Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Appalachian State vs Louisiana-Lafayette NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Lafayette.

Appalachian State vs Louisiana-Lafayette Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Mountaineers and Ragin' Cajuns. The game is starting at 8:00 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Ragin' Cajuns at Cajundome in Lafayette, LA. Get ready to place your bets! Appalachian State is favored by -1.5 in this Sun Belt conference showdown. The game's over/under is currently at 135.5 points.

Appalachian State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Appalachian State Mountaineers at Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Where: Lafayette at Cajundome
Date: Wednesday, December 18th
Betting Odds APPLST -1.5, APPLST -137 | LOULAF +113 O/U 135.5

Mountaineers Preview: Is A Road Victory Likely for Favored Appalachian State?

Appalachian State fell to 4-4 on the season after a 65-59 road loss to High Point on Saturday. The Mountaineers entered the game as +5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The combined points of 124 fell short of the O/U line of 137.

Appalachian State led 29-20 at halftime but struggled defensively in the 2nd half, allowing 45 points while scoring 30 of their own.

Mountaineers Offense Breakdown

Appalachian State struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 59 points on 35.1% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 38.6%, with two-point shooting at 34.9% and three-point shooting at 35.7% (5/14).

Myles Tate led the way with 24 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 47.4% overall. CJ Huntley added 12 points, hitting 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, but shot just 23.1% overall. The Mountaineers had 12 offensive rebounds and 9 assists, while shooting 77.8% from the free-throw line (14/18).

Mountaineers Team Defense

Appalachian State's defense held their opponent to 65 points, with a field goal percentage of 36% (22/61). They allowed 16 two-point shots on 32 attempts, giving up a 50% shooting rate inside the arc.

From three-point range, Appalachian State's defense limited their opponent to 6 made threes on 29 attempts, a 20% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 18 times, where they made 15 free throws, shooting 83%. The Mountaineers gave up 11 offensive rebounds.

Ragin' Cajuns Preview: Will the Ragin' Cajuns Win at Cajundome?

Louisiana-Lafayette's season continued to spiral downward with a 74-45 loss to Lamar on Saturday. The Ragin' Cajuns, now 1-9, were -3 favorites at home but failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 119, falling well short of the O/U line of 145.

After trailing 33-22 at halftime, Louisiana-Lafayette's struggles worsened in the 2nd half, where they were outscored 41-23.

Ragin' Cajuns Offense Breakdown

In their last game, Louisiana-Lafayette's offense struggled, scoring just 45 points with a field goal percentage of 26.4% (14/53). Their effective field goal percentage was 32.1%, and they shot 25% from two-point range (8/32) and 28.6% from beyond the arc (6/21).

Andrew Holifield led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 70% from the field. Alexis Marmolejos was perfect from three, hitting 3/3 and shooting 80% overall, finishing with 11 points and 4 assists.

Ragin' Cajuns Team Defense

Louisiana-Lafayette's defense was on point, holding their opponent to just 74 points on 26% shooting from the field. The Ragin' Cajuns limited their opponent to 8/32 shooting on two-point attempts, a 25% success rate.

From beyond the arc, the opposition managed to hit 6 of their 21 three-point attempts, shooting 28%. Louisiana-Lafayette sent them to the free-throw line 16 times, where they converted 11 shots for a 68% free-throw percentage.

Mountaineers vs Ragin' Cajuns Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past ten road matchups, Appalachian State has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 68 per game. The team went 5-5 overall in these games.
When looking at their past three home matchups, Louisiana-Lafayette has an ATS record of 0-3 while averaging 58 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
Looking back on the team's last ten games as the underdog, the Ragin' Cajuns have a straight up record of 2-8. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-8.
The last ten games that Appalachian State was favored, they have an ATS mark of 6-4 while going 8-2 straight up.