Stephen F. Austin vs McNeese State Prediction 1/20/25 College Basketball Picks

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and the McNeese State Cowboys meet Monday in college basketball action from the Legacy Center. Here’s a Stephen F. Austin vs McNeese prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Stephen F. Austin vs McNeese pick. We will examine:

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks’ recent form and player performance

The McNeese State Cowboys’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the McNeese State Cowboys

Recent betting trends in games played between Stephen F. Austin and McNeese

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Stephen F. Austin vs McNeese game

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Betting Preview

The Lumberjacks have had a pretty choppy run this year as they fight to stay above the .500 mark. Stephen F. Austin opened on a 2-3 stretch with wins over Dallas and LeTourneau among losses versus Drake, Arkansas State, and Presbyterian. After three wins over Monmouth, Youngstown State and LA-Monroe came losses to UT Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M-CC, and Oregon in succession. The next six games were another 3-3 run with wins over Texas Wesleyan, Abilene Christian, and Lamar mixed among losses to Incarnate Word, Houston Christian, and Southeast Louisiana for an 8-9 overall run through the first 17 games of the year.

In the Nicholls matchup over the weekend, the Lumberjacks went into the break with a six-point deficit 39-33. Stephen F. Austin was outscored 34-28 the rest of the way and limped into the finish with a 73-61 loss. Leading the team in scoring among starters was Chrishawn Christmas with 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Myles Jenkins added 12 points with two rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, and Matt Hayman had 11 points.

McNeese State Cowboys Betting Preview

Over on the McNeese side, they got off to a very sketchy start over their first 10 games, but to their credit, the Cowboys have been looking much better since late December. McNeese went 5-5 over the first 10 outings with wins over the College of Biblical Studies, North Texas, Illinois State, Longwood, and LeTourneau. The losses otherwise were versus South Dakota State, Alabama, Liberty, Santa Clara, and Mississippi State. The Cowboys hit a winning streak after that, dispatching Louisiana, New Orleans, SE Louisiana, East Texas A&M, Northwestern State, Nicholls, and Houston Christian in succession over the next seven games for a 12-5 overall record through the first 17 outings of the year.

Matched up against Lamar on Saturday, the Cowboys held a double-digit edge 35-24 by halftime and kept the pace from there 40-40 during a 75-64 victory. DJ Richards led the team with 19 points, three assists, and two rebounds. Brandon Murray added 14 points with two assists and two rebounds, while both Christian Shumate and Quadir Copeland had 10 points each during the victory.

Why the McNeese State Cowboys will win

• McNeese State has won each of its last 18 games against Conference opponents.
• Stephen F. Austin has lost six of its last seven games against Conference opponents.
• Stephen F. Austin has lost the first half in each of its last seven games against Conference opponents.

Why the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks will win

• Stephen F. Austin has won each of its last four games against McNeese State.

Stephen F. Austin vs McNeese Prediction

I’m leaning toward McNeese. The Cowboys were able to keep a middling Lamar team at bay in their latest outing despite a rough 16-of-28 (57.1 percent) from the line. McNeese was also outmuscled on the boards 34-32 but took full advantage of 16 turnovers by the Cards, turning them into 23 points. The Cowboys are looking pretty good over this eight-game win streak. McNeese has 75 or more points in each of their last seven outings.

As for Stephen F. Austin, they were good on the boards (35) in their loss to Nicholls State but couldn’t get past the 2-of-20 (10 percent) from outside of the 14 turnovers (for 13 Colonels points). The Lumberjacks have been below 62 points in three of their last five games (a 1-4 run), so I don’t think they’ve got the gas to keep pace with McNeese in this one.