Incarnate Word Cardinals vs Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Incarnate Word vs Stephen F. Austin NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Nacogdoches.

Incarnate Word vs Stephen F. Austin Prediction

The Cardinals and Lumberjacks are set to face off at 6:00 ET on ESPN+. The Lumberjacks will host the game at Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches, TX. This Southland conference matchup has an over/under of 133.5 points, and Stephen F. Austin is favored to win by -6.5 at home vs. Incarnate Word.

Incarnate Word vs. Stephen F. Austin Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Incarnate Word Cardinals at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Where: Nacogdoches at Johnson Coliseum
Date: Saturday, January 4th
Betting Odds SFAUS -6.5, INCAR +218 | SFAUS -274 O/U 133.5

Cardinals Preview: Can the Cardinals Offense Score Enough on the Road?

Incarnate Word dropped to 4-5 on the season after a 72-46 road loss to Duke on Tuesday. Despite being +34 point underdogs, the Cardinals managed to cover the spread. The game’s total points of 118 fell short of the 143 O/U line.

Incarnate Word trailed 28-21 at halftime but struggled in the 2nd half, scoring 25 points while allowing 44.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Incarnate Word struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 46 points and shooting 32.1% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 37.7%, and they hit only 21.7% of their three-point attempts, going 5-for-23 from beyond the arc.

At the free-throw line, the Cardinals shot 58.3%, and they managed just 7 assists and 8 offensive rebounds. Khaman Maluach led the way with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Isaiah Evans added 14 points, hitting 4-of-6 threes.

Cardinals Team Defense

Despite giving up 72 points, Incarnate Word's defense held their opponent to 43% shooting from the field, with 24 made baskets on 55 attempts. Inside the arc, they allowed 16 two-point field goals on 30 attempts, a 53% shooting percentage.

From three-point range, Incarnate Word's defense gave up 8 threes on 25 attempts, with their opponent shooting 32%. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 16 free throws, shooting 76%. Incarnate Word allowed 16 offensive rebounds.

Lumberjacks Preview: Does Stephen F. Austin Have What it Takes at Home?

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Recent Game/Games

The Lumberjacks improved to 4-6 on the season with a 62-57 win over Abilene Christian on Tuesday. Going into the game as +3.5 point underdogs, they not only pulled off the road win but also covered the spread.

Stephen F. Austin led 29-25 at halftime and edged out the Wildcats 33-32 in the second half. The total points for the game were 119, falling short of the 134.5 O/U line.

Lumberjacks Offense Breakdown

Stephen F. Austin's offense struggled from beyond the arc in their last game, hitting just 3 of 19 threes for a 15.8% shooting percentage. Overall, they shot 40% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 44%.

Leonardo Bettiol led the way with 27 points, shooting 71.4% from the field. Chrishawn Christmas added 24 points and 14 rebounds, connecting on 2 of 5 threes. The team had just 4 assists and went 19 of 31 from the free-throw line, shooting 61.3%.

Lumberjacks Team Defense

Stephen F. Austin's defense was strong, holding their opponent to just 57 points on 37% shooting from the field. The Lumberjacks were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where they didn't allow a single make on 11 attempts.

Even when sending their opponent to the free-throw line, Stephen F. Austin's defense held up, as they allowed just 19 makes on 34 attempts (55%). The Lumberjacks also limited second-chance opportunities, giving up only 8 offensive rebounds.

Cardinals vs Lumberjacks Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although Incarnate Word has a straight up record of 1-9 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 5-5. The team averaged 69 points per game in these games.
Stephen F. Austin has a 2-3 record in their last five home games. In this stretch, they averaged 60 points per game while allowing 66. The team also performed well vs the spread at 4-1.
Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, Incarnate Word has an ATS mark of 2-1 while going 0-3 straight up.
As the betting favorite, the Lumberjacks have an ATS mark of just 4-6 in their last ten games. Stephen F. Austin posted a straight up mark of 8-2 in these matchups.