Teams looking to leave the 2023 Cayman Islands Classic with at least one win meet in the seventh-place game of the tournament when the Loyola Marymount Lions battle the Florida International Panthers on Tuesday. The Lions (2-3), who finished fourth in the West Coast Conference at 9-7 and were 19-2 in 2022-23, dropped a 74-69 decision to Oakland on Monday. The Panthers (1-5), who finished tied for sixth with Rice and Western Kentucky at 8-12 in the Conference USA standings and were 14-18 overall last year, were beaten 80-69 by Marshall on Monday. FIU is 0-3 on neutral courts since the start of last season, while Loyola Marymount is 2-4.
Tipoff from John Gray Gymnasium at George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, is set for 11 a.m. ET. This will be the first meeting between the teams. The Lions are 6-point favorites in the latest FIU vs. Loyola Marymount odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 152.5. Before making any Loyola Marymount vs. FIU picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 3 of the 2023-24 season on an 88-57 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on FIU vs. Loyola Marymount and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Loyola Marymount vs. FIU:
- Loyola Marymount vs. Florida International spread: Loyola Marymount -6
- Loyola Marymount vs. Florida International over/under: 152.5 points
- Loyola Marymount vs. Florida International money line: Loyola Marymount -275, Florida International +221
- LM: The Lions have outscored their opponents by 45 points this season
- FIU: The Panthers have been outscored by 56 points in 2023-24
- Loyola Marymount vs. Florida International picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Loyola Marymount can cover
Junior guard Will Johnston has reached double-digit scoring in four of five games this season, including a team-high 22 points in Monday’s loss to Oakland. For the season, he is averaging 11.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 25 minutes of action. Johnston is in his first season with the Lions after spending last season at Rio Grande Valley. In 36 career games, he has logged 32 starts and is averaging 13.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds.
Also helping power the offense is junior guard Dominick Harris, who has reached double-figure scoring in three of five games. In both games in the Cayman Islands Classic, however, he has scored just nine in each. He is in his first season with the program, after spending the past two years with Gonzaga. In five games, all coming off the bench, Harris is averaging 13.8 points and 3.4 rebounds. His best game so far was a 21-point effort in an 83-80 loss to Yale on Nov. 12. See which team to pick here.
Why FIU can cover
Sophomore guard Arturo Dean is among the Panthers’ top scorers. He has reached double figures in each of the last five games, including an 11-point, six-rebound and four-assist effort in Monday’s loss to Marshall. For the season, he is averaging 13 points, 5.5 assists, four rebounds and 3.3 steals in 29 minutes of action. He is in his second season with the program, and finished 2022-23 by averaging 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals.
Sophomore guard Dashon Gittens is averaging 11.2 points, 2.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals through the first six games of the season. His best performance so far was a 20-point, eight-rebound and five-assist effort in an 83-74 win over Houston Christian last Wednesday. In 24 career starts and 36 appearances at Florida International, Gittens is averaging 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He averaged 6.9 points last season. See which team to pick here.
How to make FIU vs. Loyola Marymount picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 150 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 70% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Loyola Marymount vs. Oakland, and which side of the spread hits in well over 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $1,700 on its college basketball picks dating back to last season, and find out.