LSU vs Wake Forest Picks and Predictions NCAAB Nov 27

LSU vs Wake Forest Betting Preview

WagerTalk and GoldSheet Director of Content James Bunting offers his LSU vs Wake Forest betting preview for Saturday, November 27 as part of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida. At the time of posting, the Tigers have opened as an 8-point favorite over the Demon Deacons, with the total at 144 points.

Stay on top of the latest College Basketball updates direct from Las Vegas!

LSU vs Wake Forest Predictions

• LSU Tigers -8 vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons
• Total: 144 points
• Raider Arena in Niceville, Florida
• 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT
• Broadcast on CBS Sports Network

Strength of schedule is one of the biggest tools that you can use at this point in the season. Teams have put together a two-week resume, and who you’ve played during those two weeks can paint a deceiving picture. Wake Forest has played the No. 349 schedule thus far. All six of Wake Forest’s opponents are outside of KenPom’s top-100, with four of those six teams outside of KenPom’s top-290.

That poor schedule has propelled Wake Forest to some amazing offensive numbers through six games. Let’s do a little comparison between the the Demon Deacons’ offense last season, with how they’re performing so far this year:

2-Point Shooting
2020: 45.9% (No. 299)
2021: 61.8% (No. 3)

Effective Field Goal Percentage
2020: 49.0% (No. 212)
2021: 59.8% (No. 6)

Average Possession Length
2020: 18.9 (No. 315)
2021: 15.7 (No. 44)

…Is it possible that Wake has improved on offense and is playing at a faster tempo this season? Absolutely. But these increases are unsustainable. If anyone was interested in playing LSU -8, I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of it, but I’m a little more interested in the total.

Both teams played overtime games last night, so we might see some tired legs toward the end of this one, especially with LSU’s style of play. LSU has held every opponent under 60 points in regulation this season (Penn State got 63 in overtime last night), but LSU’s list of opponents is a lot more impressive than Wake Forest’s. Texas State went 18-7 last year. Belmont went 26-4 last year. Liberty went to the NCAA Tournament.

LSU’s defense takes away everything on the inside and invites you to beat them outside. Last year, 44.0% of opponents’ field goal attempts were from three-point range (national average was 37.4%). So far this season, 50.6% of field goal attempts against LSU have come from three-point range (No. 353 in the country). The Tigers will take away everything on the inside and invite you to shoot it from deep. After playing an overtime game 24 hours earlier, will the Demon Deacons have the legs to make them?

More times than not, I gravitate toward first half unders instead of full game unders in college basketball to avoid the late-game fouling and shenanigans. At the time of posting, the first half total has opened at 68 for this game. But for this one, I’m going to look at the full game under 144 because I think Wake Forest might run out of steam in the second half, while getting their first real test of the season.

College Basketball Betting Basics

College basketball totals can be one of the most frustrating, yet rewarding, things to handicap in the sports betting sphere. WagerTalk’s Kelly Stewart and Drew Martin help you navigate the finer points of how to handicap college basketball totals. In this round of college basketball betting tips, Drew and Kelly break down five key factors for betting college basketball, including pace of play, changes in tempo and efficiency stats.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the point spreads and totals for all of Saturday’s NCAAB games, including this LSU vs Wake Forest showdown, from your desktop or phone.

**************************************************

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

• Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
• Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
• Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!