A key college battle sees the visiting Cardinals travelling to Stephen F. Austin Thursday to take on the Lumberjacks on Thursday.

This is a conference playoff game in the Southland Tournament. The game is being played at Merrell Center, which makes it technically a neutral site match.

This season, the Lumberjacks are 20-11 overall and 1-1 ATS ATS, while the Cardinals are 21-11 and 3-1 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Stephen F. Austin boasts a 2-0 on the OU, and Lamar is 3-1.



View Lamar vs Stephen F Austin Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 203 (Lumberjacks) and the No. 39 (Cardinals) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAB power rank. A 74-72 result in favor of the Lumberjacks has been projected by the scores prediction engine.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Stephen F. Austin's No. 288 nationally ranked offense (62.1 points per game) against a Cardinals defense that sits as the No. 170 at 66.6 PPG. The Lumberjacks have been averaging 45.2% from the field, more than the Cardinals have managed so far this season (43.4% on average).

Defensively, Lamar features the nation's No. 181-rated defense on the road, allowing 69.9 points per game. Stephen F. Austin, meanwhile, comes in at No. 269 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for Lamar, they were a 76-69 Sportsbook as they battled Northwestern State at home. They failed to cover in the match as a 9-point favorite. The Cardinals grabbed a 76-69 win over the Demons on Wednesday, behind a 21-point effort from Mike James at Merrell Center.

Stephen F. Austin won its last outing, a 68-46 result against Sam Houston State on March 7. They covered in that game as an 8.5-point favorite. Stephen F. Austin cruised to victory on Wednesday, running Sam Houston State out of the gym and running up a 68-46 score at Merrell Center.