SMU vs Nicholls State 3/16/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Nicholls State Colonels and the SMU Mustangs meet in an NIT First Round matchup in college basketball action from the Moody Coliseum on Wednesday night.

The Nicholls State Colonels come into this one on behalf of the Southland conference, earning the regular season title with a record of 21-11, including an 11-3 mark in conference play, finishing with the top seed but being bounced in the semi-finals by the eventual champion Texas A&M-CC. Ty Gordon leads the Colonels in scoring with 21.4 PPG and 3.1 APG while Devante Carter has 11.9 PPG and a team-high 3.6 APG to lead Nicholls State in assists so far this season. Latrell Jones has 11.8 PPG to make up the trio of double-digit scorers for Nicholls and Manny Littles leads the Colonels in rebounding with 7.8 RPG as well this season. As a team, Nicholls State is averaging 79.6 PPG on 47.6% shooting from the field, 33.6% from three and 62.8% from the foul line while allowing 71.4 PPG on 41.6% shooting from the field and 34% from three this season.

The SMU Mustangs come into the NIT on behalf of the AAC, finishing the year with an overall mark of 23-8 including a 13-4 mark in AAC conference play, finishing with the #2 seed. The Mustangs upended Tulsa before falling to Memphis in the conference semi-finals. Kendric Davis leads the Mustangs in scoring and assists with 19.4 PPG along with 4.5 APG in addition to his 3.9 RPG this season while Marcus Weathers has 12.8 PPG with a team-high 7.5 RPG to lead the Mustangs on the glass. Emmanuel Bandoumel and Michael Weathers each have 10+ PPG as well to cap off the scoring in double figures for SMU this season. As a team, SMU is averaging 74.4 PPG on 44.6% shooting from the field, 36.5% from three and 74.4% from the foul line while allowing 67.4 PPG on 39.9% shooting from the field and 30% from three this season.

Nicholls State is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning record while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 games as an underdog. SMU is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games as a favorite while the under is 6-1 in their last 7 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600.

I get the case to be made either way here, but while Nicholls State played some tough competition earlier on this season, the reality here is that SMU is on another level and has a bit of a chip on their shoulder after being snubbed by the tournament committee. A lot of people may say that could cause a bit of a hangover, but I think it adds fuel to the fire of an already dangerous SMU team. Give me the Mustangs by 20+.