Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions vs Southern Jaguars Picks and Predictions for Thursday March 12 2026

By: Kim Smith Published 03/12/2026, 01:05 AM ET

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions face the Southern Jaguars in the SWAC Tournament Quarterfinal on Thursday, March 12, 2026 at Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM ET with television coverage on ESPN+. At the time of this writing the odds were not listed for this matchup. Be sure to also check out our free college basketball picks for more betting insights on today’s college basketball action.

Golden Lions Hoping to Stay Competitive in Quarterfinal

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions enter this SWAC tournament matchup with a 13-18 overall record and a 10-8 mark in conference play. Arkansas-Pine Bluff has had mixed results recently, recently won over Alcorn State 83-48, recently lost to Jackson State 81-78, recently lost to Mississippi Valley State 70-69, recently won over Prairie View A&M 84-82, and recently lost to Texas Southern 83-64.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff averages 77.1 points per game while allowing 80.9 points per contest this season. The Golden Lions shoot 45% from the field and average 33.9 rebounds along with 15.6 assists per game. Defensively they contribute 3.0 blocks and 7.2 steals per contest.

One area where Arkansas-Pine Bluff has shown strength is their ball movement. Averaging over 15 assists per game demonstrates their ability to create scoring opportunities through passing, which could help them keep pace offensively.

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Jaguars Bringing Strong Offense into the Tournament

The Southern Jaguars enter this SWAC quarterfinal matchup with a 15-16 overall record and an 11-7 conference record. Southern has had solid results recently, recently won over Alabama A&M 88-85, recently won over Alabama State 71-64, recently lost to Bethune-Cookman 82-79, recently lost to Florida A&M 82-71, and recently won over Grambling 87-73.

Southern averages 80.1 points per game while allowing 78.3 points per contest this season. The Jaguars shoot 45% from the field and average 35.6 rebounds along with 14.8 assists per game. Defensively they contribute 3.7 blocks and 9.5 steals per contest.

One of the biggest advantages for Southern has been their scoring ability combined with defensive pressure. Averaging more than 80 points per game while forcing turnovers through nearly 10 steals per game gives them opportunities to generate extra possessions.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions vs Southern Jaguars Pick

Pick: Southern Jaguars

Southern holds a slight offensive advantage entering this matchup and their ability to score more than 80 points per game could play a key role in this tournament contest. Their defensive pressure also gives them opportunities to create turnovers and easy scoring chances.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff has struggled defensively this season, allowing over 80 points per game. That defensive vulnerability could allow Southern to control the pace and build scoring runs during the game.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions vs Southern Jaguars Total Pick

Pick: Over

I expect this matchup to feature a higher scoring pace. Southern averages more than 80 points per game while Arkansas-Pine Bluff also averages over 77 points per contest.

Because both teams have defensive numbers that allow a significant number of points, I believe this game has strong potential to trend toward the over.

Final Score Prediction: Southern Jaguars 85, Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 79

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