Lamar vs Sam Houston State 1/13/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Sam Houston Bearkats will travel to the Montagne Center to take on the Lamar Cardinals this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Sam Houston Bearkats improved to 8-9 on the season after defeating the Abilene Christian Wildcats, 65-63, this past Saturday. UAB Blazers -14.5 was outstanding offensively against the heavily favored Wildcats and was able to pull off the upset victory after Jaden Ray made a game-winning layup as time expired. Sam Houston shot 50.0% from the field & 47.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Abilene Christian to shoot 42.3% from the field & 45.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bearkats was Savion Flagg who had 25 points & 9 rebounds.

On the season, Sam Houston is averaging 72.5 ppg on 43.3% shooting from the field. The Bearkats are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 35.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Sam Houston has been led by Savion Flagg (19.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.3 apg), Demarkus Lampley (12.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 apg), Jaden Ray (7.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.3 spg), & Tristan Ikpe (6.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Sam Houston is allowing their opponents to average 67.3 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Bearkats have a rebound margin of 6.7 and a turnover margin of 1.9.

The Lamar Cardinals lost their 5^th straight game and dropped to 2-12 o the season after being defeated by the Sam Houston Bearkats, 75-64, on December 30^th. Lamar had no answers on the defensive end against Sam Houston and allowed the Bearkats to pull away later after Sam Houston closed out the final 4:07 of regulation on a 12-2 run. Lamar shot 53.8% from the field & 30.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Sam Houston to shoot 50.9% from the field & 44.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Lincoln Smith who had 20 points, 6 rebounds, & 3 assists.

On the season, Lamar is averaging 63.4 ppg on 41.8% shooting from the field. The Cardinals are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 32.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Lamar has been led by C.J. Roberts (14.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.3 apg), Davion Buster (13.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.7 spg), Lincoln Smith (5.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg), & Ellis Jefferson (4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.3 apg).

Defensively, Lamar is allowing their opponents to average 63.4 ppg on 41.8% shooting from the field. The Cardinals have a rebound margin of 0.7 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Bearkats are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of less than .400, however, are just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win. The Cardinals are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 home games, however, are just 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record.

Sam Houston has been led by their defense which ranks 142^nd in scoring defense & 39^th in rebound margin, and although the Bearkats ranks just 171^st in scoring offense, Sam Houston has been dangerous from beyond the arc as they rank 34^th in three-pointers made per game & 108^th in 3P-FG%. Lamar has struggled on both ends of the court and come into this game ranked just 321^st in scoring offense, 285^th in FG%, & 258^th in scoring defense.

Lamar has yet to pick up a victory over a D-1 school this season and it’s hard to see the Cardinals coming out strong in this one as they had the forfeit their last two games and have played a game since they faced Sam Houston almost two weeks ago. Sam Houston is coming off an impressive victory over a very good Abilene Christian team on the road and as they have an offense that should be able to put up plenty of points on Lamar, I’m taking the Bearkats to cover this mid-range road spread. Good Luck!