.8% for the contest. They went 37.5% from 3-point land by shooting 6 of 16 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 13 at the charity stripe (69.2%). Concerning attacking the glass, Stephen F. Austin allowed Northwestern State to collect 34 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

Keon Thompson pitched in for the Lumberjacks in the matchup. He made 11 out of 17 for the game giving him a rate of 64.7%, and had 6 rebounds. He tallied 27 points in his 32 minutes on the court and added 2 assists for the contest.

Stephen F. Austin has a record of 18-3 so far this year. The Lumberjacks commit 16.6 fouls per game and they connect on 65.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 14.3 times per contest (173rd in Division 1) and they turn it over 9.5 times per contest. Stephen F. Austin has scored 1,640 pts so far this year (78.1 per game) and they grab 39.6 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Lumberjacks are shooting 45.2% from the floor, which ranks them 187th in the country.

The Lumberjacks defensively are ranked 24th in college in PPG given up with 65.5. They are forcing 11.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 40.6% from the field (41st in the nation). The Stephen F. Austin defense allows 29.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter (116 of 397) and their opponents are knocking down 70.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 10.3 dimes and 34.1 boards every game, which has them ranked 8th and 157th in Division 1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take SE Louisiana

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