Appalachian State vs Louisiana Prediction College Basketball Picks 12/18/24

The Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns meet Wednesday in college basketball action from the Cajundome. Here’s an Appalachian State vs Louisiana prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Appalachian State vs Louisiana pick. We will examine:

The Appalachian State Mountaineers’recent form and player performance

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Appalachian State Mountaineers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns

Recent betting trends in games played between Appalachian State and Louisiana

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Appalachian State vs Louisiana game

Appalachian State Mountaineers Betting Preview

This year the Mountaineers came out of the gate with a 5-2 run featuring wins over St. Andrews, Queens U, William & Mary, Sam Houston, and Colgate. It’s been a 1-2 stretch since then with losses to UNC Wilmington and High Point.

In the Panthers game on Saturday, the Mountaineers posted a 29-20 edge in the first half. App State was blitzed 45-30 from there though, resulting in a 65-59 loss. Myles Tate topped the team with 24 points and eight boards.

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Betting Preview

Over on the Louisiana side, they beat UT Dallas in game two then fell to Houston, Rice, Liberty, George Washington, UAB, Nicholls, and Louisiana Tech in succession. The Cajuns would then beat SE Louisiana before another loss to Lamar.

Matched up against Lamar back on Saturday, the Cajuns were looking at an 11-point deficit by the second half. Louisiana was outscored 41-23 from there in a 74-45 blowout. Kyndall Davis led the way in the defeat with 11 points and four rebounds.

Why the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will win

• Louisiana has won each of its last four night games at Cajundome following a home loss.
• Appalachian State has lost the first half in three of its last four road games against Conference opponents.

Why the Appalachian State Mountaineers will win

• Appalachian State has won 11 of its last 12 night games against Conference opponents.
• Louisiana has lost seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Appalachian State has won the first half in four of its last five night games against Conference opponents.

Appalachian State vs Louisiana Prediction

I’ll lean toward App State, but I’m probably avoiding this one. The Mountaineers shot poorly (35.1 percent) in their latest loss to High Point and coughed up 17 turnovers (for 17 Panthers points) along the way. Appalachian State has been below 62 points in two of their last three (both losses) but they can score pretty well in the right matchups.

As for Louisiana, they’re a mess this year. The Cajuns shot a miserable 26.4 percent from the field with a 45-30 rebounding deficit and 13 turnovers in their latest loss to a middling Lamar team. The Cajuns have been below 59 points in each of their last two defeats and are generally giving up points in droves on the other side. I’m not optimistic about Louisiana here.