2021 NIT: Louisiana Tech vs Colorado State Preview, TV Schedule, Livestream, and More
The Rams face the Bulldogs for third place in the NIT.
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Do the Rams have a short memory?
WHO: No. 4 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (23-8, 12-4 CUSA) vs. No. 1 Colorado State Rams (20-7, 14-4 Mountain West)
WHEN: Sunday, March 28th 3:00 PM ET/1:00 PM MT
WHERE: Comerica Center, Frisco, TX
TV/Stream: This matchup can be seen on ESPN and streamed on WatchESPN. FuboTV — Get a free seven-day trial
LISTEN: Colorado State | Louisiana Tech
SERIES RECORD: This will be the first-ever matchup between these two schools.
ODDS via BETMGM: Colorado State -1
The Colorado State Rams face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs for third place in the National Invitation Tournament. The Rams are coming off a bad night against Memphis. While the Bulldogs had their own bad night against Mississippi State.
This is going to be a third straight, first time matchup for the Rams. This is another close matchup of KenPom ranked teams. CSU is ranked 75th and La Tech is ranked 83rd. CSU is better offensively at 84th, while La Tech is better defensively at 39th. We saw CSU struggle against the defense and length against Memphis yesterday, so today could be another challenge.
Loving playing "at home", @IsaiahStevens7 gave us an inside look at some of his basketball life. The guard has one more chance to take the court with the #CSURams tomorrow into close out the crazy season.#TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/wnedxDloen
— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) March 28, 2021
The Rams love the three point shot. But also aren’t afraid to take the ball to the rim. CSU ranks seventh in the nation in free throw percentage at 79.5% from the line. They did well to get to the line against Memphis, attempting 23 free throws on the night. The Rams will need to get hold of the ball considering they average a turnover on nearly 20% of their possessions.
David Roddy leads the way for Colorado State with 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Isaiah Stevens (15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists) and Kendle Moore (10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) are the other Rams in double figures. Adam Thistlewood can be good when he is on, but has disappeared lately. He’ll need to step up for the Rams today.
About last night 🎥 pic.twitter.com/bvfKJXek6I
— Bulldog Basketball 🐶🏀 (@LATechHoops) March 26, 2021
Louisiana Tech likes to play small ball. No one above 6’7″ plays significant minutes. They do take care of the basketball and get to the free throw line at a high rate. However, they don’t shoot the ball effectively. Converting just 49.2% (190th) of their two point attempts and just 69.4% (228th) of their free throw attemps.
Isaiah Crawford and Kenny Lofton Jr are the leading scorers for the Bulldogs. Both Crawford and Lofton average 11.7 points per game. Crawford also chips in five rebounds per game, while Lofton chips in 7.4 rebounds per game. Kalob Ledoux is the other Bulldogs in double digits at 11.5 points per game. Amorie Archibald just misses out at 9.8 points per game, but does contribute 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Matchup to Watch: David Roddy vs Kenny Lofton Jr.
Two big bodies that are most likely going to matchup unless Niko Medved decides to put Moors and Thomas on Lofton Jr. Both are big bodied players. Roddy has an all-around game at 6’5″ and 252lbs, while Lofton Jr is your typical inside post man at 6’7″ and 275lbs. If these two matchup at any point, the physical play between the two will be a fun matchup to watch.
Prediction: Colorado State 65, Louisiana Tech 61
