Texas Southern vs Southern Prediction 1/3/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

Andrew Jett

6 hours ago

Mar 21, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Members of the Southern University Jaguars cheerleaders perform in the second half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at EnergySolutions Arena. Gonzaga won the game 64-58. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-Imagn Images

MATCHUP	Texas Southern Tigers	Southern Jaguars
Team Records	2-9	4-9
Where	F.G. Clark Activity Center, Baton Rouge, LA
When	Saturday, January 3, 2026
Time	06:00 PM EST

The Texas Southern Tigers and the Southern Jaguars meet Saturday in college basketball action from FG Clark Center in Baton Rouge. Here’s a Texas Southern vs Southern prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Texas Southern vs Southern 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.

Texas Southern Tigers Betting Preview

The Tigers lost to Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Samford, Texas State and Vanderbilt before their first win over College of Biblical Studies. Since then it’s been losses to Sam Houston, Minnesota, NC State and Abilene Christian ahead of another victory versus Huston-Tillotson. In the first 11 games of the season, Texas Southern has only managed to carve out a 2-9 run.

In their Tuesday matchup versus Huston-Tillotson, the Tigers went into the locker room sporting a 38-24 edge. Texas Southern cruised from there on a 42-32 run and took the win in the end 80-56. Troy Hupstead topped the scorers on 30 points with 17 rebounds, and Oumar Koureissi also doubled up with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the winning effort for Texas Southern.

Southern Jaguars Betting Preview

Over on the Jaguars’ side, they started out the year at 4-4 through the first eight games. The losses in that time were versus Arkansas, Marquette, Washington and San Jose State. Since then it’s been a five-game losing streak versus Texas, Texas State, Cal Baptist, Baylor and Illinois, giving Southern a rocky 4-9 run across their first 13 games this year.

In the Illinois matchup on Monday the Jaguars entered the second half with a 46-25 deficit. Southern was outscored 44-30 the rest of the way, leaving the team with a 90-55 loss. Michael Jacobs led the way with 11 points and four boards in the losing effort while Malek Abdelgowad was the only other team player in double-digits with 10 points in 15 minutes of work.

Texas Southern Tigers @ Southern Jaguars Betting Trends: January 3, 2026

Why the Southern Jaguars will win

Southern has won each of its last 10 day games at F.G. Clark Activity Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Texas Southern has lost each of its last five road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Texas Southern has lost the first half in each of its last five road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Texas Southern Tigers will win

Southern has lost each of its last four games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Texas Southern vs Southern Prediction

I’ll lean toward Southern but I’m not touching this one. There’s not a lot to like here if you’re not a fan of either team, but it should at least be a competitive game. Southern got blasted by a good Illinois team in their last outing, shooting just 34.8 percent from the field with a 42-24 rebounding deficit. The Jags were pretty good in the paint though, and had just seven turnovers along the way. Southern has fewer than 68 points in three straight games, but they’ve played some tough teams in that time.

As for Texas Southern, they got a much-needed win versus an overmatched opponent in their last outing, shooting 46.3 percent from the field with 46 rebounds. The Tigers coughed up 16 turnovers though, and shot just 20 percent (3-of-15) from outside. Saturday’s matchup will be more of a challenge.