Texas A&M Commerce vs Nicholls State Prediction 1/3/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The East Texas A&M Lions and the Nicholls State Colonels meet Saturday in college basketball action from Stopher Gym in Thibodaux. Here’s an East Texas A&M vs Nicholls State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best East Texas A&M vs Nicholls 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.

East Texas A&M Lions Betting Preview

The Lions got off to a 4-3 start this year. The wins in that time were over Arlington Baptist, Dallas Christian, Fairleigh Dickinson and Army. A 2-4 run came next with wins over Central Arkansas and SE Louisiana among losses to UConn, McNeese, Texas A&M and Stephen F Austin. That would give the Lions a 6-7 record across their first 13 games this year.

In their Wednesday game versus Lamar, East Texas A&M had early control with a 34-25 advantage in the first half. The Lions couldn’t hang on though, getting outscored 44-28 from there in a 69-62 loss in the end. Leading the team in scoring during the losing effort was Ronnie Harrison with 19 points, six rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes of work on the floor.

Nicholls State Colonels Betting Preview

Over on the Nicholls State side, they lost to Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Valparaiso, Murray State, Oklahoma State, Tulane and Creighton to open the year, but then beat Incarnate Word, College of Biblical Studies and Houston Christian from there. After a loss to Pacific and a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Colonels and a 4-8 record through the first 12 games this year.

Matched up against UTRGV on Wednesday the Colonels went into the break with a four-point deficit. Nicholls hit a 36-30 run the rest of the way however and ended up winning 71-69 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Jalik Dunkley with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Jaylen Searles had 13 points with five rebounds and four assists. Trae English added eight points as well.

East Texas A&M Lions @ Nicholls State Colonels Betting Trends: January 3, 2026

Why the Nicholls State Colonels will win

• Nicholls State has won each of its last eight Saturday home games.
• East Texas A&M has lost 10 of its last 11 day games against the Southland Conference.
• East Texas A&M has lost the first half in nine of its last 12 road day games against the Southland Conference.

East Texas A&M vs Nicholls State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Nicholls. The Colonels started pretty slowly in their latest win over UTRGV, but finished strong on an eventual 45.1 percent shooting. Nicholls did cough up 16 turnovers however, and got out-rebounded 31-26 during their victory. That gives the Colonels five wins in the last six games, and they’ve scored 71 or more points in all six of those outings as well.

As for East Texas A&M, they fell off during the second half of their latest loss to a middling Lamar team. The Lions shot just 37.3 percent from the field in that one with 15 turnovers and a 34-18 deficit on points in the paint, but did well from the line on 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) there. East Texas A&M has lost three straight now, with a combined 110 points in their last pair.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Nicholls State Colonels -8