The South Alabama Jaguars head to Pete Maravich Assembly Center to take on the No. 23 LSU Tigers. Action gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Nov. 19 and can be seen on SEC and ES3.
The Tigers come into this game on a high note after dismantling Kennesaw State 91-69 on Monday. Ben Simmons was the team’s high scorer with 22 points on 11-for-17 shooting. The Jaguars, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 88-70 loss at the hands of North Carolina State on Sunday. Don MuepoKelly played well for South Alabama, recording nine points, five rebounds, and one steal.
This one isn’t expected to be close when LSU, a considerable 19-point favorite, takes on South Alabama. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 160 points. The Tigers come into this game 2-0 Straight Up (SU), but 0-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Spreading the ball around is a huge part of LSU’s offense. They are 35th in the nation in assists with an average of 19.0 per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Tigers, ranking 48th in the country in blocks per game with 6.0. LSU has given up very few turnovers with only an average of 9.0 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Jaguars have yet to cover the spread in any of their matchups, going 0-1 ATS along with their SU record of 1-1. The Jaguars are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 46.5 rebounds per game.
This game will be the first meeting for LSU and South Alabama in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – LSU, ATS Winner – LSU, O/U – Over
Notes
LSU is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games.
LSU is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games at home.
In its last game, LSU won by a margin of 22 points. South Alabama is 1-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. LSU has a 1-0 record in blowouts.
The South Alabama Jaguars average 75.9 possessions per game and 1.040 points per possession. The LSU Tigers earn fewer possessions with 71.6, but they score more points with 1.201.
LSU averages an effective field goal percentage of 54.4%. South Alabama has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-1).
On average, LSU attempts 18.0 three pointers and South Alabama attempts 24.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the LSU Tigers are undefeated at 1-0 while the South Alabama Jaguars have an even 1-1 record.
The LSU Tigers rank 12th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.11, while the South Alabama Jaguars rank outside the top 100 (150th) with an A/TO of 1.10.
South Alabama, the 43rd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 46.5 rebounds per game. LSU does worse, ranked 116th with 41.5.
South Alabama makes 5.5 steals per game. In games where it allows 5 or more steals, LSU is undefeated at 1-0.
