The Sam Houston State Bearkats (2-3) visit the LSU Tigers (3-1) for a Monday matinee at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. The non-conference meeting is slated to tip-off at noon ET. Below, we analyze the Sam Houston-LSU college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Sam Houston State at LSU: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last update at 6:20 a.m. ET.
- Money line: No line
- Against the spread/ATS: Sam Houston State +24.5 (-110) | LSU -24.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 154 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Sam Houston State at LSU: Three things to know
- Sam Houston followed up three season-opening setbacks with three straight victories. The Bearkats’ schedule strength took a dip those three games — against Dallas Christian, Howard Payne-Texas, Le Tourneau-Texas (a JUCO and two DIII programs) — but SHSU has scored 341 points in getting back to .500. Junior G Zach Nutall tallied 63 points over the three wins and is leading Sam Houston in scoring, at 22.5 points per game.
- Monday’s game will mark LSU’s first contest in more than a week. The Tigers haven’t played since defeating Louisiana Tech, 86-55, on Dec. 6. LSU shot 54.2% from the field in that win eight days back; the Tigers’ 52.3% mark on the season ranks first in the SEC.
- NCAA hoops schedules aren’t exactly chiseled in stone these days, but LSU’s schedule finagling does figure to impact how the Tigers want to game this one out. Monday’s home tilt against SHSU marks the first of four LSU games in a nine-day stretch.
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Sam Houston State at LSU: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
LSU 91, Sam Houston 68
Money line (ML)
No line.
Against the spread (ATS)
The LSU layoff, combined with Sam Houston’s spate of games against lower-level teams, leaves us a few data points short and struggling to see through too much gray area.
LSU is 4-1 ATS over its last five home games. Over a stretch of early-season games that LSU was favored double-digits in last year, the Tigers went 4-1 ATS. And the Tigers are the slight lean in this one, but a PASS IS RECOMMENDED.
Over/Under (O/U)
The Tigers scored 86 and 96 points, respectively, over their last two home games. The opponents (Southeastern Louisiana, Louisiana Tech) struggled so much on offense that both games went the Under. The Bearkats have a 7-3 O/U record in their last 10 games as a road ‘dog.
Peg Monday’s game as having plenty of pace and plenty of free-throw attempts. After its layoff, and in coming down from a quick start, it’d be reasonable to figure LSU displaying less efficiency on offense.
But there are ways to be a bit rusty and still score near 90 points in this type of non-conference tune-up. A Sam Houston total near 65-70 points is plenty reasonable, and the OVER 154 (-110) IS A STRONG PLAY.
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