Southern Jaguars vs Alcorn State Braves Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Jaguars vs Alcorn State Braves

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Davey L. Whitney Complex in Lorman, MS

TV: ESPN+

Davey L. Whitney Complex is where the Alcorn State Braves (3-16) will take on the Southern Jaguars (8-12) on Saturday.

The Southern Jaguars faced off with MVSU and earned the victory with a final of 80-69 in their last contest. Southern ended the contest having earned a 50.9% FG percentage (27 of 53) and knocked down 2 of 12 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Jaguars converted 24 of 29 shots for a rate of 82.8%. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they collected 33 with 9 of them being offensive. They also recorded 13 dimes in the game as well as forcing 13 turnovers and getting 8 steals. With regard to defense, Southern allowed the other team to shoot 44.4% from the field on 28 out of 63 shooting. MVSU totaled 12 dimes and had 5 steals in the game. In addition, MVSU had 30 boards (8 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a block. MVSU went 62.5% from the charity stripe by burying 5 of their 8 tries. They also made 8 out of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc. Regarding fouls, the Jaguars finished with 11 and MVSU recorded 22 fouls.

Michael Jacobs is someone who was a contributor for the game. He finished 46.2% from the floor and recorded 7 dimes. He played for 36 minutes and snagged 4 boards. He accounted for 22 points on 6 out of 13 shooting.

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Southern comes into this game with a mark of 8-12 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 12.9 times per contest and as a team they commit 19.3 personal fouls every game. As a team, Southern is grabbing 36.2 rebounds per contest and has 286 dimes on the season, which is 213th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Jaguars are connecting on 33.7% on 3-pointers (138 of 410) and 69.2% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 80.5 pts per contest (97th in Division 1) while shooting 45.3% from the field.

Defensively, the Jaguars are forcing 15.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.1 fouls. They are conceding 34.0% on 3-point attempts and they are 311th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (79.0). The Jaguars defense is allowing a FG percentage of 44.9% (525 of 1,169) and they surrender 36.6 rebounds per game as a group. They are ranked 199th in college hoops in allowing assists with 284 conceded this year.

In their last game, the Alcorn State Braves walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 82-73 against Bethune-Cookman. The Braves were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 31 in this game. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while earning 8 steals in the matchup. Bethune-Cookman was called for 12 personal fouls in the game which took the Braves to the free throw line for 12 tries. They were able to bury 8 of those for a percentage of 66.7%. In terms of shooting from 3-point land, Alcorn State made 7 out of their 19 tries (36.8%). Overall, the Braves finished the game shooting 29 out of 67 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.3%. The Braves permitted Bethune-Cookman to convert 30 of their 55 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 54.5% for this game. They shot 25.0% from distance by going 4 out of 16 and finished the game at 18 out of 26 at the charity stripe (69.2%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Alcorn State allowed Bethune-Cookman to collect 34 in total (6 on the offensive side).

Shane Lancaster was important for the Braves in this game. He earned 16 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and had 3 dimes in this matchup. He buried 6 out of 15 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and had 7 rebounds.

Alcorn State has a win-loss record of 3-16 on the season. The Braves commit 18.3 personal fouls every game and they go 68.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.4 times per contest (341st in D-1) and they cough up possession 15.1 times per contest. Alcorn State has totaled 1,258 points for the season (66.2 per game) and they grab 30.5 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Braves are connecting on 41.4% from the field, which is 335th in Division 1.

The Alcorn State defense allows 35.3% on 3-point shots (147 of 416) and opponents are making 73.8% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 16.3 assists and 37.7 rebounds per game, which is 335th and 329th in those defensive categories. The Braves on defense are ranked 356th in the nation in PPG given up with 85.4. They are forcing their opponents into 12.7 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 51.3% from the floor (364th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Southern

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