Nicholls State vs McNeese State Prediction College Basketball Picks 3/13/24
McNeese State (28-3) vs Nicholls State (20-13)
Game Info: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at 5:00 pm (The Legacy Center)
Betting Odds: McNeese State -15.5 -- Over/Under: 140 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN2
The Nicholls Colonels and the McNeese Cowboys meet Wednesday in the college basketball Southland Tournament championship at the Legacy Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Nicholls vs. McNeese prediction.
Nicholls Team Preview
The Nicholls Colonels come into this game looking to hoist the Southland conference title after taking out Texas A&M-CC 81-73 in overtime in the semifinals. Diante Smith leads the Colonels in scoring and assists with 15.4 PPG and 3 APG along with 6.3 RPG while Jamal West Jr. has 13.5 PPG along with a team-high 7.5 RPG and 2.2 APG to lead the Colonels on the glass. Robert Brown III has 13.8 PPG with 3.1 RPG while Byron Ireland has 11.6 PPG with 4.1 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Nicholls up to this point in the year. As a team, Nicholls is averaging 73.8 PPG on 44.3% shooting from the field, 36.5% from three and 72.2% from the foul line this season.
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McNeese Team Preview
The McNeese Cowboys booked their spot in the conference title game after picking up a 76-57 win over Lamar last time out. Shahada Wells leads the Cowboys in scoring and assists with 17.5 PPG and 4.7 APG with 4.5 RPG as well while Christian Shumate has 12 PPG with a team-high 9.6 RPG to lead the Cowboys on the glass this season. DJ Richards Jr. has 11.3 PPG and Javohn Garcia has 11.2 PPG with 3.2 RPG to round out the scoring in double figures for McNeese so far this season. As a team, McNeese is averaging 80.1 PPG on 49% shooting from the field, 38.3% from three and 68.7% from the foul line this season.
Nicholls vs. McNeese Prediction
I’m on McNeese here. The Colonels are on quite the run to get to the title game, but McNeese has been the best team in the Southland wire-to-wire and have owned Nicholls in the two meetings in the regular season. McNeese has fit the bill of an NCAA tournament team and it looks like the Cowboys’ time. It’s a big number for a conference championship game, but if the third meeting is anything like the first two, this will be over quick. Give me the Cowboys.
Chris’s Pick McNeese -15.5
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Follow Chris Ruffolo on Twitter @ruffthepickdawg