Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Cajundome in Lafayette, LA

TV: ESPN+

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (3-12) welcome the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-7) at Cajundome on Saturday.

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles took the court against LSU and took a loss by a final of 90-62 in their last game. Southern Miss ended with a 30.6% FG percentage (19 out of 62) and knocked down 3 of 15 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles converted 21 of their 29 tries for a rate of 72.4%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they earned 34 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 5 turnovers and earning 3 steals. In reference to the defense, Southern Miss allowed 51.6% from the floor on 32 of 62 shooting. LSU doled out 19 assists and had 5 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, LSU totaled 42 boards (9 offensive, 33 defensive), but didn't notch a block. LSU walked away from this one shooting 72.0% at the charity stripe by making 18 of 25 shots. They made 8 of 26 tries from beyond the perimeter. Regarding fouls, the Golden Eagles finished with 22 while LSU finished the game with 22 fouls.

Tylik Weeks is one player who came through in the matchup. He accounted for 12 points on 3 out of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 28 mins played and pulled down 4 rebounds. He finished the contest at 30.0% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

Southern Miss comes into this one with a record of 7-7 on the year. They cough up possession 12.4 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 19.4 fouls per contest. As a team, Southern Miss is grabbing 37.7 rebounds per game and is sitting with 176 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 279th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Golden Eagles are shooting 30.6% on shots from distance (77 of 252) and 72.5% from the free throw line. They average 75.4 pts per game (231st in college) while going 45.2% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Golden Eagles are able to force 12.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.9 fouls. They currently rank 237th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 190 conceded this year. The Golden Eagles defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.4% (343 of 809) and they surrender 33.5 boards per contest as a team. They are giving up 35.2% on 3-pointers while they are 199th in the nation in PPG allowed (73.8).

The last time they took the court, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns went home defeated by a final of 63-58 against South Alabama. The Ragin' Cajuns pulled down 17 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 26 in this game. They also turned the ball over 7 times, while getting 3 steals for the game. South Alabama had 11 personal fouls for the contest which took the Ragin' Cajuns to the charity stripe for 7 shots. They were able to convert 5 of those for a clip of 71.4%. In reference to shooting from distance, Louisiana made 13 of 40 tries (32.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Ragin' Cajuns shot 20 for 57 from the field which gave them a rate of 35.1%. The Ragin' Cajuns permitted South Alabama to make 20 out of 45 tries from the field which had them sitting at 44.4% in this game. They finished 33.3% from beyond the arc by shooting 6 of 18 and ended up shooting 17 out of 20 from the free throw line (85.0%). When it comes to rebounding, Louisiana permitted South Alabama to pull down 31 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Jaxon Olvera ended up being a major contributor for the Ragin' Cajuns in this matchup. He recorded 18 points in his 34 mins on the court and had 7 dimes in this contest. He buried 6 of 18 in the game for a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and added 1 rebound.

Louisiana has a record of 3-12 for the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Ragin' Cajuns are hitting on 38.4% from the floor, which is ranked 361st in college. Louisiana has tallied 869 pts this season (57.9 per game) and they pull down 31.3 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 10.1 times per contest (359th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per game. The Ragin' Cajuns have committed 20.6 fouls per game and they shoot 67.0% from the free throw line.

The Ragin' Cajuns are ranked 71st in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 68.2. They are able to force 10.7 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.9% from the floor (156th in college). The Louisiana defense gives up 33.4% on shots from 3-point land (97 of 290) and their opposition knocks down 72.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 11.5 assists and 34.9 boards per contest, which is ranked 59th and 203rd in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Southern Miss

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.