McNeese State vs Lamar Prediction 1/31/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The McNeese State Cowboys and the Lamar Cardinals meet Saturday in college basketball action from Montagne Center in Beaumont. Here’s a McNeese vs Lamar prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best McNeese vs Lamar 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.

McNeese State Cowboys Betting Preview

The Cowboys managed to win 10 of their first dozen games this year. The only losses during that stretch were to Santa Clara and Incarnate Word. McNeese State would then fall to Michigan before taking out Lamar, Stephen F. Austin, SE Louisiana, Nicholls, Texas A&M-CC, New Orleans and SE Louisiana again during the next eight outings. That gives the Cowboys a 17-4 record overall this year.

In the SE Louisiana rematch on the road Tuesday, the Cowboys were sitting in the locker room with a pretty comfortable 36-27 advantage at halftime. McNeese closed on a 40-39 run and took the eventual win 76-66 in the end. Larry Johnson was tops on 20 points with two boards while Garwey Dual posted 14 points with three assists and a pair of rebounds in 28 minutes.

Lamar Cardinals Betting Preview

Over on the Lamar side, they came out of the gate with a pretty solid 5-2 run over their first seven games. The Cards would lose six of the next eight games though, beating only Northwestern State and East Texas A&M. After wins over Incarnate Word, Houston Christian and Nicholls, Lamar lost to New Orleans and SFA before a win over East Texas A&M for an 11-10 record.

In the East Texas A&M game on Tuesday, the Cardinals went into the second half with a very modest 35-33 advantage. Lamar woke up from therein a 47-28 run however, eventually powering out a dominant victory 82-61 in the end. Rob Lee led the team on his 28 points with seven rebounds and two assists while Braden East doubled up on 12 points with 11 rebounds.

McNeese State Cowboys @ Lamar Cardinals Betting Trends: January 31, 2026

Why the Lamar Cardinals will win

• Lamar has won each of its last three night games at Neches Federal Credit Union Arena.
• McNeese State has lost the first half in six of its last eight games at Neches Federal Credit Union Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the McNeese State Cowboys will win

• McNeese State has won 28 of its last 29 night games against the Southland Conference.

McNeese vs Lamar Prediction

I’ll stay with McNeese. The Cowboys didn’t have too many issues with a struggling SE Louisiana team in their win this week, shooting 51 percent from the field with 27 rebounds and a 32-12 advantage on points in the paint. McNeese held the Lions to just 38.5 percent shooting on defense but also committed 12 turnovers. The Cowboys have won three straight games and seven of the last eight, scoring a nice 69 or more points in seven of those matchups.

These teams saw each other back on January 2 in an 82-70 home win for McNeese. In that one the Cowboys shot a great 47.9 percent from the field with 34 rebounds and a 26-14 edge in the paint. The 30-of-40 (75 percent) from the line was pretty darn solid as well. Going on the road for the rematch will be a bit tricker but McNeese should be up for it.

Andrew Jett's Pick: McNeese State Cowboys -10