Southern Jaguars vs Grambling Tigers Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Jaguars vs Grambling Tigers

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling, LA

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Jaguars (6-11) are headed to Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center on Saturday where they will take on the Grambling Tigers (8-9).

The Southern Jaguars faced Bethune-Cookman and earned the victory with a final of 77-73 in their last contest. Southern walked away from the contest having earned a 37.9% field goal percentage (25 of 66) and knocked down 5 of 16 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Jaguars buried 22 of their 30 shots for a rate of 73.3%. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they compiled 41 with 17 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 9 assists in this game in addition to creating 16 turnovers and having 14 steals. In reference to defense, Southern allowed 46.3% from the field on 25 out of 54 shooting. Bethune-Cookman doled out 12 assists and had 4 steals in this game. Additionally, Bethune-Cookman collected 35 rebounds (8 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Bethune-Cookman went 81.0% when shooting free throws by making 17 of 21 shots. They made 6 out of their 21 attempts from 3-point range. In relation to fouls, the Jaguars ended up finishing with 18 while Bethune-Cookman had 21 fouls.

Malek Abdelgowad is a guy who was a contributor in this game. He shot 46.2% from the floor and recorded 2 dimes. He was on the court for 36 minutes played and totaled 18 rebounds. He scored 21 points on 6 out of 13 shooting.

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Southern will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 6-11 so far this season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.9 times per game and as a group they commit 19.7 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Southern is snagging 36.4 boards per contest and has totaled 241 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 215th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Jaguars are shooting 35.0% on shots from downtown (122 of 349) and 68.3% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 81.4 pts per contest (97th in college) while hitting 45.3% from the floor.

On defense, the Jaguars are forcing their opponents into 15.8 turnovers per game and they draw 19.0 fouls. They are ranked 284th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 260 surrendered on the campaign. The Jaguars defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.5% (460 of 1,011) and they concede 37.2 rebounds per game as a team. They concede 34.5% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 333rd in Division 1 in points per game from their opponents (81.4).

When they last played, the Grambling Tigers went home defeated by a final of 91-84 when they faced Florida A&M. The Tigers were able to collect 14 defensive boards and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 18 for this game. They turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 8 steals for this game. Florida A&M earned 22 fouls for this contest which got the Tigers to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They were able to convert 22 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 84.6%. With respect to shooting from distance, Grambling converted 6 of their 17 attempts (35.3%). Overall, the Tigers went 28 out of 55 from the field which had them shooting 50.9%. The Tigers allowed Florida A&M to convert 29 of 53 tries from the floor which had them shooting 54.7% for the matchup. They finished 40.0% from behind the 3-point line by going 12 out of 30 and walked away from this one shooting 21 out of 26 at the charity stripe (80.8%). When discussing how they cleaned up the glass, Grambling permitted Florida A&M to collect 25 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Jamil Muttilib pitched in for the Tigers for the game. He converted 9 of 18 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 35 mins on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Grambling has a mark of 8-9 on the year. The Tigers commit 19.2 fouls per contest and they go 72.4% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 12.1 times per contest (317th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.8 times per contest. Grambling has scored 1,248 points this season (73.4 per contest) and they average 31.6 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Tigers are connecting on 45.7% from the field, which is ranked 168th in college.

The Tigers on the defensive side of the court are 177th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 73.3. They have forced 15.6 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.2% from the field (268th in the nation). The Grambling defense gives up 33.1% on 3-pointers (113 of 341) and their opponents are knocking down 73.4% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.6 dimes and 33.1 boards every game, which ranks them 118th and 100th in the country.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Southern

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