A pivotal SEC matchup will be in the works as the LSU Tigers clash with the Georgia Bulldogs on the hardwood. It is time to take an exclusive look at our College Basketball odds series where our LSU-Georgia prediction and pick will be revealed.

Sitting on the bubble of March Madness contention, this matchup is as close to a must-win as possible for LSU. This is definitely the case as well considering the Tigers have lost two of their last three games overall. With an 11-7 record including a 3-2 mark in conference play, the time is now for LSU to make a statement that they belong among the NCAA Tournament field when it's all said and done.

Fresh off a valiant effort against top-ranked Kentucky that resulted in a 105-96 loss, the Bulldogs still happen to own a 13-5 record and also possess an identical conference record as LSU at 3-2 overall. Among the crowded field of the SEC conference, this one will mean a little more for the ‘Dawgs at home.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: LSU-Georgia Odds

LSU: +3.5 (-105)

Moneyline: +146

Georgia: -3.5 (-115)

Moneyline: -176

Over: 155.5 (-105)

Under: 155.5 (-115)

How to Watch LSU vs. Georgia

Time: 6:30 ET/3:30 PT

TV: SEC Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why LSU Will Cover The Spread/Win

While the LSU offense has endured plenty of ups and downs this season, the main constant that has remained unchanged has been their ability to force their opponents to plenty of missed shots. When glancing upon the raw numbers, the Tigers only give up 70 points per game, but the impressive part has been allowing on average a measly 39% from the field which ranks among the nation's best. Alas, this bodes well for LSU considering that Georgia is fresh off of dropping a gargantuan 96 points the last time they took part in game action. Most of the time, defense is all about effort, and if the Tigers want this game bad enough, they should have no issues in making life difficult for the Georgia offense.

If all else fails, head coach Matt McMahon needs to give the rock to senior guard Jordan Wright and get out of the way! Not only is Wright the Tigers' leading scorer with 15.8 points per game, but he also leads the program in assists, rebounds, and field-goal percentage. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Wright is more often than not the “right” man for the job, and if it is up to him to lead the Tigers to a road victory, he could surely be up for the task.

All in all, the secret ingredient to cooking up a tasty recipe en route to covering will be winning the rebounding battle. In the surprising home loss to Texas A&M, LSU could not haul in the basketball off the glass to save their lives. By the time the clock hit triple zeroes, the Tigers were out-rebounded 48-34. Clearly, this cannot be replicated again if the Tigers have plans of being road warriors and stealing one as visitors in a hostile environment.

Why Georgia Will Cover The Spread/Win

Are the Bulldogs all bark and no bite? With plenty of season remaining to prove this narrative wrong, all the ‘Dawgs can do at this point is to take things one game at a time.

While things are trending in a positive direction in this contest with Georgia's ability to be dangerous at home, they did happen to lose on their own floor against Tennessee last time at Stegeman Coliseum. With this fairly fresh on the minds of this squad, don't be surprised if Georgia comes out extremely focused and determined to right their wrongs.

Not to overstate the obvious, but the key to this game could be forcing a plethora of LSU turnovers. Since Georgia has displayed that they can take care of the basketball at a healthy rate. Alas, the same cannot be said about the Tigers who are as careless in the turnovers department as it gets. As a matter of fact, LSU ranks 277th in turnovers per game at 13.2 a contest. With that being said, trapping, double-teaming, and forcing LSU to make rash decisions with the basketball will be a key ingredient for the Bulldogs to pursue a spread-covering victory at home.

In addition, Georgia is a well-respected three-point shooting team which includes senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim who is connecting on a team-leading 42.6% shooting clip from beyond the arc.

Final LSU-Georgia Prediction & Pick

This game should be a defensive slugfest between a pair of defenses who know how to make life a living hell. Indeed, these two teams are very similar, but this one will come down to Georgia's strong home-court advantage being the difference.

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Final LSU-Georgia Prediction & Pick: Georgia -3.5 (-115)