The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (27-5, 17-2 SBC) and the UT Arlington Mavericks (20-12, 11-8 SBC) face off in the Sun Belt Conference Tourney at Lakefront Arena. Action begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 10, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN 3.
UT Arlington Mavericks vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Betting Preview
In the Mavericks last matchup, they were victorious over the Appalachian State Mountaineers, 84-68. Erick Neal was the top scorer from either team with 37 points on 13-for-18 shooting. UT Arlington was 9-19 on three pointers (47.4 percent). Appalachian State, on the other hand, was just 3-22 (13.6 percent).
The Ragin’ Cajuns will look to keep it rolling after blowing out the Texas State Bobcats in their last game, 80-54. Louisiana was lifted by Frank Bartley, who was the games leading scorer with 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting. Louisiana dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a ridiculous effective field goal percentage of 0.644 (above their season average of 0.539) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 25.0 (below their season average of 36.2). For those same stats, Texas State was 0.413 and 19.4, respectively.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength as the productive offense of Louisiana takes on the stingy defense of UT Arlington. The Ragin’ Cajuns rank 17th in offensive efficiency, while the Mavericks are 57th in defensive efficiency.
Neal has been outstanding over the last five games for UT Arlington, averaging 24.8 points, 6.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game.
These two teams have already met twice this year, with the Ragin’ Cajuns winning both. Neal scored a game-high 26 points in the most recent game, in which the Mavericks lost 100-79. The Ragin’ Cajuns dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had an absurd effective field goal percentage of 0.606 and a phenomenal offensive rebounding percentage of 39.4. For those same stats, the Mavericks were 0.437 and 31.8, respectively.
UT Arlington Mavericks vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Betting Prediction
Pick: SU Winner – Louisiana, ATS Winner – Louisiana, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Ragin’ Cajuns average 17.7 assists per game, which ranks seventh in the nation. The Mavericks rank 145th in assists allowed per game (13.5).
- UT Arlington ranks 30th in blocks allowed per game (2.5) while Louisiana ranks 79th (3.0).
- Louisiana ranks 23rd in three pointers allowed per game (18.5) while UT Arlington ranks 304th (27.4).
- The Ragin’ Cajuns rank 20th in rebounds per game (39.2) while the Mavericks rank 202nd in rebounds allowed per game (36.2).
- Louisiana averages 7.5 steals per game, which ranks 35th in the NCAA. UT Arlington ranks 185th in steals allowed per game (6.9).
Betting Trends:
- The Ragin’ Cajuns average margin of victory in their last five games has been 9.6, down from 13.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Mavericks have scored an average of 84.0 points per game (5.6 above their season average) and allowed an average of 78.8 points per game (5.1 above their season average).
