No. 23 Mississippi State Rebels at LSU Tigers
Tuesday, 2/14/12, 9:00 PM EST, TV: ESPNU
Opening Point Spread: LSU -1
Current Betting Line: LSU -1
Opening Total: 135.5
Current Total: 136
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Mississippi State is looking to sweep LSU for the fourth time in six years and aiming to capture three straight in Baton Rouge for the first time since winning five in a row from 1994-98. The Bulldogs won two of three games on their recent homestand, but dropped a 70-68 overtime contest to the Georgia Bulldogs as nine-point home favorites on Saturday. The program is now 6-4 in conference play. Mississippi State is 5-1 ATS as an underdog and the “under” is 5-1 in that situation during the 2011-12 campaign.
The Bulldogs are led offensively by junior forward Arnett Moultrie, who is averaging 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Mississippi State has tallied a 56-45 record in the month of February under current head coach Rick Stansbury, which includes a 9-8 ATS mark over the last two-plus seasons. The program tallied a 76-71 win in the first meeting with LSU earlier this year as nine-point home favorites, while going “over” the total for the second straight time in the series.
LSU has alternated wins and losses over its last four games, capturing a 67-58 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide as 2.5-point home favorites last time out. “That’s a good win for us,” commented Tigers head coach Trent Johnson. “We found a way to play through a little adversity, kept our composure.” The Tigers must knock down some shots from beyond the arc to pick up a victory in this affair, hitting just 8-of-54 tries from 3-point range over the last four games. LSU is 5-5 ATS at home and the “under” is 6-4 in those games.
The Tigers have been getting to the free-throw line frequently during conference play, making 29 more free throws than their opponents, while attempting 63 more from the charity stripe. LSU is shooting 70.9 percent from the line on the season, which is quite an improvement from the 66.5 percent it shot during the 2010-11 campaign. Guard Andre Stringer seems to have moved past his recent shooting woes, scoring 15 points versus the Crimson Tide, which was his highest home total since Nov. 23.
Bettors will likely back the Tigers due to their 2-0 ATS mark as a home favorite of three points or less, while the Bulldogs are 0-3-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
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