Southern Jaguars vs Loyola Marymount Lions NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/20/24
Looking to win big? The Jaguars and Lions face off at 10:00 ET on ESPN+. The Lions are hosting the game at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. The odds for this non-conference game currently have Loyola Marymount as the -7.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 138.5 points.
SOUTHERN JAGUARS VS LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Southern Jaguars +7.5
This game will be played at Gersten Pavilion at 10:00 ET on Friday, December 20th.
WHY BET THE SOUTHERN JAGUARS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-71 in favor of the Lions.
- Even though we have Loyola Marymount winning straight-up, we like Southern at +7.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 138.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 148 points.
Will the Jaguars Secure A Victory as Road Underdogs?
Southern Jaguars Recent Game/Games
The Jaguars fell to 2-5 on the season after a 74-61 road loss to Ole Miss on Tuesday. Southern was a +23 underdog but managed to keep the game closer than expected. The total points for the game ended at 135, under the O/U line of 143.5.
Southern trailed 42-33 at halftime and scored 28 points in the 2nd half while allowing 32. Though they didn’t get the win, the Jaguars’ ability to cover the spread could be seen as a positive takeaway.
Southern’s offense struggled in their last game, shooting just 37.9% from the field and 30.4% from three-point range, finishing with 61 points. Their effective field goal percentage was 44.8%, and they hit only 55.6% of their free throws.
Jaylen Murray was a bright spot, hitting 6 of 7 threes and finishing with 18 points and 5 assists. Derrick Tezeno also impressed, shooting 83.3% from the field and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Southern’s defense gave up 74 points in their last game, with opponents shooting 41% from the field on 22 of 53 attempts. Inside the arc, they allowed 42% shooting, with the other team hitting 12 of 28 two-point shots.
From three-point range, Southern’s opponents connected on 10 of 25 attempts, good for 40%. The Jaguars also sent the other team to the line 29 times, where they made 20 free throws, shooting 69%. Southern gave up 11 offensive rebounds.
Will Loyola Marymount Win at Home?
Loyola Marymount improved to 5-4 on the season with a 60-58 win over UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday. The Lions were -2 point favorites going into the game, and the final score resulted in a push against the spread.
LMU led 33-30 at halftime and edged out the Gauchos in the second half, scoring 27 points while allowing 28. The game’s total points of 118 fell well short of the 141.5 O/U line.
Loyola Marymount’s offense put up 60 points in their last game, shooting 47.3% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 50.9%, with a strong 58.3% shooting on two-pointers, but they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 26.3% on 5 of 19 attempts.
The Lions managed only 5 offensive rebounds and 4 free throw attempts, making 3 of them. Caleb Stone-Carrawell and Stephan Swenson each scored 15 points, with Swenson hitting 3 of 5 from deep. Kenny Pohto added 12 points and 8 rebounds, while Jason Fontenet II also chipped in 12 points and 4 assists.
Despite giving up 58 points, Loyola Marymount’s defense allowed their opponent to shoot 47% from the field, with 26 made baskets on 55 attempts. The Lions struggled to contain two-point shots, where their opponent hit 58% of their attempts, going 21/36.
From beyond the arc, Loyola Marymount held their opponent to 26% shooting, with just 5 made threes on 19 attempts. The Lions also sent their opponent to the free-throw line only 4 times, where they converted 3 of those attempts. On the boards, Loyola Marymount gave up 5 offensive rebounds.