Jackson State Tigers vs Tulane Green Wave Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 1
Tulane put up a hundred points in its opener behind a huge night from its lead guard. Jackson State scored in the low forties at Texas Tech and gave up points in bunches last season.
The Matchup
Jackson State visits Tulane on Thursday night at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans, with Tulane a 13.5-point favorite, a total of 152.5, on ESPN+. Tulane is 1-0 after a wild opener. Jackson State is 0-1 after a long night at Texas Tech.
Last season Jackson State finished 12-21, scoring 70.2 points a game and allowing 83.8. Tulane finished 18-15, scoring 72.4 and allowing 75.5. Jackson State's defensive number is the loudest one in this game. A team that allowed 83.8 a game last season has to show it can get stops before it can be trusted catching points on the road.
The openers widened that gap. Tulane beat UT Martin 100-98, scoring freely and surviving a shootout. Jackson State lost 76-42 at Texas Tech and scored 42 points. One team comes in having just won a game in the hundreds. The other comes in hoping its offense exists.
Key Factors
Krystian Lewis is the reason to lay the points. Lewis scored 40 points against UT Martin on 11-of-25 shooting, going 17-of-18 at the free-throw line, with 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 43 minutes. A guard who lives at the line that way controls a game, because he scores while the clock is stopped and puts the other team's best defenders in foul trouble. TJ Nadeau added 15 points and hit all 3 of his threes, and Tyler Ringgold scored 14, so Lewis is not a one man show that a defense can simply trap.
Jackson State's opener showed the exact weaknesses Lewis punishes. Mike Williams led the Tigers with 11 points but turned the ball over 5 times, and Daeshun Ruffin also had 5 turnovers. Dorian McMillian scored 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-11 from three. A road team that gives the ball away that often and shoots that poorly feeds a home favorite easy baskets, and Tulane just proved it will take every one of them in a high scoring game.
The counterpoint is Tulane's defense, and it is not a small one. The Green Wave allowed 98 points to UT Martin and allowed 75.5 a game last season, so Jackson State should score far more than 42 this time. If Tulane gets casual with a lead, the back door is wide open at this price. The bet is that Lewis keeps attacking instead of coasting, Jackson State's ball handling keeps gifting possessions, and the margin builds from those two things all night.
Tulane has a guard who just took over a game by getting to the line again and again, and Jackson State could not score or protect the ball in its opener. At home, that combination should turn into separation. Lay the points with Tulane Green Wave -13.5 at -112.
Game Information
| Date | Thursday (11/5) |
|---|---|
| Start Time | 6:30 PM CT |
| How to Watch | ESPN+ |
| Venue | Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse, New Orleans |
| Spread | Tulane Green Wave -13.5 |
| Total | 152.5 |
| Moneyline | Tulane Green Wave -850 |
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