College Basketball Picks

Georgia State vs Louisiana-Lafayette 3/7/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (16-14) vs. Georgia State Panthers (17-10)
March 7, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Georgia State Panthers -3.5 / Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns +3.5; Over/Under: 138
(Get latest betting odds)

The 8-seed Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns & 3-seed Georgia State Panthers will square off at the Pensacola Bay Center this Monday night in the Finals of the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Championship.

The 8-seed Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns improved to 16-14 on the season after defeating the 4-seed Troy Trojans, 66-57, in the Semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament this past Sunday.  Louisiana was outstanding on the defensive end against Troy and was able to hold off the Trojans for the victory after taking a 46-29 lead with 13:32 left in regulation. Louisiana shot 39.6% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while holding Troy to 32.7% from the field & 19.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Ragin’ Cajuns was Greg Williams Jr. who had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Louisiana is averaging 71.1 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Ragin’ Cajuns are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 34.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Louisiana has been led by Jordan Brown (15.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 bpg), Kobe Julien (12.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 spg), Theo Akwuba (9.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg), & Kentrell Garnett (7.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg).

Defensively, Louisiana is allowing their opponents to average 69.0 ppg on 40.9% shooting from the field. The Ragin’ Cajuns have a rebound margin of 5.1 and a turnover margin of -2.2.

The 3-seed Georgia State Panthers improved to 17-10 on the season after defeating the 2-seed Appalachian State Mountaineers, 71-66, in the Semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament this past Sunday. Georgia State led by a 38-29 margin at halftime and was able to hold off Appalachian State for the victory after taking a 64-57 lead with :50 seconds left in regulation. Georgia State shot 43.1% from the field & 53.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Appalachian State to shoot 40.4% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Panthers was Corey Allen who had 29 points, 6 rebounds, & 8 assists.

On the season, Georgia State is averaging 70.3 ppg on 40.2% shooting from the field. The Panthers are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Georgia State has been led by Corey Allen (14.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg), Kane Williams (12.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.9 spg), Justin Roberts (11.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg), & Eliel Nsoseme (9.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg).

Defensively, Georgia State is holding their opponents to an average of 64.5 ppg on 41.2% shooting from the field. The Panthers have a rebound margin of 1.5 and a turnover margin of 4.8.

The Ragin’ Cajuns are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog, however, are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Panthers are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall & 9-3 ATS in their last 12 neutral site games as a favorite.

Georgia State defeated Louisiana in both their regular season matchups this season as the Panthers defeated the Ragin’ Cajuns by a 68-64 margin on the road in late January while also defeating Louisiana by a 65-58 margin at home in their regular season finale.

Louisiana has made an incredible run to the Sun Belt Championship after upset victory over both Texas State & Troy, however, despite a solid defense, the Ragin’ Cajuns can really struggle on the offensive as they come into this game ranked just 174th in scoring offense & 254th in FG%. Georgia State has looked like the team to beat throughout the 2nd half of the season after they got a few key players back from injury and as I think the Georgia State defense gives Louisiana a bunch of trouble in this one, I’m taking Georgia State to win the Sun Belt Championship and cover this small spread. Good Luck!

Brett Nault's Free Pick: Georgia State Panthers -3.5

Need More? Get Premium Picks

Brett Nault

Brett has been involved with sports his entire life, whether playing them or betting on them, and loves using his education in data analytics to break down all matchups to get you a competitive edge. Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05

Related Articles

Back to top button