The Nicholls Colonels (20-13) and McNeese Cowboys (29-3) meet in the Southland Conference Championship Game Wednesday at Legacy Center in Lake Charles, La. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the Nicholls vs. McNeese odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Third-seeded Nicholls upset No. 2 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in overtime Tuesday in the semifinals 81-73, covering the spread as 4.5-point underdogs. The Islanders missed a chance of winning their 3rd straight Southland Tournament title.
Nicholls is on quite the roll, winning 4 in a row, and 7 of the past 8 games. The Colonels are 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in their past 4 outings, and 7-1 ATS in the previous 8 contests. That includes an 83-62 loss at McNeese March 2 as the Cowboys covered an 18-point line with the Over (143.5) cashing.
Top-seeded McNeese swept the season series against Nicholls, winning both games by at least 21 points, while covering both games as a favorite of 14.5 or more points. The Over-Under split in the 2 regular-season meetings.