Incarnate Word vs Nicholls State 1/6/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Nicholls State Colonels and the Incarnate Word Cardinals meet Thursday in college basketball action from Merrell Center. Nicholls State is 8-6 so far this year and fresh off a loss to Purdue. As for Incarnate Word, they’re 3-11 on the year. The Cardinals beat Dallas Christian in their last game. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Nicholls State hit a 7-3 run out of the gate this year, losing to Baylor, TCU and Utah Valley along the way. In the last four games it’s been a 1-3 run featuring a win over MS Valley State alongside losses to Wisconsin, Oregon State and Purdue. 

Matched up against Purdue on December 29, the Colonels were outscored 55-36 in the first half. Nicholls State came back with a 54-49 run from there in a 104-90 loss. Jitaurious Gordon led the team on 29 points, and Right Lyons added 20 more points with seven boards. 

Over on the Incarnate Word side, they went just 2-8 in their first 10 games with victories versus only Our Lady of the Lake and Grambling State. Losses to Rice, Purdue and Texas came next before a win over Dallas Christian. 

In the Dallas Christian game, the Cardinals didn’t have much trouble. Incarnate Word used a 47-15 advantage in the second half on the way to a 90-45 blowout win. Josh Morgan led the way on 16 points, and Benjamin Griscti added 15 points with eight rebounds. 

The Cardinals are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven after a straight-up win and 2-5 ATS in their last seven overall. The over is 4-1 in Incarnate Word’s last five neutral-site games. 

Meanwhile, the Colonels are 4-1 ATS in their last five Thursday games and the over is 5-2 in their last seven neutral-site games. The over is 7-0 in Nicholls State’s last seven overall. 

PICK: I’m going to stick with Nicholls State. The Colonels have had some rough matchups over their last four games, and they’re an understandable 1-3 during that stretch. That said, Nicholls State has played fairly well this year against comparable opponents, and Incarnate Word is certainly within their wheelhouse. The Cardinals have been below 60 points in three of their last four (more tough opponents), and though I think they’ll do better than that here I like Nicholls State better on a cover.