New Orleans vs McNeese State Picks and Odds (Jan. 30)

• New Orleans is a 1.5-point underdog against McNeese State on Sunday
• McNeese State won the first meeting in neutral Katy, Texas, this season
• Read below for analysis and a betting prediction

New Orleans (11-8, 4-0 Southland) is a 1.5-point road underdog against McNeese State in a Southland Conference game at 6 pm ET Sunday on ESPNU. The Privateers have won seven in a row straight up and are 5-1-1 ATS since a loss to McNeese State in the Southland Tipoff tournament on Jan. 6.

McNeese State (8-13, 2-2 Southland) is 3-4, 2-4 ATS since its 92-82 double-overtime victory over New Orleans in the Tipoff tournament at neutral-site Katy, Texas. a game that did not count in the league standings. The Cowboys lost to Nicholls State 81-71 at home on Thursday their last time out.

New Orleans vs McNeese State

Odds from BetMGM on Jan. 29

McNeese State is a slim 1.5-point home favorite over New Orleans, with the total set at 145.5. The Privateers have seen a lower total since Nov. 30. At -115 on the moneyline, McNeese State has a 53.5% implied win probability. New Orleans is -105 on the moneyline, meaning it has a 51.2% implied win probability.

St. Hilaire Stars in New Orleans

Privateers’ attacking senior point guard  6′ Derek St. Hilaire has jumped his numbers dramatically in his second season in the program after transferring from Jacksonville State in 2020-21.

St. Hilaire is averaging 20.6 points per game, which leads the Southland Conference and is among the top 25 in Division I, after averaging 12.3 points last season. He has had season high point totals in each of the last two games — a career-high 34 in a 77-66 road victory at Houston Baptist the last time out Thursday after scoring 29 in an 85-77 victory over Northwestern State last Saturday.

Top scorers for 1/27:

1. Tevian Jones (36 pts) @SUUBasketball
2. Derek St. Hilaire (34 pts) @UNOPrivateers
3. Aaron Estrada (30 pts) @HofstraMBB
4. Peter Kiss (29 pts) @BryantHoops
T5. Max Abmas (28 pts) @ORUMBB
T5. Souley Boum (28 pts) @UTEPMBB

— Matt Waldman 🇺🇦 (@brick_wall77) January 28, 2022

St. Hilaire also averages 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals. Senior guard 6’3 Troy Green is the Privateers’ only other double-figure scorer, averaging 14.2 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds.

St. Hilaire made a layup with 32 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the first meeting at 71 before McNeese State graduate  transfer Myles Lewis took over. Lewis made two free throws with 14 seconds left in the first overtime to tie it the game at 79 and had seven points and an assist in the second overtime, when the Privateers had only one basket.

𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 @𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙏𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚?!

Of course it's Derek St. Hilaire's 𝕀ℕℂℝ𝔼𝔻𝕀𝔹𝕃𝔼 steal and windmill dunk!#SouthlandStrong #NOLAsTeam pic.twitter.com/XVkWlDjAo9

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) January 8, 2022

New Orleans vs McNeese State H2H Results

New Orleans is 4-2 straight up and ATS in the season series after its 92-82 double overtime loss to the Cowboys when the teams met as part of the three-day Southland Tipoff tournament. The Privateers are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.

Just in case you needed a couple more angles of the one-handed 𝙮𝙖𝙢 by McNeese forward Christian Shumate❗️ #SouthlandStrong #GeauxPokes #SCTop10

🖥️ – https://t.co/j2atlcqfmn pic.twitter.com/SY9TdUcblS

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) January 6, 2022

McNeese State is 0-4 straight up and ATS in its last four home games against the Privateers after winning the previous three. The last three games and four of the last six have gone under the total.

Betting Trends

New Orleans is 8-2 straight up and 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine this season. The Privateers are 5-3-1 ATS as a favorite this season and won the only game in which they were a road favorite, covering the 3.5 number at Houston Baptist the last time out.

McNeese State is 1-2 at home against Division I teams after the loss to Nichols State on Thursday while shooting 42 percent from the field and committing 18 turnovers.

𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 @𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙏𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚?!

Of course it's Derek St. Hilaire's 𝕀ℕℂℝ𝔼𝔻𝕀𝔹𝕃𝔼 steal and windmill dunk!#SouthlandStrong #NOLAsTeam pic.twitter.com/XVkWlDjAo9

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) January 8, 2022

Few Threes, Many Turnovers

New Orleans and McNeese State are similar in ways that are antithetical to winning. Neither shoots much from three-point range, and each has a tendency to turn the ball over.

McNeese commits an average of 16.7 turnovers per game, the fifth-most of any Division I team. The Cowboys are shooting 31.7 percent from distance and make an average of 6.4 threes per game.

New Orleans stays undefeated in league play to top the #SouthlandStrong men's 🏀 standings❗️ pic.twitter.com/cf3qhZUGV2

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) January 28, 2022

New Orleans averages 15.3 turnovers per game and 4.4 three-pointers per game, which is 346th among the 350 Division I schools. St. Hilaire has made 41 threes on 40.2 percent shooting from distance, but he the only Privateer with more than 12 makes.

McNeese State Back Home

The Cowboys will play the second game of a four-game homestand against UNO in their Lake Charles, La, home of the Legacy Center, which was just recently reopened after suffering damage in Hurricane Laura in August 2020. The Cowboys won their first two games in their return home before losing to Nicholls State.

McNeese’s preseason odyssey included 10 road games against Division I teams around home games against three lesser opponents in the campus recreation center.

𝔻𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖 ➡️ 𝕆𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖

Myles Lewis comes up with the steal and gets the ball ahead to Zach Scott, who lays it in to give him 7⃣ of @McNeeseMBB's first 9⃣ points❗️ #SouthlandStrong #GeauxPokes

🖥️ – https://t.co/rnpDSV8pmM pic.twitter.com/Z7vzGrc8rO

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) January 15, 2022

VMI transfer guard 6’5 Myles Lewis leads a balanced Cowboys scoring attack at 11.1 points per game, with Tulsa transfer 6’6 Christian Shumate  (11.0 points, 6.6 rebounds) and forward 6’5 Kellon Taylor (10.3 points following.

Shumate joined the starting lineup for the last three games and has 58 points and 23 rebounds in those three, including a career-high 29 points in a victory over Incarnate Word on Jan. 22.

Myles Lewis just handed Cowboy trainer Matt Choice his tooth. Lewis took an elbow to the chin on the defensive end that knocked his tooth out. He's staying in the game.

— McNeese Men’s Basketball (@McNeeseMBB) January 21, 2022

With center 7’1 Brendan Medleyt-Bacon (9.5 points, 6.1 rebounds) adding bulk, the Cowboys have a league-leading plus-5.6 rebound margin. The Cowboys had a 55-46 edge on the boards in the first meeting.

New Orleans vs McNeese State Prediction

New Orleans was a two-point favorite at a neutral site in the first meeting this season and has a decided edge in the recent past in Lake Charles. The Privateers are the pay-back play here.

The pick: New Orleans +1.5 (-110)