McNeese State Cowboys (23-3) vs. Lamar Cardinals (15-12)
February 26, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Lamar Cardinals +11; Over/Under: +148.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The McNeese Cowboys and the Lamar Cardinals meet in college basketball action from the Montagne Center on Monday night. Who comes out on top in Monday’s Southland college basketball matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our McNeese vs. Lamar Prediction.
McNeese Team Preview
The McNeese Cowboys come into this one looking to build on a five-game win streak after an 87-71 win over Incarnate Word last time out. Shahada Wells leads the Cowboys in scoring and assists with 16.9 PPG and 4.8 APG with 4.6 RPG as well while Christian Shumate has 12.4 PPG with a team-high 9.7 RPG to lead the Cowboys on the glass this season. DJ Richards Jr. has 11 PPG and Javohn Garcia has 10.5 PPG with 3.1 RPG to round out the scoring in double figures for McNeese so far this season. As a team, McNeese is averaging 80.6 PPG on 49.3% shooting from the field, 38.6% from three and 69.1% from the foul line this season.
Lamar Team Preview
The Lamar Cardinals come into this one looking to bounce back after a 75-61 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last time out. Terry Anderson leads the Cardinals in scoring with 12.6 PPG along with 6.3 RPG while BB Knight is right behind with 10.9 PPG. Adam Hamilton has 10.8 PPG with a team-high 6.6 RPG to lead Lamar on the glass while Chris Pryor has 11.6 PPG with a team-high 3.5 APG to lead the Cardinals in the assist department while rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Lamar this season. As a team, Lamar is averaging 79.8 PPG on 45.2% shooting from the field, 35.7% from three and 73.1% from the foul line this season.
McNeese vs. Lamar Prediction
I’m on Lamar here. McNeese is the top team in the conference and a likely NCAA tournament team in my eyes, but the reality is the Cowboys have played some tight games on the road, and a lot of the covers they have away from home have come against the lesser teams in the Southland. Lamar may have defensive issues at times, but they can be a tough out at home and I think giving them double-digits is a bit much in a spot like this. Give me Lamar and the points here.
