The Grand Canyon Antelopes take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in Ruston, LA. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Louisiana Tech is favored by 1 point on the spread with a moneyline of -115. The total is set at 146 points.
Here are my Grand Canyon vs. Louisiana Tech predictions and college basketball picks for December 16, 2024.
Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech Prediction
My Pick: Grand Canyon +1 (Play to -3)
My Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech best bet is on the Antelopes spread, with the best odds currently available at bet365. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech Odds
| Grand Canyon Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 146 -112 / -108 | -115 |
| Louisiana Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 146 -112 / -108 | -105 |
- Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech spread: Grand Canyon -1
- Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech over/under: 146 points
- Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech moneyline: Grand Canyon -115, Louisiana Tech -105
- Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech best bet: Grand Canyon +1 (Play to -3)
Spread
I like the Lopes here up to 3 points.
Moneyline
Take the moneyline at Grand Canyon -105 or better.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
My Pick: Grand Canyon +1 (Play to -3)
Grand Canyon vs Louisiana Tech College Basketball Betting Preview
Grand Canyon Basketball
Coming off the program's first NCAA Tournament win ever, Grand Canyon was this year's mid-major darling.
The Lopes' start was a bit turbulent, though. They came out slow and played with fire as huge favorites against Cal State Fullerton and Western Kentucky but survived.
Then playing with fire finally burned Grand Canyon, as it lost to Arizona State and UC Davis.
Since then, Grand Canyon is 3-1, with its lone loss coming in a close one against Georgia on Saturday.
The biggest problem for Grand Canyon is a lack of offensive flow. The Lopes rely heavily on their two iso-scorers — Ray Harrison and Tyon Grant-Foster — doing most of the shooting.
Grant-Foster missed the first few games of the year, but he has struggled since returning, shooting just 32% from the field and 17% from 3. He attempts over 13 shots per game, so the offense is very out of sync if he is not converting efficiently.
The good news is the emergence of veteran forward JaKobe Coles, the team's second-leading scorer with 15 points per game. This matchup could prove fortuitous for Coles, as Louisiana Tech is a bit smaller at the four with Will Jeffress suffering a season-ending injury.
If you are a glass-half-full type, losing by just five to Georgia despite Grant-Foster going 2-of-17 from the field is fairly impressive.
So, how does GCU win if Grant-Foster continues to struggle?
Defensive dominance will need to win the day. The Lopes' imposing length is a guiding force in their elite 21% defensive turnover rate.
However, defending jump shooters has been a plague for them. Opponents shoot over 35% from 3, and the Lopes' pressure can lead to leaving shooters open if gambling for the steal goes awry.
Still, we know Grand Canyon has a tried-and-true style of winning, and it works.
Louisiana Tech Basketball
I was the leader of the Louisiana Tech bandwagon earlier this year, but I have some worries now.
The Bulldogs suffered one of the biggest upsets losses of the year as 19.5-point favorites to Southern and then let Memphis erupt for 81 points.
Since then, Louisiana Tech secured wins over Louisiana and Georgia Southern but played with fire, trailing at half in both games.
Turnovers and rebounding woes have bitten the Bulldogs. They turned the ball over 17+ times in their two losses, and they give it away over 19% of the time this year.
As for rebounding, they rank 271st in defensive rebounding rate.
Daniel Batcho is one of the best players in mid-major hoops. The star center followed head coach Talvin Hester from Texas Tech to Louisiana Tech, and it's been a perfect marriage. The French big averages 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, with a 74% field goal percentage (tops in the country).
He will need help from the guards in this one, including dynamic floor general Sean Newman Jr. — who has the second most assists in America — and scorers Kaden Cooper and Amaree Abram.
Cooper isn't just a scorer, but he leads the team with eight rebounds per game. Abram is the one to watch, though. He is the one guy who can create and take over from the perimeter, as he shoots 42% from 3.
The missing link for Louisiana Tech is a dominant defensive four man next Batcho. Last year, Isaiah Crawford and Dravon Mangham eased the pressure on Batcho and propelled the Bulldogs to dominate teams at the rim.
They went from holding teams to the second-lowest 2-point field goal percentage in America to 82nd sans Crawford and Mangham.
Grand Canyon vs. Louisiana Tech Betting Analysis
Even at home, I fear this matchup is a bad one for Louisiana Tech.
Grand Canyon has the length with Duke Brennan, Lok Wur and others to contain Batcho, the defensive DNA to force turnovers, and enough scorers to hold its own on offense.
The Bulldogs start Cooper at the four, and he's just 6-foot-5, so the Lopes have a clear size advantage with Coles at 6-foot-9.
The market is about as low as it will get on Grand Canyon.
I think this is an ideal time to bet on the Lopes before they get hot.
