Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks vs Lamar Cardinals Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks vs Lamar Cardinals

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Montagne Center in Beaumont, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (16-3) are hitting the road to Montagne Center on Saturday where they will compete against the Lamar Cardinals (10-9).

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks played Nicholls State and took home the win by a score of 79-62 in their last game. Stephen F. Austin wrapped up the contest with a 47.4% field goal percentage (27 out of 57) and converted 9 of their 25 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Lumberjacks buried 16 of their 20 tries for a percentage of 80.0%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they compiled 37 with 12 of them being offensive. They also distributed 12 assists for this game while forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In terms of the defense, Stephen F. Austin allowed the other team to shoot 32.8% from the floor on 21 out of 64 shooting. Nicholls State totaled 9 dimes and had 9 steals in this game. Furthermore, Nicholls State had 29 rebounds (13 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't have a block. Nicholls State finished the contest at 76.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 13 of their 17 tries. They buried 7 of their 28 attempts from 3-point range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Lumberjacks walked away with 14 while Nicholls State racked up 17 personal fouls.

Keon Thompson is one guy who was a factor in this game. He shot 80.0% from the field and also dished out 3 assists. He saw the court for 19 mins and grabbed 4 boards. He walked away with 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting.

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Stephen F. Austin enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 16-3 so far this year. They average 78.1 points per contest (151st in college) while shooting 45.0% from the field. The Lumberjacks are hitting 35.2% on 3-pointers (174 of 494) and 65.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Stephen F. Austin is pulling down 40.2 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 276 dimes on the season, which is 198th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 9.7 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.9 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Lumberjacks are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers every game and they draw 15.4 fouls. They are 6th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 186 conceded on the campaign. The Lumberjacks defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 40.3% (436 of 1,081) and they relinquish 33.7 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 28.2% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 16th in college in PPG allowed (64.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Lamar Cardinals took a loss by a score of 89-76 against New Orleans. Regarding rebounding, Lamar allowed New Orleans to grab 36 in total (10 offensive). They finished 16.7% from distance by going 1 of 6 and walked away from this one shooting 30 out of 41 from the charity stripe (73.2%). The Cardinals permitted New Orleans to make 29 of 54 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 53.7% in this game. When the game finished, the Cardinals shot 28 out of 71 from the field which had them sitting at 39.4%. Concerning shooting from beyond the arc, Lamar made 8 of their 27 attempts (29.6%). They were able to knock down 12 of those for a percentage of 75.0%. New Orleans had 21 fouls for this game which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 9 steals for the matchup. The Cardinals were able to pull down 14 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive boards totaling 31 for the matchup.

Braden East ended up being a factor for the Cardinals in the matchup. He tallied 26 points in his 26 mins of playing time and had 1 assist for this contest. He knocked down 11 out of 16 for the game giving him a rate of 68.8%, and accounted for 11 rebounds.

Lamar has a mark of 10-9 for the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cardinals are connecting on 43.5% from the field, which is ranked 277th in the nation. Lamar has scored 1,362 points for the season (71.7 per game) and they pull in 37.0 boards per game. They are earning an assist 14.6 times per game (162nd in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.3 times per game. The Cardinals commit 18.3 fouls per contest and they hit 71.3% from the charity stripe.

The Lamar defense gives up 34.2% on 3-pointers (126 of 368) and their opponents are knocking down 67.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 12.3 assists and 33.2 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 94th and 107th in the nation. The Cardinals on defense are ranked 58th in college hoops in PPG given up with 68.4. They are forcing their opponents into 13.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.1% from the field (151st in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Stephen F. Austin

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