The Prairie View A&M Panthers play the Southern Jaguars in the SWAC Championship. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Southern is favored by 3 points on the spread with a moneyline of -155. The total is set at 150.5 points.
Here’s my Prairie View A&M vs. Southern predictions and college basketball picks for March 14, 2026.
Prairie View A&M vs Southern Prediction
My Pick: Prairie View +2.5 or Better
My Prairie View vs Southern best bet is on the Panthers against the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Prairie View A&M vs. Southern Odds
| Prairie View Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -105 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | +130 |
| Southern U Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -115 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | -155 |
- Prairie View A&M vs Southern spread: Southern -3
- Prairie View A&M vs Southern over/under: 150.5
- Prairie View A&M vs Southern moneyline: Prairie View +130, Southern -155
Prairie View A&M vs Southern College Basketball Betting Preview
PVAMU is the hottest team in the SWAC, having won eight of nine, including three in a row during the SWAC Tournament.
The defense has really stepped up and is playing great basketball, holding its last five opponents to under 70 points. The Panthers high-pressure system forces turnovers at a high rate, and Prairie View A&M forces more blocked or altered shots at the rim than anyone else in this league.
Southern big man Malek Abdelgowad has returned for post-season play after missing the last four games of the regular season, but has only seen 26 combined minutes in the two games. Terrance Dixon is getting the majority of the minutes at the five, but he has struggled with foul trouble, which is something to watch here as Prairie View draws a ton of fouls.
I don't think Southern will be effective defending the rim, and Prairie View should have plenty of chances to finish at the rim and get to the line frequently.
Prairie View actually has the rest advantage here despite playing an extra game, as the Panthers played on Tuesday and Wednesday before getting a day off on Thursday. The rest was clearly helpful for the defense, as in its next game against Alabama A&M, which has one of the better offenses in this league, Prairie View allowed just 21 first-half points, while Alabama A&M had just 29 points at the under-10 timestamp of the second half.
The defense was such a liability during the first half of the conference schedule, but in this tournament, it caused problems for Bethune-Cookman and Alabama A&M, two of the stronger offenses in this league.
I anticipate a strong showing on the defensive side for Prairie View.
Lance Williams has full control over the offense while running point for Prairie View, and has a 12-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio during the SWAC Tournament. He has scored a dozen or more points in every game and has come up clutch at the line down the stretch.
In a game that is likely to have upwards of 60 foul shot attempts combined, having a reliable bunch who can make free throws consistently is important, and that importance gets magnified in a championship game setting. Prairie View is one of the best foul-shooting teams in this league, while Southern is the second-worst.
Prairie View has been a very poor offensive rebounding team all season, but it has made a concerted effort to crash the offensive boards, accumulating 27 offensive rebounds across the three games it has played in this tournament. Those extra touches have led to more second-chance points, putting much more pressure on its opponents.
Southern has been flying by the seat of their pants this entire tournament, having trailed in both games it has played with less than five minutes to go in each contest.
These two teams played an 89-85 and an 87-82 game during the regular season, with Prairie View holding multiple possession leads late in both.
The Panthers know they can play with Southern.
My Pick: Prairie View +2.5 or Better
