The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (20-11) square off against the Vermont Catamounts (17-12) in the semifinals of the CBI tournament at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 25.
The Warhawks won a close one over Mercer 71-69 in the quarterfinals. Majok Deng led all scorers with 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The Catamounts, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-71 win over Radford in the quarterfinals. Ethan O`Day had a team-high 19 points.
Over the last five games, O`Day has been on fire for the Catamounts. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 3.0 blocks.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Warhawks enter the game with records of 23-12 Straight Up (SU) and 19-11 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Warhawks, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the nation at .297.
On the other side, the Catamounts have a 20-13 SU record, but have struggled ATS with a 2-3 record. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Catamounts, who are the 12th-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .383. When it comes to defending the rim, the Catamounts are one of the best in the nation with an average of 5.1 blocks per game.
This game marks the first time Louisiana-Monroe and Vermont have ever played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – ULM, ATS Winner – ULM
Notes
Louisiana-Monroe has an average field goal percentage of 43.2%. Vermont is an underachieving 2-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and the Vermont Catamounts both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Louisiana-Monroe is 252nd and 196th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Vermont ranks 73rd and 44th in these categories.
Louisiana-Monroe ranks 95th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.14. Vermont is ranked lower at 204th with an A/TO of .97.
Louisiana-Monroe, the 61st-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 36.7 rebounds per game. Vermont does worse, ranked 243rd with 32.9.
Vermont ranks 326th in offensive rebounds, while Louisiana-Monroe ranks at 40th in defensive rebounds.
