Prairie View A&M vs Southern Picks & Predictions for SWAC Tournament Final

• Southern is a 3.5-point favorite over Prairie View A&M in tonight’s SWAC Tournament Final
• The Panthers enter play having won 8 of their past 9 games
• See my Prairie View A&M vs Southern picks and predictions for the SWAC Tournament Final, below

We’ve got a surprising matchup in the SWAC Tournament Final tonight, as the #3 seed Southern Jaguars face the 8th seed Prairie View A&M Panthers. Prairie View A&M was one of the hottest teams down the stretch in the conference, and they’ve parlayed that into a chance to get back to March Madness for just the third time.

Online sportsbooks don’t like their chances, however, pegging Southern as 3.5-point favorites in the latest college basketball odds. I think that number is too high given both teams’ form, and will be taking the Panthers against the spread as my favorite Prairie View A&M vs Southern pick.

The action gets underway at 7:30 pm ET from the Gateway Center, in College Park, GA, with ESPNU providing the broadcast coverage.

Keep reading for my Prairie View A&M vs Southern picks and predictions for the SWAC Tournament Final

Prairie View A&M vs Southern Picks

• Prairie View A&M +3.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK

Offer

T&Cs

Sign Up Today & Receive Up to
$1,050 in Bonuses!

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT/OR/NH. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. 1 per new customer. Must register new account to receive reward Token. Must select Token BEFORE placing min. $5 bet to receive $300 in Bonus Bets if your bet wins. Min. -500 odds req. Token and Bonus Bets are single-use and non-withdrawable. Token expires 2/1/26. Bonus Bets expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 1/25/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

LOCK IN PROMO

SIGNUP PROMO

SIGN UP
& GET $1,050

BONUS BETS + DEPOSIT BONUS

GET PROMO

The Panthers have won eight of nine coming in, and have fixed some of the issues that plagued them during the start of conference play. Most notably on defense, where after struggling in their own end, they’ve now held four of five opponents below 60 points, including two of their first three SWAC tourney opponents.

In their semifinal tilt versus Alabama A&M, they completely neutralized the Bulldogs, holding them to just 55 points and 33% shooting from the floor. The Panthers defense thrives on turnovers and rim protection, playing a high-pressure system and leading the conference in blocks.

Offensively, this team is no juggernaut, but point guard Lance Williams is doing a much better job of protecting the ball (12-to-3 assist-to-TO ratio in tourney), while Senior Dontae Horne has splashed 25 points or more in four consecutive outings.

Prairie View A&M has the reputation of being a poor rebounding team, but they’ve crashed the glass hard this week, averaging 9 offensive boards per contest. Those extra possessions help cover up some of their underwhelming shooting numbers, and have been key in helping them build margin. The Panthers have covered in all three SWAC Tournament games so far, and are 9-0 against the spread dating back to February 16.

Key Statistical Metrics: Prairie View A&M vs Southern

Prairie View A&M is also 1-1 versus Southern this season, holding leads late in both games. They know they can hang with this team, and the Jaguars have been far from dominant so far this week.

Southern has trailed in both Tourney games so far inside the final 5 minutes. This is a team that lacks efficiency on offense, and struggles to defend the rim – more on that later. They’ve squeaked out one-possession victories over Florida A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, two teams that rank 325th or worse in the nation.

Guard Michael Jacobs is one of only two Jaguars who averages in double-figures this season, but he’s been incredibly inconsistent over the last month. Jacobs has shot below 37% in nine of his last 11 contests, with multiple sub 20% shooting nights. That kind of inconsistency doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in Southern’s offense, another reason why I’m backing the Panthers to advance to the NCAA Tournament champion odds bracket.

Prairie View A&M vs Southern Predictions

• Prairie View A&M Over 72.5 Points (-120 at DraftKings)

Prairie View A&M has averaged 85.5 points in two meetings with the Jaguars so far, and I love targeting them to reach at least 73 points tonight. The aggressive defense and improved offensive rebounding will help generate more opportunities to score, while Southern is hurting down the middle.

Their best rim protector, Malek Abdelgowad, is being eased back from injury, which is resulting in more minutes for Terrance Dixon at center. Dixon is a foul machine, and an underwhelming defender, which is a problem against the Panthers.

Prairie View A&M gets to the free-throw line at a top-61 rate in the country, and those freebies will add up quickly, helping them exceed their team total.