Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Cameron Thomas.
#8 LSU vs. #9 St. Bonaventure Odds
| Projected Spread | LSU -0.8 | |
| Projected Total | 144 | |
| Projected ML | LSU -103 | |
| Time | TBA | |
| TV | TBA | |
| Projected odds based on our initial PRO Projections. Odds will be added once they’re released. | ||
How LSU & St. Bonaventure Match Up
| LSU | vs. | St. Bonaventure |
| 78 | Tempo | 319 |
| 60 | eFG% | 141 |
| 35 | TO% | 75 |
| 67 | OR% | 31 |
| 114 | FTR | 271 |
| 104 | DeFG% | 13 |
| 200 | DTO% | 134 |
| 325 | DR% | 200 |
| 114 | DFTR | 96 |
| All stats via KenPom. | ||
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What To Know About LSU
Cameron Thomas is one of the best freshmen in the nation, and stopping LSU means putting the handcuffs on its best player. The Tigers have been excellent on offense, beating teams from all angles of the court with the 35th-fastest offensive tempo.
The defensive side of the ball is where LSU has struggled in SEC play. Head coach Will Wade finished with a squad that ranked 299th in defensive rebounding and 335th in non-steal turnover percentage. In general, true national title contenders will have a combined offensive and defensive efficiency rank of 50 or below.
While LSU has a top-10 offense, its defense, which will press and generally drop into a matchup zone, ranks outside the top 100. And even with that subpar ranking, I think they’ve been a bit fortunate in regards to opponent 3-point shooting. Despite allowing a 3-point rate that ranks outside the top 300, opponents have only connected on 30.1% of 3-pointers on the season (22nd in D-1).
Regression could be looming for an already suspect defense, which would spell disaster for the Tigers. The offense is superb by every measure, but I just don’t think they can get enough stops against elite teams to make a deep run. — Collin Wilson
What To Know About St. Bonaventure
There isn’t much to dislike about St. Bonaventure.
Ranked 28th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, the Bonnies are led by five juniors who all play more than 32 minutes per game and average double-digit points.
They have allowed less than 39% shooting this season and are built around big man Osun Osunniyi on both ends of the floor. He’s averaging 9.3 rebounds and nearly three blocks per game this season and is the lone player in the paint offensively most of the time for St. Bonaventure. And when he’s not in foul trouble, he provides SBU with elite rim protection for a team that is already excellent on the perimeter.
If you don’t score on the Bonnies in transition, good luck in the half court because you’re going to need it.
They check every box to be a fan favorite mid-major and are made up of mostly upperclassmen and are just really, really good. — Matt Trebby