Stephen F. Austin vs Sam Houston State 2/24/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Sam Houston Bearkats will travel to William R. Johnson Coliseum to take on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Sam Houston Bearkats won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 17-11 on the season after defeating the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros, 67-61, this past Saturday. Sam Houston led by a 32-27 margin at halftime and was able to hold off the Vaqueros after taking a 61-52 lead with 3:10 left in regulation. Sam Houston shot 38.6% from the field & 27.3% from beyond the arc while allowing UT Rio Grande Valley to shoot 40.4% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bearkats was Savion Flagg who had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Sam Houston is averaging 70.1 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Bearkats are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 35.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Sam Houston has been led by Savion Flagg (19.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.9 apg), Demarkus Lampley (10.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 apg), Jaden Ray (8.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.3 spg), & Tristan Ikpe (6.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Sam Houston is holding their opponents to an average of 63.9 ppg on 40.6% shooting from the field. The Bearkats have a rebound margin of 3.8 and a turnover margin of 2.0.

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks won their 6^th straight game and improved to 18-8 on the season after defeating the Lamar Cardinals, 70-56, this past Saturday. Stephen F. Austin did a great job in forcing turnovers and was able to pull away late in the 2^nd half after taking a 60-50 lead with 3:28 left in regulation. Stephen F. Austin shot 45.9% from the field & 14.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Lamar to shoot 51.1% from the field & 26.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lumberjacks was Gavin Kensmil who had 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Stephen F. Austin is averaging 74.9 ppg on 47.2% shooting from the field. The Lumberjacks are averaging 6.0 three-pointers per game on 32.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Stephen F. Austin has been led by Gavin Kensmil (16.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.9 apg), David Kachelries (11.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg), Calvin Solomon (10.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.2 spg), & Sadaidriene Hall (9.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, Stephen F. Austin is allowing their opponents to average 67.8 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Lumberjacks have a rebound margin of 2.7 and a turnover margin of 2.0.

The Bearkats are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall & 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games. The Lumberjacks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games, however, are just 10-11-1 ATS overall on the season.

Stephen F. Austin is 11-3 at home this season and has been solid on both ends of the court, however, this is a team that had no answers for the Bearkats defense earlier this season in a 49-41 loss on the road in mid-January. Sam Houston has won 10 of their last 12 games, largely behind a defense that ranks 40^th in scoring defense & 43^rd in defensive FG%, and as I think the Bearkats will be able to keep this a competitive game, I’m taking Sam Houston to cover with the points. Good Luck!