Women’s College Basketball Picks & Predictions: Oklahoma vs. LSU (Thursday)

by Travis Pulver |
Jan 30, 2025

The No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners will take on the No. 7 LSU Tigers at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and fans can find coverage of the game on ESPN2. LSU, who recently lost its first game of the season vs. South Carolina, opened as a home favorite at -6.5 points.

There isn't much history between the two teams, but now that the Sooners are in the SEC, that will soon change.

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Oklahoma vs. LSU Betting Preview

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Details

Betting Line: LSU -6.5 (-120) | O/U 159.5 (-106/-114)
Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
Coverage: ESPN2
Last Meeting: December 7, 2019-Oklahoma Sooners 90 LSU Tigers 68

Overview

Oklahoma may be catching the No. 7 LSU Tigers at just the right time. Typically one of the better offenses in the country (No. 4 in scoring, 87.8 points per game), the Tigers are coming off two lackluster performances in a row.

In the loss to South Carolina (Jan. 24), LSU scored 56 points to 66 for the Gamecocks, shooting a paltry 29.9% from the field. While they got the win over Texas A&M, the final score was 64-51, and they made just over 31% of their shots.

If the Tigers struggle to get their offense on track, they'll need their defense to come to the rescue against a solid Oklahoma offense (No. 6 in scoring; 86.6 points per game). LSU did just hold a solid South Carolina offense to 66 points, 15 points below their season average (81.3 points per game).

So, maybe it is possible.

The game will likely come down to LSU's shooters. If they can bounce back this week after two lackluster outings, they should be able to handle Oklahoma's defense (No. 12 in the conference). But if they can't, their defense will need to be at its best to slow down an Oklahoma offense that averages 1.2 fewer points a game than LSU.

Trends

Oklahoma and LSU have only played on one other occasion, Dec. 7, 2019; the Sooners won 90-68.
LSU is undefeated at home this season, 13-0; Oklahoma is 4-2 on the road.
LSU is 2-1 vs. ranked teams; Oklahoma is 3-3 vs. ranked teams.
Oklahoma is 1-2 vs. SEC teams on the road; LSU is 3-0 vs. SEC teams at home.

The Bottom Line

On paper, LSU and Oklahoma look like fairly competitive teams, which makes it challenging to decide on the best path to bet on either team. However, both happened to have played South Carolina recently (LSU on Jan. 24 and Oklahoma on Jan. 19). Despite shooting poorly from the field (29.9%), LSU only lost by 10 points 66-56.

Oklahoma, however, while shooting better (35.8%) than the Tigers, the Sooners were crushed, losing by 41 points) thanks to shoddy defense (South Carolina shot 48.1% from the field.

LSU could find its groove again and start hitting shots. If you think they will take the Tigers at -6.5. But if you are not as confident or think Oklahoma's defense can slow LSU down, take the UNDER. In fact, with the total being as high as it is, it is still a recommended bet. Both teams could score in the 80s and send the total OVER, but one will struggle and score around 60 points while the other scores 80+.

Pick: Over 159.5 Points (-106)

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