Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 3/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023

Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Louisiana (+13)

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (26-7) are traveling to Amway Center on Thursday where they will attempt to beat the Tennessee Volunteers (23-10). Louisiana opens this contest as 13-point dogs from oddsmakers. The over/under comes in at 136.5.

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns faced off with South Alabama and took home the win by a score of 71-66 in their last contest. Louisiana wrapped up the game having earned a 49.1% field goal percentage (27 out of 55) and converted 8 of their 17 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Ragin' Cajuns buried 9 of 12 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. In terms of hauling in boards, they collected 30 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 10 dimes in the matchup while creating 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When talking about the defense, Louisiana allowed the other team to shoot 48.9% from the floor on 23 of 47 shooting. South Alabama doled out 8 dimes and had 6 steals for the game. On top of that, South Alabama pulled down 25 rebounds (3 offensive, 22 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. South Alabama finished 60.7% at the free throw line by burying 17 of their 28 attempts. They also converted 3 of 11 tries from 3-point land. When it comes to fouls, the Ragin' Cajuns walked away with 18 and South Alabama recorded 17 fouls.

Themus Fulks is someone who was a factor in this matchup. He notched 23 points on 9 out of 13 shooting. He played for 36 minutes played but did not grab any rebounds. He finished the contest at 69.2% from the field and distributed 3 dimes.

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Louisiana comes into this game with a record of 26-7 so far this year. They are averaging 78.0 pts per contest (38th in D-1) while hitting 48.4% from the field. The Ragin' Cajuns are shooting 37.8% on shots from 3-point land (233 of 617) and 68.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Louisiana is snagging 36.8 boards per contest and has accounted for 477 dimes for the campaign, which is 73rd in the country in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 12.2 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 16.9 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Ragin' Cajuns are forcing their opponents into 12.4 turnovers every game and they draw 18.4 personal fouls. They are ranked 40th in the country in giving up assists with 346 conceded for the year. The Ragin' Cajuns are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.2% (838 of 1,898) and they surrender 30.4 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are giving up 33.9% on shots from distance and they rank 169th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (69.8).

For their last game, the Tennessee Volunteers got the win with a final of 70-55 when they played Ole Miss. In reference to how they rebounded, Tennessee permitted Ole Miss to grab 18 in all (4 offensive). They wrapped up this game 35.0% from 3-point land by going 7 out of 20 and finished the game at 8 of 12 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Volunteers permitted Ole Miss to bury 20 of their 53 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 37.7% in this game. When all was said and done, the Volunteers walked away from this one shooting 24 for 51 from the floor which had them shooting 47.1%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Tennessee made 10 of 28 tries (35.7%). They were able to bury 12 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 85.7%. Ole Miss earned 14 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Volunteers to the charity stripe for a total of 14 attempts. They also coughed it up 13 times, while earning 5 steals in this game. The Volunteers were able to corral 28 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 in the game.

Josiah-Jordan James pitched in for the Volunteers for this contest. He made 6 out of 13 for this contest for a rate of 46.2%, and added 7 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 31 mins on the court and tallied 2 dimes in the game.

Tennessee has a record of 23-10 for the year. The Volunteers have committed 16.8 fouls per contest while shooting 71.4% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 16.9 times per game (9th in Division 1) and they turn it over 12.1 times per contest. Tennessee has tallied 2,369 pts for the campaign (71.8 per game) and they collect 38.7 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Volunteers are connecting on 43.7% from the field, which ranks 236th in the nation.

The Tennessee defense gives up 26.2% on shots from distance (190 of 725) and their opposition makes 72.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 9.8 assists and 31.8 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 11th and 54th in Division 1. The Volunteers on the defensive end are ranked 3rd in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 58.0. They have forced 14.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 36.9% from the field (2nd in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Louisiana (+13)

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