Incarnate Word vs Nicholls State 2/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Nicholls Colonels will travel to the Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center to take on the Incarnate Word Cardinals this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Nicholls Colonels won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 13-9 on the season after defeating the Houston Baptist Huskies, 73-61, this past Saturday. Nicholls was outstanding offensively in the 2^nd half against Houston Baptist and was able to pull away for the victory after taking a 58-40 lead with 9:16 left in regulation. Nicholls shot 48.4% from the field & 12.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Houston Baptist to shoot 37.1% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Colonels was Devante Carter who had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Nicholls is averaging 79.5 ppg on 47.3% shooting from the field. The Colonels are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game on 33.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Nicholls has been led by Ty Gordon (19.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg), Devante Carter (12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.1 spg), Pierce Spencer (9.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.7 spg), & Latrell Jones (9.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg).

Defensively, Nicholls is allowing their opponents to an average of 71.2 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Colonels have a rebound margin of 2.8 and a turnover margin of 3.5.

The Incarnate Word Cardinals lost their 5^th straight game and dropped to 4-18 on the season after being defeated by the SE-Louisiana Lions, 78-68, this past Saturday. Incarnate Word led by a 39-38 margin at halftime, however, the Cardinals offense struggled in the 2^nd half and SE-Louisiana was able to pull away later after closing out the final 2:58 of regulation on a 9-0 run. Incarnate Word shot 48.2% from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc while allowing SE-Louisiana to shoot 43.1% from the field & 38.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Johnny Hughes III who had 21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 block.

On the season, Incarnate Word is averaging 66.7 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Cardinals are averaging 8.3 three-pointers per game on 34.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Incarnate Word has been led by RJ Clasper (14.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.5 apg), Charlie Yoder (13.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg), Johnny Hughes III (11.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg), & Drew Lutz (10.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg).

Defensively, Incarnate Word is allowing their opponents to average 76.7 ppg on 49.1% shooting from the field. The Cardinals have a rebound margin of -6.1 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Colonels are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games & 9-9 ATS overall on the season. The Cardinals are 0-5ATS in their last 5 Thursday games & 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

Nicholls has been led by their offense which ranks 22^nd in scoring offense & 41^st in FG%, however, the Colonels have struggled a bit on the defensive end as they come into this matchup ranked 237^th in scoring defense & 145^th in defensive FG%. Incarnate Word has struggled on both ends of the court as the Cardinals come into this game ranked just 291^st in scoring offense, 324^th in scoring defense, & 348^th in defensive FG%.

Nicholls is one of the better teams in the Southland as despite their losing road record, we have seen the Colonels be competitive against Purdue & Wisconsin this season. Incarnate Word continues to pile up losses as the Cardinals have struggled on both ends of the court and as Nicolls has already defeated Incarnate Word by a 87-56 margin on a neutral court this season, I think Nicholls had no trouble picking up another blowout victory over Incarnate Word and cover this large road spread. Good Luck!