The Lamar Cardinals will look to secure a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament on Wednesday when they take on the Nicholls State Colonels in the regular-season finale. The Cardinals (12-18, 6-11 Southland) will need to win and get some help to finish eighth in the league and earn a spot in the eight-team field. The help Lamar needs is a win by second-place Northwestern State over Incarnate Word. The Colonels (15-14, 10-7), meanwhile, can clinch no worse than fourth place in the league with a victory.
Tip-off from Stopher Gymnasium in Thibodaux, Louisiana, is set for 8 p.m. ET. Lamar leads the all-time series 28-15, but the series is tied 9-9 in games played in Thibodaux. The Colonels are 15-point favorites in the latest Lamar vs. Nicholls State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 147.5. Before making any Nicholls State vs. Lamar picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 17 of the season 76-46 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning more than $1,600 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Lamar vs. Nicholls State and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Nicholls State vs. Lamar:
- Lamar vs. Nicholls State spread: Nicholls State -15
- Lamar vs. Nicholls State over/under: 147.5 points
- LAM: The Cardinals are 7-2-1 against the spread in their last 10 games following a straight-up loss
- NICH: The Colonels are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games
- Lamar vs. Nicholls State picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Nicholls State can cover
Senior guard Caleb Huffman leads the Colonels in scoring, and is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.5 assists per game. He is red hot from the field, connecting on 52.7% of his field goals, including 41.6% from 3-point range. Huffman is coming off a 23-point performance in Saturday's 68-64 win over Houston Christian. He has scored in double figures in each of the last seven games, including a pair of games with 30 or more points.
Also helping power Nicholls State is senior guard Latrell Jones. Jones, who scored 12 points in the last meeting with Lamar, is coming off his second double-double in the win over Houston Christian. In that game, he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He had 23 points and 10 boards in a 73-64 win over McNeese on Jan. 19. He is averaging 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Why Lamar can cover
The Cardinals are paced by freshman Nate Calmese, who scored 20 points in the first meeting with Nicholls State. In 30 games, all starts, he is averaging 17.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is connecting on 48% of his field goals, including 37.7% from 3-point range and 75% from the free-throw line. He is coming off a 23-point performance in an 84-79 loss to New Orleans on Saturday. Calmese scored a season-high 32 points in a 91-75 win over Houston Christian on Feb. 16.
Junior guard Chris Pryor also helps power Lamar. He has reached double figures in five of his past seven games, including a 20-point effort in a 72-68 loss at Northwestern State on Feb. 4. He scored eight points and dished out six assists in the Jan. 12 win over Nicholls State. For the season, Pryor is averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He is connecting on 40.7% of his shots from the floor and 82.8% from the foul line.
How to make Nicholls State vs. Lamar picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 147 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can get the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Lamar vs. Nicholls State? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
