Who's Playing
Sam Houston Bearkats @ Jax. State Gamecocks
Current Records: Sam Houston 8-10, Jax. State 10-7
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 5 p.m. ET
- Where: Pete Mathews Coliseum -- Jacksonville, Alabama
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $16.80
What to Know
We've got another exciting Conference USA matchup on schedule as the Jax. State Gamecocks and the Sam Houston Bearkats are set to tip at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The timing is sure in the Gamecocks' favor as the team sits on six straight wins at home while the Bearkats have been banged up by six consecutive losses on the road.
Jax. State is headed into the match having just posted their closest victory since February 24, 2024 on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past La. Tech 63-61. The 63-point effort marked the Gamecocks' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Jax. State relied on the efforts of Jaron Pierre Jr., who posted 14 points plus seven assists and seven rebounds, and Marcellus Brigham Jr., who earned 14 points. The dominant performance also gave Pierre Jr. a new career-high in offensive rebounds (three).
Meanwhile, Sam Houston fought the good fight in their overtime game against Kennesaw State on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 75-69 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Owls.
Sam Houston's loss came about despite a quality game from Lamar Wilkerson, who had 29 points plus six rebounds. That was a full 42% of Sam Houston's points, marking the third time in a row he's had more than a third of the team's points. Cameron Huefner was another key player, earning 15 points in addition to five rebounds.
Jax. State's victory bumped their record up to 10-7. As for Sam Houston, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-10.
Saturday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Jax. State has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 36.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Sam Houston struggles in that department as they've drained 39.5% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Looking forward, Jax. State is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. Those brave souls putting their money on Sam Houston against the spread have faith in an upset since their 5-10 ATS record can't hold a candle to Jax. State's 10-5.
Odds
Jax. State is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Sam Houston, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Gamecocks as a 3-point favorite.
The over/under is 147 points.
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Series History
Jax. State and Sam Houston both have 1 win in their last 2 games.
- Mar 09, 2024 - Sam Houston 81 vs. Jax. State 73
- Feb 08, 2024 - Jax. State 79 vs. Sam Houston 68