The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers in Boone, NC. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
App State is favored by 5.5 points on the spread with a price of 82 cents to win and the total set at 122.5 points on Fanatics Markets.
Here’s my Louisiana vs. App State predictions and college basketball picks for January 22, 2026.
Louisiana vs App State Prediction
My Pick: Under 122.5
My Louisiana vs App State best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Louisiana vs. App State Odds
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Louisiana vs App State College Basketball Betting Preview
An East Coast winter storm has forced this game to tip off at Noon ET rather than in the evening.
Louisiana has been one of the worst offensive basketball teams in the country for a long majority of the season, and the metrics reflect the on-court performance.
Louisiana ranks 349th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric, 324th in field goal percentage, 331st in foul shooting and 359th nationally in “Non-Steal Turnovers” (a stat that includes errant passes out of bounds, offensive fouls, shot clock violations, turnovers due to tie ups, etc. — essentially unforced errors).
To make matters worse, this team plays slow offensively, as the Ragin' Cajuns are 361st nationally in adjusted tempo. Jaxon Olvera and Dorian Finister are the only two Cajuns averaging double figures, and as a team, Louisiana is averaging just 60 points per game.
There's not a lot of size in the post and second-chance opportunities are essentially non-existent. The team does play hard and that comes out more on the defensive end, where Louisiana has shown some fortitude.
Louisiana plays with some intensity on defense, and it does a decent job forcing turnovers and contesting shots inside the arc.
Meanwhile, App State profiles similarly to Louisiana in that the Mountaineers have seen their fair share of offensive struggles. App State struggles to shoot the ball from deep and it has the worst foul shooting percentage in the entire country, making just 61% of its shots from the charity stripe.
Kasen Jennings does have some “game” and can score in a variety of ways (14.8 PPG). Luke Wilson and Michael Marcus Jr. get the bulk of the post touches and these two collect most of the boards, as well.
App State plays very slow offensively (362nd nationally).
The strength of this team is on the defensive end, where App State does well to keep you off the foul line while contesting shots well. The Mountaineers aren't going to force a ton of turnovers, but they'll force you deep into the possession clock and have made it very difficult on opposing offenses.
Also, they play their best basketball at home.
This line opened App State -9.5 with a total of 123. Louisiana has taken some action in the early offering, and the total has been bet up to 125.5.
We have two of the bottom five slowest teams in all of college basketball who have each seen their woes primarily on the offensive end. Thus, I'm diving in on the under.
Each of these two teams refuse to get sped up, and neither will seek to run in this matchup. App State and Louisiana routinely play games in the 50s for possession count, and I think that is the style of game we're going to see here today.
Expect a strong defensive effort from App State, particularly in neutralizing Finister. He wants to create off the dribble and get to the rim.
No one else on the team is capable of creating in the paint and getting easy looks inside with regularity, and App State has succeeded this season in terms of closing off driving lanes and keeping opponents off the line.
If Louisiana is going to stay in this game, it's going to have to make outside shots, something it hasn't shown consistency with.
App State will get to the line and should attempt at least 25 free throws in this one, but the Mountaineers are the worst free-throw shooting team in the country. They also don't shoot 3s effectively, and I believe Louisiana will have a moderate amount of success in defending in this game.
We're going to get a slow-paced game, likely 55-58 total possessions per team. I don't think we'll see enough offensive efficiency in order to get this one over, and there's a real chance that the team who wins this game struggles to eclipse 60 points.
My Pick: Under 122.5
