South Alabama vs Arkansas State Prediction 1/9/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Arkansas State Red Wolves and the South Alabama Jaguars meet Thursday in college basketball action from Mitchell Center. Here’s a South Alabama vs Arkansas State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best South Alabama vs Arkansas State pick.

Arkansas State Red Wolves Betting Preview

The Red Wolves’ 2024-25 season kicked off with a very nice run. Arkansas State’s only defeat in their first half-dozen outings was a nine-point result on the road versus a great Alabama team. Otherwise, the Red Wolves took out Akron, Little Rock, Stephen F. Austin, Lane College, and Indiana State in that stretch of games. Consecutive losses to Rice and Hofstra came after that, but the Red Wolves would right the ship on a six-game win streak in December. Those half-dozen wins came courtesy of Jackson State, Memphis, Texas-Arlington, UAB, Coastal Carolina, and Old Dominion in succession. In their last outing, however, Arkansas State took another loss to fall to 11-4 on the year, this time versus James Madison.

In the road matchup versus James Madison on Saturday, the Red Wolves were in control at halftime with a 39-33 edge. Arkansas State was drilled 34-23 from there, however, eventually falling 67-62 in a disappointing loss. Leading the team in scoring was Taryn Todd with 26 points and two assists in 38 minutes of action. Joseph Pinion added 15 points with five boards, two steals, and two blocks, while Rashaud Marshall came off the bench to provide 10 points and five rebounds. Izaiyah Nelson chipped in with seven points and five rebounds as well.

South Alabama Jaguars Betting Preview

Over on the Jaguars’ side, they faltered out of the gate with a 1-2 run, but they’ve righted the ship quite well since then. South Alabama took losses to Central Michigan and Ole Miss around a win versus Nicholls in those first three games. A 6-1 stretch came after that featuring a lone loss to Western Illinois. Otherwise, it was wins over Mercer, Spring Hill, Incarnate Word, Alcorn State, Jacksonville State, and East Texas A&M in that time. Following another loss versus TCU, South Alabama has since rattled off wins in each of the last four games. Those victories have come courtesy of James Madison, Mobile, Georgia State, and Georgia Southern for an 11-4 overall run through 15 games this season.

Matched up against Georgia Southern in their Saturday game, the Jaguars came out of the locker room with a commanding 38-18 edge. The Jaguars didn’t let up in the second half on a 38-29 run, securing a blowout win 76-47 by the end of the game. John Broom (seven rebounds; four steals) and Myles Corey (two assists) each scored 11 points, as did bench player Judah Brown (four rebounds; two assists). Barry Dunning finished in double-figures as well with his 10 points, three rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes of action on the floor.

Why the South Alabama Jaguars will win

• South Alabama has won each of its last six night games against the Sun Belt Conference.
• Arkansas State has lost seven of its last eight games at Mitchell Center.
• South Alabama has won the first half in each of its last four games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Arkansas State Red Wolves will win

• Arkansas State has won each of its last seven Thursday games.
• South Alabama has lost three of its last four games following a road win.
• Arkansas State has won the first half in five of its last six games against the Sun Belt Conference.

South Alabama vs Arkansas State Prediction

I’ll lean toward South Alabama. This should be a pretty fun matchup, though; obviously, you could call it either way. The Jags are riding high right now after dismantling a middling Georgia Southern team in their last outing. South Alabama hit 46.3 percent from the field in that one with 29 points off 23 Eagles turnovers. There’s plenty to improve on though, as South Alabama hit just 16-of-24 (66.7 percent) from the line and had 13 turnovers themselves. That said, the Jaguars are looking good during this four-game win streak with 76 or more points in each outing.

As for Arkansas State, they need a bounce-back effort after falling to James Madison in their last outing. The Wolves were blitzed on the boards 41-30 in that one and had 12 turnovers for 13 Dukes’ points. Still, Arkansas State will be a formidable foe here if they can get back to scoring. The Red Wolves had 78 or more points in five straight prior to their latest loss. Should be a fun game overall, but I like South Alabama a little better.