Jacksonville State vs Missouri State Prediction 1/31/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and the Missouri State Bears meet Saturday in college basketball action from JQH Arena in Springfield. Here’s a Jacksonville State vs Missouri State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Jacksonville State vs Missouri State pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks Betting Preview

This year the Gamecocks limped to a 4-6 run over their first 10 games with wins over Oakwood, Reinhardt, Coastal Carolina and Auburn-Montgomery. Jacksonville State won four of the next five games though, taking a lone loss to Liberty in that time. After losses to Kennesaw State and Sam Houston before wins over LA Tech and MTSU, the Gamecocks had a 10-9 run through their first 19 outings.

In the Wednesday matchup with FIU, the Gamecocks were in trouble in the locker room, staring up at a 32-24 deficit on the scoreboard. Jacksonville State came roaring back in the second half on a 54-42 run however, eventually powering out a nice 78-74 win on the road in comeback fashion. Mostapha El Moutaouakkil was the leading team scorer on 31 points with five rebounds and four assists.

Missouri State Bears Betting Preview

Over on the Bears’ side, they managed a 4-5 run over their first nine games, but then took wins over Oral Roberts, Lindenwood, Delaware, UTEP and New Mexico State in succession. A 3-3 run came next with losses to Kennesaw State, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee among wins over FIU, New Mexico State and UTEP. That would give the Bears a 12-8 run over 20 games this year.

Matched up against Sam Houston on Wednesday the Bears were down 38-33 by the start of the second half. Missouri State didn’t end up getting any closer than that in the remainder of the game, hitting a 42-38 deficit on the way to an 80-71 defeat. Michael Osei-Bonsu was tops on 22 points with one rebound and one assist while Keith Palek had 17 points and seven boards in the loss.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ Missouri State Bears Betting Trends: January 31, 2026

Why the Missouri State Bears will win

• Missouri State has won each of its last six day games at Great Southern Bank Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Jacksonville State has lost four of its last five road games following a road win.
• Jacksonville State has lost the first half in six of its last eight road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will win

• Jacksonville State has won each of its last three games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Missouri State has lost five of its last six day games following a home loss.

Jacksonville State vs Missouri State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Jacksonville State, but you could call this one either way. The Gamecocks started slowly in their road win over FIU this week, but eventually shot 48.1 percent from the field with a 42-38 edge in the paint. It wasn’t perfect though, as Jacksonville State hit just 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from outside and had 15 turnovers along the way. The Gamecocks have won three straight games though, scoring a combined 153 points over their last two outings.

As for Missouri State, they couldn’t quite keep pace with a good Sam Houston team in their last outing despite hitting 48.2 percent from the field. The Bears got outscored in the paint 50-36 and missed a few free throws (11-of-18 for 61.1 percent) along the way. Still, Missouri State could control this one with a good bounce-back effort.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Jacksonville State Gamecocks +4.5