Motivation likely will be a decisive factor when the No. 1 seed Colorado State Rams take on the fourth-seeded Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the consolation game of the National Invitation Tournament on Sunday afternoon. Both the Rams (20-7) and Bulldogs (23-8) suffered similar fates in Saturday's semifinals, absorbing blowout defeats to deny their bids to play for a championship. Colorado State succumbed to a torrent of 3-pointers by Memphis in a 90-67 loss, while Louisiana Tech fell into an early 11-point hole and never recovered in an 84-62 setback vs. Mississippi State.
Tip-off from the Comerica Center is set for 3 p.m. ET. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Rams as one-point favorites, while the over-under for total points scored is 142 in the latest Louisiana Tech vs. Colorado State odds. Before making any Colorado State vs. Louisiana Tech picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Louisiana Tech vs. Colorado State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Colorado State vs. Louisiana Tech:
- Louisiana Tech vs. Colorado State spread: Colorado State -1
- Louisiana Tech vs. Colorado State over-under: 142 points
- Louisiana Tech vs. Colorado State money line: Colorado State -120; Louisiana Tech +100
- LATECH: Bulldogs PG Amorie Archibald averaged 6.0 assists in his last eight games
- CSU: The Rams rank No. 6 nationally in free throw percentage (79.6)
Why Louisiana Tech can cover
While the Bulldogs feature four players averaging between 11.8 and 10.0 points, freshman Kenneth Lofton Jr. has been spectacular down the stretch. Listed as 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, he posted his eighth double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) of the season on Saturday while adding four steals, three blocked shots and three assists. In three NIT games, he is averaging 17.7 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor.
Second-leading scorer Kalob Ledoux also has scored in double figures in each NIT game, averaging 13.7 points, helping to make up for the struggles of top scorer Isaiah Crawford, who has failed to hit double digits in four in a row. Louisiana Tech's normally stingy defense was burned by torrid shooting by Mississippi State (55.8 percent). The loss ended the Bulldogs' streak of holding 14 straight opponents under 70 points.
Why Colorado State can cover
The two constants for the Rams have been sophomore forward David Roddy and guard Isaiah Stevens, who rank 1-2 on the team in scoring at 16.1 and 15.2 points per game, respectively. Roddy, a first-team All-Mountain West selection, scored 18 points in Saturday's loss to extend his streak of double-figure games to 14 in a row. He has registered seven double-doubles in that span while shooting at least 50 percent from the floor nine times.
Stevens, also a sophomore, hit 3-of-5 3-pointers en route to 17 points on Saturday and has scored at least 14 points in six consecutive games. He is averaging 16.3 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 50 percent (19-of-38) in the NIT. Colorado State, the top-scoring team in the Mountain West in the regular season at 77.0 points per game, has been hindered by long-range shooting woes in the last two rounds, connecting on just 10-of-50 3-point attempts.
How to make Colorado State vs. Louisiana Tech picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 143 points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in over 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Louisiana Tech vs. Colorado State? And which side of the spread hits over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
