It’s going to be a tough year in Baton Rouge without Ben Simmons. The LSU Tigers couldn’t get to the postseason last year even though they had the eventual No. 1 pick in the draft. Now they have to rely on the leftovers from that squad to fulfill their tournament hopes this year. They’ve gotten off to an undefeated start, but will face their first real test of this young season when they face the Wichita State Shockers.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, November 23, 2016, at 12 p.m. ET at the Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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LSU is 3-0 SU and 1-0-1 ATS on the year after defeating Wofford, Southern Miss, and North Florida. The Tigers are averaging 81.66 PPG but only one of their games has gone over the total.
The Shockers have destroyed their opponents this season, winning each game by at least 27 points. They are 4-0 SU and 2-0 ATS on the year and have scored at least 80 in all four of their games.
Player to Watch
Antonio Blakeney is LSU’s leading scorer this season and the sophomore guard is expected to make the team his now that Simmons is in the NBA. Blakeney has taken an average of 14 shots a game this season and has hit 44.4 percent of his attempts. He has improved his ability to create his own shot, but there are still some causes for concern.
Blakeney has had some real issues from the line his past two games, hitting just 8 of his 15 free throw attempts. That’s an awful percentage for a guard, particularly one that likes to shoot as much as Blakeney does. Also, he has put up these points against very weak defenses. Ken Pomeroy’s numbers show that LSU has faced the 333rd best defenses in the country through the early stages of the season.
Key Stat
Wichita State has been able to play a ton of guys through the early part of the season thanks to the blowout wins and that will lead to depth and fresh legs later in the year. No Shocker is averaging more than 23.7 minutes a game thus far and 16 players have seen action on the court.
This team has been amazing on the glass through the first four games of the year, pulling down 49 rebounds a game. Markis McDuffie is one of the leaders with 6.3 boards a game and his size, athleticism, and length is tough for opposing defenders to stop. McDuffie has already been listed as one of the players to watch this season due to his amazing athletic ability and Wichita State should have an advantage against LSU because of his ability to dominate the glass.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
There’s no line out yet for this game but we expect Wichita State to be a moderate favorite. The Shockers have a lot of talent back from last year’s squad that knocked off Arizona in the first round of the Big Dance and the Tigers are going to have a very difficult time matching up with their depth.
For the Tigers to win, Duop Reath needs to be able to stay on the floor. Reath is one of the team’s best rebounders and is a fantastic shot blocker with seven blocks already this year. However, he is also extremely foul prone. Reath has fouled out of LSU’s last two games and that robbed the Tigers of their best presence in the paint.
As good as Wichita State was last season, it had trouble early on when it played teams from big conferences and that’s why we’re calling for LSU to get the cover. This game shouldn’t have the points that many expect and that will play into LSU’s hands. The Tigers probably won’t be able to pull off the upset, but will keep it close enough.
College Basketball Odds: Wichita State 74, LSU 71
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