LSU Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide
Wednesday, 1/11/12, 9:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN3
Opening Point Spread: Alabama -11.5
Current Betting Line: Alabama -11.5
Opening Total: 117
Current Total: 118.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
LSU has held 11 of 15 opponents under 60 points in scoring and has won eight of nine coming into Wednesday night’s Southeastern Conference showdown. The Tigers have more depth this season than last, but injuries are starting to pile up on the roster. “I thought going into this year – that we were going to be in a situation that if we played well, we would be able to withstand an injury or two,” stated Tigers head coach Trent Johnson. Offensively, the team exploded in tallying 81 points in a victory over the Mississippi Rebels, going ‘over’ the total for the first time since Nov. 23, 2011. LSU is 5-1 ATS as an underdog this season.
The Tigers have been very happy with the recent play of Iowa State transfer Justin Hamilton, as the junior center earned SEC Player of the Week honors in combining to score 44 points and grabbing 25 rebounds in two games last week. He currently ranks 16th in the conference in scoring and eighth in rebounding. LSU is averaging 68.7 points per game and allowing just 59.8 points.
Alabama returns to Coleman Coliseum to host LSU in its first home conference game of the season and also try and pick up a sweep over one of its biggest rivals this week. The Crimson Tide football team beat the Tigers to capture the BCS National Championship Game on Monday night in New Orleans. The program won both of its road games against Georgia Tech and Georgia last week, while going ‘over’ the total in both contests. Alabama is 3-0 ATS as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points the last two-plus seasons.
The Crimson Tide defense is 10th nationally in allowing just 55.9 points per game, allowing their last four opponents to score just 53.5 points per contest. Alabama’s opponents have converted just 36.7 percent of their shots during the 2011-12 campaign. Tony Mitchell is the player to watch offensively, leading the team in scoring 15.2 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting. He also paces the squad in grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game. Senior forward Jamychal Green is another player to watch on the court, averaging 14.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in just 27.8 minutes per game.
Bettors will likely back the Crimson Tide due to the favorite being 6-1 ATS in this series, while the Tigers are 1-6 ATS when playing in Tuscaloosa.
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