The Sam Houston State Bearkats (15-10, 9-3 SthLnd) can continue a six-game home winning streak when they meet the Lamar Cardinals (15-10, 7-5 SthLnd) at Johnson Coliseum. Action gets underway at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 10, 2018.
Lamar Cardinals vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats Free Preview
The last time the Cardinals played, they beat the Northwestern State Demons, 79-75. Colton Weisbrod was the games leading scorer with 25 points on 10-for-18 shooting. The Cardinals forced 18 turnovers and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 35.0 (above their season average of 33.8).
The Bearkats will look to keep it rolling after edging the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders in their last contest, 66-64. Sam Houston State received a boost from Christopher Galbreath Jr. who was the teams high scorer with 16 points on 4-for-13 shooting. The Bearkats had a ridiculous offensive rebounding percentage of 37.8 (above their season average of 32.1) and had a better turnover percentage (17.6 vs. 19.0).
Baskets could be hard to come by in this battle between two of the NCAA’s top defenses. Sam Houston State ranks 47th in defensive efficiency (97.1) and Lamar is 37th (96.5).
These teams have already met once this season. The Cardinals won 84-77. The Cardinals dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a turnover percentage of 14.9 and an extraordinary offensive rebounding percentage of 41.0. For those same stats, the Bearkats recorded marks of 26.0 and 25.0, respectively. Josh Nzeakor recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Lamar Cardinals at Sam Houston State Bearkats Betting Prediction
Pick: SU Winner – Lamar, ATS Winner – Lamar, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Bearkats average 15.2 assists per game, which ranks 67th in the nation. The Cardinals rank 119th in assists allowed per game (13.2).
- Lamar ranks 38th in three pointers allowed per game (19.3) while Sam Houston State ranks 226th (23.7).
- The Cardinals rank seventh in steals per game (9.3) while the Bearkats rank 127th (6.1).
- Sam Houston State averages 37.9 rebounds per game, which ranks 65th in the nation. Lamar ranks 175th in rebounds allowed per game (35.5).
Betting Trends:
- The Bearkats average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.6, down from 4.2 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Cardinals have scored an average of 76.8 points per game (0.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 72.4 points per game (3.0 above their season average).
