LSU vs. Wake Forest Odds
| LSU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -110 | 144 -110o / -110u | -365 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -110 | 144 -110o / -110u | +280 |
LSU will square off against Wake Forest in the Emerald Coast Championship on Saturday Night. The Tigers had a hard fought overtime battle on Friday night against Penn State.
But they weren't alone in having a hard fight to get here. The Deacons went to overtime as well against Oregon State, eventually winning 80-77.
Both teams come into this championship game unbeaten, so which one will keep that perfect record alive and take home this tournament title?
LSU Playing Stellar Defense
LSU came into the game leading the nation in scoring margin at over 34 points per game while hitting over 50% of their field goals, including 38% from deep. However, Penn state was not intimidated and held LSU to season lows in points, field goal percentage and three point percentage. Penn State's 63 points was a season high for an LSU opponent.
The Tigers moved to 6-0 on the season after beating Penn state, which was their second highest ranked win so far. LSU ranks inside the top 30 per KenPom's offensive (27th) and defensive (24th) efficiency ratings.
LSU ranks third in the country at holding the opposition to 51 points a game and is fifth with opponents shooting at only a 33.2% clip. Both of which are stats Will Wade hopes to build on as the season continues.
So far this year the LSU defense has been one of the best in the country, holding all five opponents to under 60 points — the first time they've done that since the 1946-47 season.
But they've also found success on offense, scoring at least 80 points in four of their six games. They also rank 72nd in effective FG% per KenPom, while being top 75 in both two point and free throw percentage.
Reigning SEC Player of the Week Darius Day leads the Tigers offense, averaging 19.2 point and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 54.5% from outside the arc.
Wake Forest Hasn't Played Anyone
Similar to the Tigers, the Deacons kept their unbeaten streak alive in their last game, but their last game was very different from the previous five. Up until their game against Oregon State, Wake Forest outscored its five opponents by an average of 24 points.
But we also can't overlook that all of Wake forest wins other than last night's over Oregon State have come against teams outside KenPom’s top 250. Oregon State also ranked just 104th compared to an LSU team that boasts a 20th ranking overall.
Against Oregon State, Wake forest was led by Alondes Williams who posted his second-highest scoring total of the season, scoring 24 points while adding four rebounds and four assists. Williams joined the Deacons via the transfer portal from Oklahoma and has become the team’s leading scorer this season.
He’s stepped up quite a bit after struggling last season as a Sooner, and though he still needs to work on his three point shooting, he seems to be on the cusp of a breakout year with Wake Forest.
And while The Tigers outmatch Wake Forest in both offensive and defensive efficiency, Wake Forest leads in nearly all other offensive categories. The Deacons rank fourth in the country in effective field goal percentage at 61.9% while also being third in the country in two point percentage. But the LSU Tigers will be their biggest challenge of the season, specifically on defense where they rank top 50 in both three point and two point shooting defense.
LSU vs. Wake Forest Betting Pick
LSU has been the better team and has played much better competition. They are better not just on offense, but by a much wider margin on defense.
I'm laying it with LSU at -8.
Pick: LSU -8 or better
