LAMAR CARDINALS @ ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS

Lamar’s opener offers an offensive glimpse, with a caveat

Lamar scored 124 against Schreiner with six players in double figures, but one game offers limited evidence against ACU.

Lamar had rebounding and bench contributions

Against Schreiner, Lamar had 64 rebounds and 57 bench points; M.J. Wardlow grabbed 11 and Filip Radakovic 13.

ACU showed a first-half spark before its shooting faded

ACU led Colorado 34-33 late in the first half, then went 0-for-12 from three in the second half and lost 94-59.

ACU availability remains worth monitoring

ACU said Cade Hornecker, Noah Bolanga and Gus Salem missed the Colorado opener, with Bolanga NCAA-ineligible then; their status for this matchup is unconfirmed.

The series history leans ACU, but is dated

ACU’s program cited 12 series wins since January 2016, including a 77-42 home win in February 2022; the history is dated.

Pick Ideas

Angles drawn from the matchup analysis above and refreshed as the news changes. They are a separate read from the LineCrush pick for this matchup, so the two can land on different sides.

Under 159.5 points — lean

The under 159.5 is a modest lean; a published model was below ESPN’s listed total, and numbers vary by listing.

Be cautious with the spread

With ACU -2.5 and Lamar +2.5 near standard juice, model spread probabilities are close to even, so passing on the side is preferable.