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Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs Southeastern Odds and Picks for Southland Championship Game

   Published Date: March 12, 2022
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  • Texas A&M-Corpus Christi takes on Southeastern in the Southland Championship on Saturday, March 12th
  • Neither team was amongst the top two favorites in the Southland Championship Pre-Tournament Odds
  • Read below for the Texas A&M-CC vs Southeastern odds, analysis, and betting prediction

The departure of conference powerhouses Abilene Christian and Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference has paved the way for a new champion and it will either be the 4th seeded Texas A&M-CC Islanders(22-11, 19-10 ATS) or the 2nd seeded Southeastern Louisiana Lions(19-13, 13-14-1 ATS) who will claim the title and with it a berth in the big dance.

The final will take place take place at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, which has hosted the Southland Conference Tournament since 2008. It will be broadcast on ESPN 2 on Saturday, March 12th with tip-off scheduled for 9:30 pm EST.

Texas A&M-CC vs Southeastern Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Texas A&M-CC Islanders -120 -1.5 (-110) O 149.5 (-105)
Southeastern Louisiana Lions +100 +1.5 (-110) U 149.5 (-115)

Odds as of March 11th at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The 2nd seeded Lions are -1.5 point underdogs in this matchup against the 4th seeded Islanders.

As a 2 seed in the Southland Conference, Southeastern enjoyed a bye straight to the semis where they emerged victorious 74-65 after a tough battle against New Orleans. As a 4 seed, the Islanders needed two wins to get to this point, defeating Houston Baptist 75-60 on Thursday and upsetting top-seeded Nicholls 71-64 Friday.

Texas A&M-CC Islanders Betting Analysis

The Islanders have been a streaky team all year, both in a good and bad way, but they’re streaking with victories at the perfect moment as they are just one win away from a likely first four game. That’s where the Southland Champion is expected to land according to the latest projected NCAA Tournament bracket.

From November 16th to December 11th, the Islanders compiled 8 wins in a row against opponents who had efficiency rankings all between 300 and 350 according to KenPom. When conference play took over in January they lost 5 in a row, before turning it around late in the campaign. Dating back to the regular season, they’ve now won 6 of their last 7.

Senior guard Simeon Fryer has been clutch for the Islanders in tournament play so far, saving two of his best performances of the season for March. He led all scorers on his squad in both games with 20 points in the upset of Nicholls State and 16 against Houston Baptist and was money from long range shooting a combined 9 of 16 from long distance in those contests, a 56.2% field goal percentage.

Fryer was the Islanders 4th leading scorer during the regular season, so this unexpected increase in offense and deadly range from beyond the arc will have Southeastern on notice. As a team, the Islanders were largely ineffective shooting just 31.4% on three pointers, which accounted for just 24% of the team’s total points. To put that into context, that ranked 336th amongst all Division I squads, so opponents didn’t have cause for concern the Islanders could and would make a lot of 3 balls — until now.

Southeastern Louisiana Lions Betting Analysis

Southeastern players enjoyed a lot of individual accolades for their play during the season. Junior Gus Okafor led the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game and was the only Lions player to make the All-Southland Conference first team.

Meanwhile senior Jalyn Hinton was named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, leading the conference in blocked shots with 65. The Islanders would be wise to avoid Hinton in the paint as the Lions were 11-1 when he blocked 3 or more shots during the regular season. He saved his biggest block part for the Southland semi, blocking 7 shots against New Orleans to go along with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists.

Hinton also made notable contributions on the offensive end throughout the season. A 6’6, 200 pound forward, he was 2nd on Southeastern in scoring with 14.1 ppg, but did it with tremendous efficiency shooting 65.1% from the field which was second in the nation behind Purdue’s Zach Edey at 66.7%.

It’s the rest of the Lions that need to be more dedicated on the defensive end as they allowed opponents to shoot 56% inside the three-point line during the season, which put them near the bottom of the rankings in that category in all of Division I at 350th.

The Lions come into the championship having won 7 of their last 8 games and having scored 80 or more points 9 consecutive games prior to the win over New Orleans in the semifinals.

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Texas A&M-CC vs Southeastern Pick

These two teams split the season series with one win apiece, although Southeastern had a much better record within the conference during the regular season at 10-4 as opposed to 7-7 for Texas A&M-CC.

There’s not too much to choose between the two, but one big advantage for Southeastern is that this will be the 3rd consecutive night of tournament play for the Islanders while the Lions enjoyed a bye right into the semis. The KenPom rankings have the 4th seed rated Islanders at 248th in the nation while Southeastern sits at 274th.

It might be a contest where one player takes over and decides it and the most impactful players for each squad lately have been Fryer for the Islanders and Hinton for the Lions. Expect Hinton’s ability to do it on both ends to continue into the finals and propel Southeastern to the championship.

Pick: Southeastern +1 (-110)

The post Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs Southeastern Odds and Picks for Southland Championship Game appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.

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Author: Stacy Hoffman