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) face off against the No. 6 seed Nicholls State Colonels (14-18, 12-10 Southland) in the Southland tournament Monday at The Legacy Center, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET. Both teams will try to get one step closer to earning an automatic place in the NCAA Tournament.

Before you place your bet on this game 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 (75.8%)

Before you bet on Monday's UT Rio Grande Valley-Nicholls State spread (UT Rio Grande Valley -5.5) or over/under (143.5 points), see the betting insights and trends below.

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

• UT Rio Grande Valley has covered 16 times in 29 games with a spread this season.
• Nicholls State has compiled a 15-15-0 record against the spread this season.
• Nicholls State covers the spread when it is a 5.5-point underdog or more 50% of the time. That's more often than UT Rio Grande Valley covers as a favorite of 5.5 or more (40%).
• The Vaqueros have done a better job covering the spread on the road (11-5-0) than they have in home games (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 season.
• Nicholls State has covered the spread 13 times in 23 Southland games.

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

• UT Rio Grande Valley has been the moneyline favorite in 18 games this season and has come away with the win 12 times (66.7%) in those contests.
• The Vaqueros have a mark of 4-1 in contests where oddsmakers favor them by -265 or better on the moneyline.
• Nicholls State is 7-13 in games it was the underdog on the moneyline (winning 35% of those games).
• The Colonels are 1-8 (winning only 11.1% of their games) when they have played as a moneyline underdog of +215 or longer.
• UT Rio Grande Valley has an implied victory probability of 72.6% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.

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

• UT Rio Grande Valley's +198 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 6.4 points per game) is a result of scoring 75.5 points per game (185th in college basketball) while giving up 69.1 per outing (56th in college basketball).
• Koree Cotton's team-leading 13.6 points per game ranks 468th in the country.
• Nicholls State is being outscored by 2.0 points per game, with a -65 scoring differential overall. It puts up 72.5 points per game (266th in college basketball), and gives up 74.5 per contest (200th in college basketball).
• Jalik Dunkley's team-leading 12.6 points per game rank him 606th in the nation.
• The Vaqueros grab 31.4 rebounds per game (216th in college basketball) while allowing 29.5 per outing to their opponents. They outrebound opponents by 1.9 boards per game.
• Cotton's 5.1 rebounds per game lead the Vaqueros and rank 565th in college basketball play.
• The Colonels lose the rebound battle by 4.1 boards on average. They collect 27.8 rebounds per game, 344th in college basketball, while their opponents pull down 31.9.
• Dunkley's 6.8 rebounds per game lead the Colonels and rank 178th in the nation.
• UT Rio Grande Valley averages 100.3 points per 100 possessions on offense (114th in college basketball), and allows 91.8 points per 100 possessions (89th in college basketball).
• The Colonels rank 258th in college basketball averaging 94.1 points per 100 possessions on offense, and defensively are 226th, allowing 96.8 points per 100 possessions.

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