Arkansas-Little Rock vs Louisiana-Monroe 2/5/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UL Monroe Warhawks will travel to the Jack Stephens Center to take on the Little Rock Trojans this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The UL Monroe Warhawks snapped their 4-game losing streak and improved to 11-12 on the season after defeating the Arkansas State Red Wolves, 60-59, this past Thursday. UL Monroe trailed by a 48-34 margin with just 12:00 minutes left in the 2^nd half, however, the Warhawks were outstanding down the stretch and was able to get the victory after Nika Metskhvarishvili hit a game-winning three-pointer for the Warhawks with just :17 seconds left in regulation. UL Monroe shot 43.4% from the field & 41.7% from beyond the arc while holding Arkansas State to 36.1% shooting from the field & 18.2% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Warhawks was Andre Jones who had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, & 3 steals.

On the season, UL Monroe is averaging 72.6 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Warhawks are averaging 6.8 three-pointers per game on 32.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UL Monroe has been led by Andre Jones (13.7 ppg on 3.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.6 spg), Russell Harrison (13.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 spg), Koreem Ozier (11.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg), & Nika Metskhvarishvili (10.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.0 apg).

Defensively, UL Monroe is allowing their opponents to average 73.8 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Warhawks have a rebound margin of -3.4 and a turnover margin of 1.3.

The Little Rock Trojans lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 7-12 on the season after being defeated by the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, 75-51, this past Thursday. Little Rock struggled on both ends of the court against Louisiana and could not fight back after the Ragin’ Cajuns took a 61-38 lead with 5:46 left in regulation. Little Rock shot just 29.2% from the field & 19.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Louisiana to shoot 56.4% from the field & 27.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Trojans was Isaiah Palermo who had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Little Rock is averaging 68.7 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 6.6 three-pointers per game on 31.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Little Rock has been led by Nikola Maric (14.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.9 apg), Isaiah Palermo (12.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.4 spg), Marko Lukic (11.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.7 apg), & Jovan Stulic (7.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Little Rock is allowing their opponents to average 73.4 ppg on 47.0% shooting from the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of -4.6 and a turnover margin of 1.9.

The Warhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Trojans are 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a double-digit loss at home, however, are just 16-33-2 ATS in their last 51 games overall.

UL Monroe is one of the more inconsistent teams we’ve seen this season, however, the Warhawks have been solid on the offensive end and are coming off a very impressive victory on the road against Arkansas State. Little Rock has lost 5 of their last 6 games and as this is a team that has struggled on both ends of the court (246^th in scoring offense; 284^th in scoring defense; 334^th in defensive FG%), I think UL Monroe picks up back-to-back road wins and do enough to cover this small spread. Good Luck!