Northwestern State vs Nicholls State Prediction 1/5/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Northwestern State Demons and the Nicholls State Colonels meet Monday in college basketball action from Stopher Gym in Thibodaux. Here’s a Northwestern State vs Nicholls prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Northwestern State vs Nicholls 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.

Northwestern State Demons Betting Preview

The Demons lost their first three games this year before finally picking up a win over Ecclesia. Losses to San Francisco, Grand Canyon, Southern and McNeese came after that, then wins over SE Louisiana and Southern-New Orleans in the next trio. Following losses to Lamar and Stephen F. Austin, the Demons had a 3-10 overall record across their first 13 games this year.

In the New Orleans game on Saturday the Demons were in trouble at halftime sporting a 43-34 deficit. Northwestern State hit a 40-25 run the rest of the way though, rolling to a 74-68 win in the end. Chris Mubiru had 16 points with three rebounds and Willie Williams added 13 points with 13 rebounds. Landyn Jumawan put up 13 points with two boards in the win as well.

Nicholls State Colonels Betting Preview

Over on the Nicholls side, they kicked off the season with losses to Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Valparaiso, Murray State, Oklahoma State, Tulane and Creighton. The Colonels would win five of their next six though, taking out Incarnate Word, College of Biblical Studies, Houston Christian, Texas A&M-CC and UTRGV. That would make for a 5-8 record in the first 13 outings this season.

Matched up against East Texas A&M over the weekend, the Colonels were up 31-25 going into the second half. Nicholls State hit a 49-33 run the rest of the way and won pretty easily 80-58 in the end. Sincere Malone was tops on the team with 21 points, three boards and four assists. Jaylen Searles had 17 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists for a double-double in the victory.

Northwestern State Demons @ Nicholls State Colonels Betting Trends: January 5, 2026

Why the Nicholls State Colonels will win

• Northwestern State has lost each of its last eight night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Nicholls State has won each of its last six games at David R. Stopher Gym against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Nicholls State has won the first half in eight of its last nine games against Conference opponents.

Northwestern State vs Nicholls Prediction

I’ll lean toward Nicholls State but I’m probably not touching this one. The Colonels got past East Texas A&M easily enough in their last outing despite shooting a tepid 40 percent from the field and 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the line. Nicholls also got outscored 42-24 in the paint, but made up for it with a 37-34 rebounding edge. The Colonels have won six of their last seven games, scoring 71 or more points in all seven of those outings.

As for Northwestern State, they shot a 41.1 percent from the field with a 36-29 rebounding deficit in their latest win over New Orleans, but also hit a nice 21-of-26 (80.8 percent) from the line. The Demons had scored a combined 125 points in their previous two games though, so they’ll likely have to push the tempo on offense here.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Nicholls State Colonels -8