After all of this, are the LSU Tigers going to make the NCAA Tournament anyway? Ben Simmons and company are two wins away from removing all doubt about their status for the NCAA Tournament, but they absolutely have to have this game on Saturday against the Texas A&M Aggies if they want any chance to dance.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
HOW THE LSU TIGERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
We've been saying all season long that Simmons can't do this by himself, and he finally got a heck of a lot of help when he needed it the most against Tennessee on Friday. Craig Victor, Antonio Blakeney, Tim Quarterman and Josh Gray all scored in double figures to lead the Tigers to a much-needed victory to save their season.
This time though, it's going to be all about the freshman phenom.
It's unfair to ask Blakeney and Quarterman, both of which went the distance without a breather against Tennessee, to do it all again on Saturday. Simmons scored 15 points with eight boards versus the Vols, but he also only played 25 minutes.
It's time for Simmons to step up and prove that he's the nation's best pro prospect. He led the team in scoring (19.4 PPG), rebounding (11.8 RPG), shooting percentage (56.5%), assists (4.9 APG), steals (2.0 SPG) and blocks (0.8 BPG), and he'll need to stuff the stat sheet here against the Aggies. He's the best player on the court, but he's going to be overmatched by a team which is better than his. However, Simmons could ultimately be the equalizer here to make up for what the rest of his teammates aren't going to be able to do.
HOW THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Aggies have been awfully convincing down the stretch of the season, posting a seventh straight win against Florida in the SEC quarterfinals on Friday. They've covered six of those seven games, and they're doing it with their defense.
LSU's defense is going to inevitably struggle in this one as it has all season long. A&M will most certainly exploit that. But it has to be careful not to get into a track meet with the Tigers either. That's where Simmons can really use his athleticism to the fullest as he did last month when he came three assists shy of a triple-double against the Aggies.
The bigs have to be really careful with the basketball. Simmons has some of the best hands for a big man in the land, and Tyler Davis found that out when he turned it over five teams, three of which were caused by the quick hands of Simmons. A&M turned the rock over 19 times in that game, and that just won't cut it.
That said, if the Aggies can just be careful with the basketball, Danuel House, Alex Caruso and company will certainly do enough damage offensively to win this game. They combined for 34 points against LSU in February, and neither one was asked to play a terribly high quantity of minutes against Florida yesterday.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
At the start of the year, it wouldn't have been surprising to see these two teams in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. It would've been preposterous to think that LSU would've been a huge dog, though. Texas A&M has vastly overachieved this season, while the Bayou Bengals have been amongst the biggest disappointments in the nation.
However, we think something special is about to happen here for the boys from the Bayou. Sure, Simmons has basically admitted that he's distracted by the idea of being in school, but now, he's away from all of that and is in his element where all he has to do is play basketball. Getting away for days at a time is going to be good for the Tigers, and we think they're going to be at their best. They might not win the SEC, and they might not ultimately make the tourney, but they're going to make their case interesting for the Selection Committee.
We suspect that Simmons will go into "Beast Mode" on Saturday and will his team to a win to get it on the verge of the NCAA Tournament once and for all.
LSU 80, Texas A&M 72
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The game between the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies will go down Saturday, March 12, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
