Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas-Little Rock: 2/26/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction

Defensively, Louisiana is allowing their opponents to average 73.2 ppg on 42.8% shooting from the field. The Ragin’ Cajuns have a rebound margin of 5.5 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Little Rock Trojans lost their 6th straight game and dropped to 10-13 on the season after being defeated by the UL Monroe Warhawks, 68-64, this past Monday. Little Rock led by a 45-36 margin early in the 2nd half, however, the Trojans offense struggled down the stretch and the Warhawks were able to take the lead for good after a pair of FT’s by Marco Morency gave UL Monroe a 66-64 lead with :59 seconds left in regulation. Little Rock shot 40.7% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the arc while UL Monroe shot 42.9% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the arc. Little Rock outrebounded UL Monroe by a 40-28 margin, however, lost the turnover battle by a 15-12 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Trojans was Marko Lukic who had 20 points & 3 rebounds.

On the season, Little Rock is averaging 69.4 ppg on 46.3% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game on 31.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Little Rock has been led by Nikola Maric (14.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 apg), Ruot Monyyong (12.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.7 apg), Ben Coupet Jr. (9.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg), & Marko Lukic (9.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.2 apg).

Defensively, Little Rock is allowing their opponents to average 69.1 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of 2.9 and a turnover margin of -1.0.

The Ragin’ Cajuns are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Friday games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Trojans are 8-20-2 ATS in their last 30 games overall and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games.

Louisiana has played well during the 2nd half of their season, winning 7 of their last 10 games, and has been led by their offensive that ranks 83rd in scoring offense, 115th in FG%, & 82nd in 3P-FG%. Little Rock was expected to be one of the better Sun Belt teams this season, however, it has been a struggle for the Trojans as they have lost 7 of their last 10 games and currently rank just 229th in scoring offense & 228th in defensive FG%. Little Rock has looked lost over the past three weeks, especially on the offensive end of the ball, and as I think Ragin’ Cajuns, who have a 5-3 road record, are just playing the better basketball as of right now, I think the play here is to take the Ragin’ Cajuns and the points. Good Luck!