Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers will square off in a Sun Belt opener for both schools.
The Ragin' Cajuns had their five-game winning streak snapped in Texas before their Christmas break, but they still enter tonight's game with a sparkling 10-2 record. Tonight's game will be the third of four straight road games for Louisiana.
The Chanticleers haven't played since December 19, when they dropped a home game to Charleston. It moved their record to 6-5, as they've hovered around .500 for much of the season so far.
This game could be a tone-setter for both teams as they begin conference play, so let's see how these squads stack up tonight.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Coastal Carolina Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Coastal Carolina Match Details
Fixture: Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns @ Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Date and Time: Thursday, December 29, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: HTC Center
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Coastal Carolina Key Stats
Both of these offenses put up plenty of points but in different ways. Louisiana-Lafayette is averaging 83.4 points per game, the 21st most nationwide. They are extremely efficient, hitting 50.1% of their shots (16th) and 40.3% of their three-pointers (10th). Their effective field goal percentage is 57.2% (17th), and their true shooting percentage is 60.1% (26th).
Coastal Carolina ranks 67th in points per game among NCAA teams, putting up 78.6 points per game. However, they are far less efficient. They knock down 46.2% of shots (118th), but only 30.7% of threes (311th).
Coastal Carolina's defense ranks 141st in points per game and 35th in opponent field goal percentage, but their three-point defense is weak. Opponents are converting 34.3% of threes against them, 220th in the nation and something Louisiana can exploit.
Louisiana's defense allows more points per game, ranking 268th in that metric, while also allowing opposing teams to hit 43.6% of their attempts, 196th nationwide.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Coastal Carolina Betting Prediction
This game has all the makings of a shootout. Louisiana-Lafayette's offense is predicated on three-point shooting efficiency, which is Coastal Carolina's greatest weakness on the defensive end. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina should be able to hit a higher percentage of shots than they normally do against Louisiana's weak defense. I expect a lot of scoring tonight.