The No. 22 LSU Tigers (15-4, 6-0 SEC) put their eight-game winning streak on the line when they challenge the Alabama Crimson Tide (12-7, 4-2 SEC) at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The game can be seen on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 29, 2020.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 164 points with LSU set as a 4.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sports Book.
Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers Free Prediction
The Crimson Tide come in on a high note after just getting past the Kansas State Wildcats in their last matchup, 77-74. Getting to the charity stripe was one of Alabama’s biggest strengths. They made 37 trips to the line, 18 more than Kansas State. With 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting, Kira Lewis Jr. was the game’s leading scorer.
The last time the Tigers took the court, they barely escaped the Texas Longhorns, 69-67. One of LSU’s largest advantages was their ability to convert at the free throw line. They were 16-20 (80.0 percent), while the Longhorns were just 3-6 (50.0 percent). Trendon Watford was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field.
After the Tigers won both contests against the Crimson Tide last season, these teams will go head-to-head for the first time this year. In the last contest, LSU won 74-69. The Tigers had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (33.3 vs. 26.1) and had a better turnover percentage (12.7 vs. 14.9).
This matchup pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses as LSU currently ranks 52nd in effective field goal percentage (0.531) and Alabama is 39th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.453). Also, the Crimson Tide rank 29th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.278), while the Tigers rank 31st in opponents’ FTA rate (0.167).
Alabama vs. LSU Odds Pick
College Basketball Pick: ATS Winner – Alabama, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Alabama averages 29.1 three pointers per game, which ranks ninth in the nation. LSU ranks 247th in three pointers allowed per game (25.3).
The Tigers average 39.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 28th in the NCAA. The Crimson Tide rank 255th in rebounds allowed per game (39.2).
LSU ranks 47th in blocks per game (4.4) while Alabama ranks 150th in blocks allowed per game (4.2).
The Tigers average 6.6 steals per game, which ranks 118th in the NCAA. The Crimson Tide rank 198th in steals allowed per game (8.4).
Alabama ranks 95th in assists per game (13.9) while LSU ranks 118th in assists allowed per game (12.4).
The Crimson Tide’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.4, up from 6.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Tigers have scored an average of 76.4 points per game (3.2 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.8 points per game (4.2 above their season average).
