UT Rio Grande Valley vs Nicholls State College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for Southland Tournament

The No. 3 seed UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (18-13, 14-8 Southland) will hit the court in the Southland tournament against the No. 6 seed Nicholls State Colonels (14-18, 12-10 Southland), Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN+.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

UT Rio Grande Valley vs. Nicholls State Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Monday, March 9, 2026
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN+
• Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Arena: The Legacy Center

UT Rio Grande Valley vs. Nicholls State Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: UT Rio Grande Valley win (77.4%)

UT Rio Grande Valley is a 7.5-point favorite over Nicholls State on Monday and the over/under has been set at 147.5 points. Keep reading for some betting insights and trends if you plan to place a wager on the matchup.

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UT Rio Grande Valley vs. Nicholls State: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• UT Rio Grande Valley has compiled a 16-13-0 ATS record so far this year.
• Nicholls State has compiled a 15-15-0 ATS record so far this year.
• When the spread is set as 7.5 or more this season, UT Rio Grande Valley (2-1) covers a higher percentage of those games when it is the favorite (66.7%) than Nicholls State (4-5) does as the underdog (44.4%).
• The Vaqueros have done a better job covering the spread in road games (11-5-0) than they have at home (5-8-0).
• The Colonels have performed better against the spread away (10-9-0) than at home (5-6-0) this season.
• Against the spread, in conference games, UT Rio Grande Valley is 12-10-0 this year.
• Against the spread in Southland action, Nicholls State is 13-9-0 this season.

UT Rio Grande Valley vs. Nicholls State: Moneyline Betting Stats

• UT Rio Grande Valley has been chosen as the moneyline favorite in 18 games this year and has walked away with the win 12 times (66.7%) in those games.
• The Vaqueros have been a -285 moneyline favorite on four occasions this season and won every game.
• Nicholls State has gone 7-13 in games it was the underdog on the moneyline (winning 35% of those games).
• The Colonels have not won a game when it entered play as a moneyline underdog with odds of +230 or longer in eight chances.
• Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that UT Rio Grande Valley has a 74% chance of pulling out a win.

UT Rio Grande Valley vs. Nicholls State Head-to-Head Comparison

• UT Rio Grande Valley is outscoring opponents by 6.4 points per game with a +198 scoring differential overall. It puts up 75.5 points per game (185th in college basketball) and allows 69.1 per contest (56th in college basketball).
• Koree Cotton is 468th in the nation with a team-leading 13.6 points per game.
• Nicholls State has a -65 scoring differential, falling short by 2.0 points per game. It is putting up 72.5 points per game, 266th in college basketball, and is allowing 74.5 per contest to rank 200th in college basketball.
• Jalik Dunkley's team-leading 12.6 points per game rank him 606th in the nation.
• The Vaqueros pull down 31.4 rebounds per game (216th in college basketball) while allowing 29.5 per contest to their opponents. They outrebound opponents by 1.9 boards per game.
• Cotton averages 5.1 rebounds per game (ranking 565th in college basketball) to lead the Vaqueros.
• The Colonels are 344th in the country at 27.8 rebounds per game. That's 4.1 fewer than the 31.9 their opponents average.
• Dunkley is 178th in college basketball with 6.8 rebounds per game, leading the Colonels.
• UT Rio Grande Valley ranks 114th in college basketball with 100.3 points scored per 100 possessions, and 89th in college basketball defensively with 91.8 points conceded per 100 possessions.
• The Colonels rank 258th in college basketball with 94.1 points scored per 100 possessions, and 226th defensively with 96.8 points conceded per 100 possessions.

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