The LSU Tigers were a ranked team early in the year, but struggled in the AdvoCare Invitational, costing them their ranking and creating questions about the team’s ability to compete with some of college basketball’s better teams. While the Houston Cougars aren’t a ranked opponent, they enter this game undefeated as they get set to host the Tigers.
Despite the Tigers early season woes, LSU is still the most difficult non-conference game on the Houston schedule. That’ll certainly give the Cougars motivation to step up against their LSU foes though the Tigers could also use a nice win here to help rebuild their stock.
The Tigers were a trendy pick as a breakout team this preseason. They’ve yet to live up to that billing. The offense has played well, but a strong defense in Houston will be a good test.
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LSU Tigers vs. Houston Cougars
Date and Time: Wednesday, December 12, 2018, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas
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Tigers vs. Cougars TV Coverage: ESPN2
The Cougars are one of a shrinking number of undefeated teams as we enter mid-December. The team hasn’t had a particularly hard schedule which has kept them out of the top-25. Still, the Cougars did beat Oklahoma State on Saturday, 63-53. It was the sixth straight game Houston has allowed 62 or fewer points.
Six of Houston’s first eight games have seen the opponent score 60 or less. The Oklahoma State game was the team’s best defensively with a season low 53 points allowed. The Cowboys shot only 35.1-percent from the floor and the Cougars won the battle of the boards by 11.
The rebounding prowess of the Cougars is a bit surprising given the plethora of guards on the roster and team’s overall small stature and preference for athleticism over size.
Armoni Brooks and Nate Hinton have been solid rebounders for outside players. Brooks is also the team’s leading scorer with 16.5 PPG. He’s shooting a staggering 45.8-percent from three. Corey Davis Jr. isn’t as accurate a shooter, but he and Galen Robinson Jr. are strong ball handlers. Davis also has 16.5 PPG. Robinson leads the team in assists with 6.3 APG.
On the inside for Houston, there’s not a lot to get excited about with Cedrick Alley Jr. the leader in minutes, but nothing more than an okay rebounder without many blocks and a poor shooting percentage. Brinson Greshman has 2.1 BPG, but is only getting 17.8 minutes and even he stands at just 6’8”.
If this team is going to compete with LSU, it needs to keep the ball on the perimeter and in the hands of its athletic guards who have proven to be solid shooters. Their statistical edge on the Tigers is beyond the arc and they’ll need to lean on that.
Speaking of LSU, they enter this game having won back-to-back games though those wins came against Grambling and Incarnate Word. Their last games against serious opponents were losses to then No.14 Florida State and a struggling Oklahoma State team.
LSU came into the season with high hopes, but the team’s yet to prove anything against good opponents.
The Tigers are shooting the ball well as a team with 49-percent from the floor. Their less accurate outside, but overall have 81 PPG. That’s a solid offensive team. Defensively, however, the team’s got some questions beyond the play of Kavell Bigby-Williams who doesn’t seem that much playing time anyway.
To compete with the Houston backcourt, LSU has a good collection of guards. Skylar Mays is leading the team in scoring with 14 PPG while Tremont Waters had 15.9 PPG last year and while he only has 11.8 PPG this year, he’s shooting at a higher percentage. He’s just not getting as many chances because of a deep backcourt. Freshmen like Ja’Vonte Smart are demanding time and chances and he’s done well in those chances early.
Along with a deep backcourt that compete with the Houston collection of guards, the Tigers have a solid frontcourt, too.
Freshman Naz Reid has stepped in and delivered immediate results. He’s got 11.6 PPG, but he hasn’t been as good on rebounds and blocks. Fellow freshman Emmitt Willaims has been delivering the boards though as a team, LSU is averaging fewer rebounds than Houston.
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Houston’s done well to remain undefeated this far into the season. They’ve certainly got themselves well positioned going into conference play in the AAC, but the Tigers stand in their way to continuing their perfect record and the SEC’s Tigers are quite the foe compared to the likes of Alabama A&M, Rice, UT Rio Grande Valley and even Oregon as the Ducks have fallen far short of expectations this year.
The win against Oklahoma State is a good one for Houston, but LSU beat Houston last year by three when the Cougars had a better team, at least on paper. Houston’s last win against LSU came in 2015 when they won a shootout in overtime, 105-98.
Be sure to explore all the live betting opportunities at BookMaker.eu, but—in particular—watch the total for this one. We have an LSU team with a better offense, certainly inside the paint, but Houston’s defense has been strong, albeit against weaker opponents to date. Watch how the pace of play starts in this game with a fast paced game favoring LSU and a slower contest leaning towards the Cougars.
Key Player
Both teams are loaded with talent on the outside and thrive on the perimeter. These teams feature a number of four-guard sets and don’t see their forwards getting that many minutes.
Alley gets the most time inside for Houston, but he’s not really an impact guy. For LSU, Emmitt Williams has gotten the most playing time inside while Naz Reid is the leading scorer in the paint, but the real key is Kavell Bigby-Williams.
Bigby-Williams could really serve to solidify the frontcourt where the Tigers already have an edge.
The senior forward is in his first year with the Tigers after transferring from Oregon State. He’s not getting much playing time, but at 6’11”, he adds height and he’s also a key defender with 2.6 BPG despite just over 16 minutes a contest.
He’s seen his playing time peak up lately and his production as a result. He got 18 minutes against Oklahoma State and scored 12 with seven rebounds and got a season high 27 minutes in the team’s last game, notching a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He had a staggering nine blocks against Grambling.
Tigers vs. Cougars Live Betting
Look for a close game and the Tigers could certainly be the team to hand the Cougars their first loss, but this Houston team is off to a strong start and just beat an Oklahoma State team that knocked off LSU in the AdvoCare Invitational by 13-points.
Defensively, the Tigers have allowed a few too many points on a couple occasions which should allow a typically mediocre offense in Houston to put enough points on the board to eek out a big victory at home against its most difficult opponent to date.
Meanwhile, look for the Houston defense to do well against a solid shooting LSU team while winning the battle beyond the arc which, ultimately, proves to be the difference in the game.
Be sure to check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this weekend’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Houston 75, LSU 73
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