SE Louisiana Lions vs Little Rock Trojans Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 1

Jah'Likai King was brilliant in a losing effort at VCU, and Little Rock's home opener asks SE Louisiana to find offense it could not locate at Auburn.

The Matchup

Little Rock's home opener brings SE Louisiana to the Jack Stephens Center with both teams sitting at 0-1 and both carrying one loud individual performance from opening week. Jah'Likai King scored 27 points at VCU on 9 of 13 shooting, going 3 of 4 from three and 6 of 6 at the line, and the Trojans still lost 82 to 72 because the support around him ran in short stretches.

Papa Amadou Kante added 13 points and 7 rebounds and Aaron Clark scored 11, but VCU had an answer every time Little Rock made a run. SE Louisiana's opener was rougher. The Lions lost 92 to 59 at Auburn, and their season line through one game is 59.0 points scored and 92.0 allowed. Quincy Allen scored 16 points with 4 threes and Yanis Ndjonga added 13 points and 6 rebounds, and that was close to the whole offense.

When Allen sat or cooled off, the Lions had nowhere to turn, and Auburn pulled away without much resistance. Last season explains why Little Rock is still the side trusted at home. The Lions finished 9-22 in the Southland, scoring 65.0 points per game and allowing 70.5, while Little Rock finished 12-20, scoring 70.5 per game and allowing 74.1.

Neither team defended well last season, and both openers this season agreed with that history, with 92 and 82 points allowed. The difference sits at the top of the rotation, where King just proved he can score efficiently against a quality defense, and Little Rock gets this game at home while SE Louisiana keeps living out of a suitcase, with a trip to Ole Miss still ahead on this same road stretch.

Key Factors

King against a defense that just gave up 92 points is the first factor. Auburn scored freely on SE Louisiana, and the Lions have no obvious answer for a guard who shoots this well from three and gets to the line without missing. If the Lions send extra help at King, Kante's 13 points and 7 rebounds at VCU show a frontcourt option who can punish that attention around the rim. The second scorer problem is the second factor, and it belongs to the visitors.

SE Louisiana got 16 points from Allen and 13 from Ndjonga at Auburn and only 30 more points from everyone else combined. Little Rock had three players in double figures at VCU and still lost, which tells you the Trojans need Kante and Clark closer to King's level than the Lions' support was to Allen. At home, in a building the Trojans know, that depth gap usually shows up in the middle of the second half, when tired road legs meet a fresh rotation.

The honest counterpoint is that Little Rock allowed 82 points at VCU and 74.1 per game last season, so its defense can absolutely let SE Louisiana hang around, and a short spread offers little protection if Allen shoots the way he did at Auburn. But the Lions scored 59 points in their only game, they are on the road again, and the best player in this game wears a Little Rock uniform. That combination decides most games like this one.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.