Jackson State (4-14) vs Bethune-Cookman (7-11)
January 25, 2025 at 04:30 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Jackson State -1.5 — Over/Under: 135
The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats and the Jackson State Tigers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Williams Assembly Center. Here’s a Bethune-Cookman vs Jackson State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Bethune-Cookman vs Jackson State pick. We will examine:
The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats’ recent form and player performance
The Jackson State Tigers’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Jackson State Tigers
Recent betting trends in games played between Bethune-Cookman and Jackson State
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Bethune-Cookman vs Jackson State game
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Betting Preview
The Wildcats started out on a pretty awful run this year, but to their credit, they’ve been able to right the ship since the calendar turned to 2025. Bethune-Cookman hit a rough 3-10 stretch out of the gate though, falling to Texas Tech, Nebraska, Fort Wayne, Tulane, Gardner-Webb, Minnesota, Virginia, West Virginia, Davidson, and Mississippi State during that time. Since then, however, the Wildcats have mustered a 4-1 run over their past five games. The lone loss in that time came courtesy of Southern on January 13. Otherwise, it’s been wins over Florida A&M, Grambling, Mississippi Valley State, and Arkansas Pine Bluff for a 7-11 overall record so far.
In the AR-Pine Bluff matchup on Monday, the Wildcats entered the second half with a 27-24 edge. Bethune-Cookman hit a 46-40 run the rest of the way, staving off the Lions for a 73-64 win in the end. Trey Thomas led the team with 31 points with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Daniel Rouzan added 18 points with six boards, three steals and three blocks.
Jackson State Tigers Betting Preview
Over on the Jackson State, they opened up the year on a rough stretch as well. Similarly, however, the Tigers have been able to get some wins lately. Jackson State took losses in succession versus Houston, High Point, Xavier, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Saint Louis, Arkansas State, Iowa State, UTEP, Akron, and Cal Baptist in their first 13 games of the season. The Tigers would then hit a winning streak over Alcorn State, Alabama State, Alabama A&M, and Prairie View A&M over the next four games before another loss versus Texas Southern. The result so far has been a 4-14 overall run through 18 games.
Matched up against Texas Southern in Monday’s outing, Jackson State held a slim 35-34 edge by the break. A 47-38 deficit awaited Jackson State the rest of the way, however, and they’d eventually fall 81-73. Dorian McMillian posted 19 points with six boards and three steals in the defeat, while Jayme Mitchell added 19 points and three rebounds off the bench. Shannon Grant chipped in with 15 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes as well.
Why the Jackson State Tigers will win
- Jackson State has won 14 of its last 15 day games at Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center.
- Bethune-Cookman has lost four of its last five day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Bethune-Cookman has lost the first half in four of its last five day games.
Why the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats will win
- Bethune-Cookman has won each of its last six Saturday games against Conference opponents.
- Jackson State has lost 12 of its last 16 day games.
Bethune-Cookman vs Jackson State Prediction
I’ll lean toward Bethune-Cookman I suppose. There’s not a lot of intrigue involved in this one if you’re not a fan of either team, but it should at least be somewhat competitive. The Wildcats are coming off a rather ho-hum win over ARPB, shooting just 37.1 percent from the field and 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from outside. The 41-36 rebounding edge helped, as did the 19 points off 14 Lions turnovers. The good news is that Bethune-Cookman has mustered a combined 156 points in their last two games (against a pair of struggling teams) and should be able to notch a decent total here as well. Jackson State has given up 69 or more points in six straight games (a 4-2 run) so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a fairly high total on Saturday.