Lamar Cardinals vs Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Matchup

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

Lamar vs Louisiana-Lafayette Prediction

Planning on watching today's Cardinals and Ragin' Cajuns game? Catch the action at Cajundome in Lafayette, LA, as the Ragin' Cajuns hosts this showdown at 1:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under for this game is set at 146.5 points, and Louisiana-Lafayette is favored by -2.5 against Lamar in a non-conference matchup.

Lamar vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Lamar Cardinals at Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Where: Lafayette at Cajundome
Date: Saturday, December 14th
Betting Odds LOULAF -2.5, LAMAR +110 | LOULAF -134 O/U 146.5

Cardinals Preview: Will Lamar Find a Way to Win on the Road?

Lamar Cardinals Recent Game/Games

The Cardinals improved to 2-5 on the season with an 84-52 road win over Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Saturday. Lamar entered the game as +6.5 point underdogs but not only pulled off the upset, they covered the spread with ease. The total points for the game finished at 136, well under the O/U line of 154.5.

Lamar took control early, leading 46-23 at halftime. They continued to dominate in the 2nd half, outscoring the Vaqueros 38-29 to seal the win.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Lamar's offense was clicking in their last game, putting up 84 points while shooting 57.8% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 62.5%, thanks to 60.8% shooting on two-pointers and 46.2% from beyond the arc.

Alexis Marmolejos led the way with 18 points, hitting 2 of 4 from deep, while Ja'Sean Jackson added 15 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Adam Hamilton was efficient as well, going 6 for 8 from the field in just 17 minutes of action.

Cardinals Team Defense

Defensively, the Lamar Cardinals were impressive, holding their opponent to just 52 points on 33% shooting from the field (18/54). They were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where they limited the opposing team to 5/29 shooting, just 17%.

However, the Cardinals did send their opponent to the free-throw line 12 times, where they converted 11 of those attempts for 91%. Lamar also gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.

Ragin' Cajuns Preview: Can the Louisiana-Lafayette Offense Score Enough at Home?

The Ragin' Cajuns picked up their first win of the season, improving to 1-8 after a 68-61 home victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday. Louisiana-Lafayette entered the game as -4.5 favorites and covered the spread. The total points for the game were 129, falling short of the O/U line of 144.

Louisiana-Lafayette turned things around in the 2nd half, outscoring the Lions 37-26 after trailing 35-31 at halftime.

Ragin' Cajuns Offense Breakdown

In their latest game, the Ragin' Cajuns put up 68 points, shooting 40.7% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 50%. They connected on 10 of 30 three-point attempts, hitting 33.3% from deep, while going 12 for 24 on two-point shots, also at 50%. At the free-throw line, they made 14 of 18 attempts, good for 77.8%.

Sam Hines Jr. led the way with 22 points, shooting 9 of 12 overall and hitting his only three-point attempt. Kyndall Davis added 15 points, knocking down 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, and Mostapha El Moutaouakkil contributed 13 points, making 5 of 6 shots. The team recorded 11 offensive rebounds and 15 assists in the game.

Ragin' Cajuns Team Defense

Louisiana-Lafayette's defense held their opponent to 61 points on 40% shooting from the field. They allowed 22 made field goals on 54 attempts.

From three-point range, the Ragin' Cajuns gave up 10 threes on 30 attempts, a 33% success rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 18 times, where they made 14 free throws, shooting 77%.

Cardinals vs Ragin' Cajuns Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Lamar has a 2-3 record in their last five road games. In this stretch, they averaged 69 points per game while allowing 73. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
Across the Ragin' Cajuns last five home games, the team averaged 61 points per game while allowing 83. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 0-5, while going 0-5 straight-up.
Through their last five games as the betting underdog, the Cardinals have a strong record vs the spread going 3-1-1. Their straight up mark in these contests is 2-3.
The last ten games that Louisiana-Lafayette was favored, they have an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 5-5 straight up.