Blake Krass provides his preview, prediction and pick for Tuesday’s college basketball game between Texas and LSU.
The Texas Longhorns host the LSU Tigers on Tuesday night in an SEC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns are listed as 11.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at O/U 150.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this SEC college basketball matchup.
Texas vs. LSU prediction, preview
Texas is on a great run, having won four straight games coming into this matchup with LSU. The Longhorns are massive favorites to extend their winning streak to five games as the SEC conference schedule hits its final stretch. This team has been surging and is now projected to be a nine-seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. Texas has had no problems scoring the basketball this season, but what it has finally gotten fixed is on the defensive end of the floor. Texas is finally getting stops, enabling the Longhorns to take advantage of superstar guard Dailyn Swain’s ability to get out in space and make plays in transition. Swain is averaging 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. He leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes played.
It has been a terrible season for LSU basketball. The Tigers are tied at the bottom of the SEC with a 2-10 conference record. Not only has LSU been losing, but it’s been getting demolished. Five of LSU’s past six losses have come by double digits. The Tigers have particularly struggled on the defensive end of the floor. In this era of college basketball, particularly in the SEC, success often comes and goes with the three-pointer. LSU is not a great shooting team and also struggles to defend the three-point line. The Tigers rank second-worst in the SEC in three-pointers made per game differential.
Texas vs. LSU pick
My best bet for this game is for Texas to score over 81.5 points. The Longhorns are one of the best offensive teams in the country, ranking fourth nationally in offensive rating. They should score in bunches against an LSU group that ranks 107th nationally in defensive rating. Texas has scored at least 82 points in four of its past six games. Meanwhile, LSU has given up at least 82 points in three of its past four games. The Tigers don’t have anyone who can slow down Dailyn Swain. The Longhorns should push the pace to make LSU uncomfortable and get easy points in transition. They should also get open looks from beyond the arc, something LSU has struggled to stop all season. This should be another comfortable win for Texas and a big loss for LSU, with Texas going over its team total.
Best Bet: Texas Team Total o81.5 Points (-105)