The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (2-2), the Sun Belt’s top scoring team, will go head-to-head against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (3-2) at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Dec. 3.
The Warhawks were victorious over Chattanooga 64-54 on Monday. Majok Deng was the game’s high scorer with 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting. The Ragin’ Cajuns, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-62 win against Loyola (LA) on Wednesday. Shawn Long had a good performance and claimed his third double-double of the season, registering 25 points and 16 rebounds.
Louisiana-Monroe is a small underdog, with Louisiana-Lafayette favored by one. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 145 points. The Warhawks look to build on their records of 3-2 Straight Up (SU) and 1-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Louisiana-Monroe’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 6.0 three-pointers per game.
Across the court, the Ragin’ Cajuns have yet to cover the spread in any of their matchups, going 0-2 ATS along with their SU record of 2-2. The Ragin’ Cajuns are a force on the offensive glass, grabbing an average of 14.8 offensive rebounds per game. The Louisiana-Lafayette defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 7.0 field goals from three-point range per game.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Warhawks victory, but the win was not enough for them to overtake Louisiana-Lafayette in their recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 4-6 SU over the last few meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – Louis, ATS Winner – Louis, O/U – Over
Notes
Louisiana-Monroe is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games.
Louisiana-Monroe is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Louisiana-Monroe’s last 5 games when playing Louisiana-Lafayette.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Louisiana-Monroe’s last 5 games when playing at home against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Louisiana-Monroe has allowed an average of 48.5 points per home game this season. Louisiana-Lafayette averages 85.0 points per away game, ranking 13th in scoring.
The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns rank 10th for their offensive rating of 123.0. The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks have a defensive rating of 91.7 (ranked 40th).
The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks average a field goal percentage of 45.5% this season. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns are a winless 0-2 when opponents have a FG% of 45.5% or greater.
The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Louisiana-Monroe is 233rd and 122nd in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Louisiana-Lafayette ranks 24th and 12th in these categories.
Louisiana-Lafayette is one of the top defensive rebounding teams, ranking 24th. Louisiana-Monroe ranks 63rd in offensive rebounding.
Louisiana-Monroe makes 7.2 steals per game. In games where it gives up 7 or more steals, Louisiana-Lafayette is undefeated at 1-0.
