The CUSA championship is between two underdogs on Saturday, March 14 at 8:30 p.m. ET. No. 6 Kennesaw State will play No. 4 Louisiana Tech for the right to dance.
These teams split the season series 1-1.
The Owls are 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 142.5 points.
Here’s my prediction, preview and pick for Saturday’s Kennesaw State vs. Louisiana Tech matchup.
Kennesaw State vs. Louisiana Tech prediction, preview
This wasn’t the projected CUSA championship game, but it’s March. Kennesaw State knocked off No. 2 Sam Houston in the semifinals and No. 3 Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals. No. 1 Liberty fell short in the quarterfinals to No. 9 Missouri State, which No. 4 Louisiana Tech defeated in the semifinals.
It creates a No. 4 vs. No. 6 matchup with the NCAA Tournament on the line. Only one of these two teams will make it, putting the pressure on both underdogs. Both teams are in good form, but the Owls are a bit more noteworthy. They took down two of the top three seeds to reach the championship game despite ending the regular season on a two-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs came into the conference tournament on a two-game win streak, having defeated Liberty in the regular season. Now their win streak is up to four games entering their most important game of the year.
Louisiana Tech and Kennesaw State split the season series with the home team winning both times. Each game was a tight matchup, so it’s expected to remain close in this final. AJ Bates is the player to watch as he scored 34, 29 and 27 in three of his last four games.
Kennesaw State vs. Louisiana Tech pick, best bet
This will be the third time these teams matchup this season, but it’s fairly unexpected. They landed on opposite sides of the bracket and needed to meet in the championship for a rematch. Well, here we are.
Louisiana Tech’s Bates is playing well lately, but Kennesaw State has a number of standouts that have stepped up in the two conference tournament wins. The overall team effort will be much harder to stop.
