Georgia State Eyes Third Bid in Five Seasons
No. 8 seed Louisiana has already made history by becoming the lowest-seeded team to advance to the Sun Belt Conference tournament final and now the Ragin’ Cajuns look to seal the deal and be a part of the March Madness bracket for the first time since 2015.
With Georgia State 168th and Louisiana 183rd in the NCAA NET rankings, the March Madness predictions figure to slot the winner of this game as a No. 15 or No. 16 seed.
Both teams are playing their best basketball at the perfect time. Louisiana has won six of its last seven games, including two wins as the underdog. Georgia State has won nine games in a row and has been favored in each of its last 11 contests. The Panthers are favored once again.
Williams Delivering in Postseason for Louisiana
When it comes to the offensive options on the Louisiana team, Greg Williams Jr. is often overlooked.
After averaging 5.9 points during the regular season, the junior guard contributed 14.3 points in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ first three games in the Sun Belt tournament, including a team-high 16 points in a semifinal win over Troy.
Williams had an eight-game stretch when he scored 19 points on 6-of-23 shooting, but he provided a glimpse of what was about the come when he matched his season high with 18 points against Georgia State in the final game of the regular season.
Williams teamed with leading scorer Jordan Brown, who went off for 31 points in an upset of top-seeded Texas State in the quarterfinals.
Louisiana is 3-7 against the college basketball spreads in its last 10 games and 1-4 in the last four games against Georgia State.
Duo has Georgia State on Verge of NCAAs
Corey Allen and Eliel Nsoseme have formed a productive outside-inside combination all season for Georgia State and it was only fitting that they delivered when it mattered the most for the Panthers.
Allen scored a season-high 29 points and flirted with a triple-double before finishing with six rebounds and eight assists in a win over Appalachian State in the Sun Belt semifinals. Nsoseme had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double in five games.
The win was extra sweet because Appalachian State topped Georgia State in the 2021 Sun Belt championship game.
Georgia State has won nine straight games and is a victory away from the program’s fourth trip to the NCAA tournament in the last eight seasons. Although the Panthers lost in the first round in the 2018 and 2019 tournaments, they did upset third-seeded Baylor in the first round in 2015.
Georgia State is 7-1-1 against the Las Vegas odds in its last nine games.
Louisiana vs. Georgia State Head-to-Head
Georgia State has won its last three games against Louisiana, including both contests this season. The Panthers won 68-64 on the road as a 1½-point underdog on Jan. 27 and took the rematch 65-58 at home on Feb. 25.
Georgia State has covered in seven of the last nine meetings while four of the last six games between the teams went under the total. Three of the last six meetings have been decided by four points or less.
The March Madness odds didn’t see this rematch coming but, based on recent matchups between the teams, this could be an intriguing championship game.
Louisiana vs Georgia State Game Information
- Game: Louisiana (16-14) vs. Georgia State (17-10)
- Location: Pensacola Bay Center, Pensacola, Florida
- Day/Time: Monday, 7 p.m. ET
- Television: ESPN2
Louisiana vs Georgia State Betting Lines
Georgia State is favored by 3½ points in its bid to beat Louisiana for the third time this season.
Louisiana vs Georgia State Prediction
Louisiana’s tournament run has been done without freshman Kobe Julien, the Ragin’ Cajuns second-leading scorer who hasn’t played since late February due to a knee injury.
From UL: Starting Ragin’ Cajuns F Kobe Julien (knee), UL’s No. 2 scorer, is out for today’s opening Sun Belt Tournament game vs. UTA; he was injured in final regular-season game …
— Tim Buckley (@TDARaginCajuns) March 3, 2022
It will be strength going up against strength as Louisiana has the top-scoring team in the Sun Belt Conference while Georgia State leads the league in scoring defense. Georgia State is also first in the Sun Belt in steals and second in blocked shots.
Something to consider for those who bet online: The total has gone under in 13 of Georgia State’s last 16 games.
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