The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns will try to cover the spread at Cajundome on Thursday when they get a visit from the Florida International Golden Panthers in NCAA basketball action.

Louisiana-Lafayette battles the Golden Panthers, currently sitting with a 10-8 mark (5-5-1 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 8-4 for the Ragin Cajuns and 3-7 for the Golden Panthers.



View Florida International vs Louisiana-Lafayette Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to go with the Ragin Cajuns in this one found them listed as 2.5-point favorites earlier on the NCAA basketball betting menu for Monday's contest. Check for updates as money coming in on the Golden Panthers was expected to move the line.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Ragin Cajuns at No. 232 and the Golden Panthers at No. 235 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 69-67 result in favor of the Golden Panthers.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Louisiana-Lafayette's No. 124 nationally ranked offense (69.6 points per game) against a Golden Panthers defense that sits as the No. 280 at 71.1 PPG. The Ragin Cajuns have been averaging 42.3% from the field, more than the Golden Panthers have managed so far this season (42.1% on average).

Defensively, Florida International features the nation's No. 258-rated defense on the road, allowing 73.7 points per game. Louisiana-Lafayette, meanwhile, comes in at No. 79 nationally in scoring at home.

Florida International was a 61-55 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Troy. They failed to cover the 9-point spread as favorites. The Golden Panthers grabbed a 61-55 win over the Trojans on Saturday, behind a 22-point effort from Malik Smith at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

In their last action, Louisiana-Lafayette was an 82-60 loser on the road against Middle Tennessee. They failed to cover the 17.5-point spread as underdogs. The Ragin Cajuns were hammered by Middle Tennessee on Saturday, losing by an 82-60 final at Murphy Center in college basketball betting action.


Florida International Golden Panthers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing South Alabama are 3-7
After playing Troy are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing North Texas are 4-6
After playing Middle Tennessee are 7-3
After a loss are 5-5

A few Golden Panthers at Ragin Cajuns trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida International's last 5 games when playing on the road against Louisiana-Lafayet
Florida International is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Florida International is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Louisiana-Lafayet
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Louisiana-Lafayette's last 5 games when playing at home against Florida International
Louisiana-Lafayette is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Florida International
Louisiana-Lafayette is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games when playing Florida International
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Louisiana-Lafayette's last 9 games when playing Florida International


Next up:
Florida International at South Alabama, Sunday, January 27
Louisiana-Lafayette home to North Texas, Thursday, January 31