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The No. 5 seed East Tennessee State Buccaneers (12-19, 8-10 SoCon) will head into the SoCon Tournament against the No. 4 seed Western Carolina Catamounts (17-14, 10-8 SoCon) on Saturday at Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville, starting at 2:30 PM.
East Tennessee State is a tight 2-point favorite against Western Carolina when the Buccaneers take on the Catamounts on Saturday. The over/under is 140.5 points for the game.
East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina Odds
Point Spread for East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina
The spread for this matchup is set at 2 points, with bookmakers listing East Tennessee State as the favorite.
East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina Moneyline
As for the moneyline, East Tennessee State has -129 odds to pick up the win, while Western Carolina is listed at +109 to claim victory.
Over/Under
Finally, the over/under for the game is set at 140.5 points.
Game Time and How to Watch
- Game Day: Saturday, March 4, 2023
- Game Time: 2:30 PM ET
- TV Channel: ESPN+
- Location: Asheville, North Carolina
- Arena: Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville
East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina Betting Trends
Against the spread, East Tennessee State is 13-16-0 this season. The Buccaneers have come away with five wins in the 13 contests they have been listed as the favorites in this season. East Tennessee State’s games this year have gone over the point total 36.7% of the time (11 out of 30 games with a set point total).
Western Carolina has played 30 games, with 16 wins, against the spread. The Catamounts have compiled an 8-11 record in games they were the underdog on the moneyline (winning 42.1% of those games). Western Carolina has hit the over 50% of the time this year (15 of 30 games with a set point total).
East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina Key Players to Watch
East Tennessee State
Jalen Haynes is putting up 14.3 points, 1.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Jaden Seymour paces his team in rebounds per contest (7.4), and also posts 8.9 points and 1.4 assists. Defensively, he puts up 0.7 steals and 1 block. Justice Smith is averaging 7.5 points, 1.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Western Carolina
Vonterius Woolbright tops the Catamounts in assists (5 per game), and produces 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. He also posts 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocked shots. Tyzhaun Claude is posting a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. And he is producing 15.4 points and 0.6 assists, making 51.5% of his shots from the field. Tre Jackson is recording a team-high 15.9 points per game. And he is contributing 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists, making 43.5% of his shots from the floor, and 43.5% from beyond the arc resulting in 3.5 triples per contest (sixth in college basketball). Russell Jones is averaging 9.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, making 40.2% of his shots from the floor and 34.8% from beyond the arc, with 1.7 triples per game.
What you need to know about the East Tennessee State Buccaneers
East Tennessee State has put together a 10-8-0 ATS record in conference play so far this year. Offensively, the Buccaneers are scoring 69.5 points per game (235th-ranked in college basketball). They are allowing 69 points per contest on defense (142nd-ranked). East Tennessee State is 132nd in the country with 32.5 boards per game this year. Meanwhile, it ranks 132nd with 30.3 rebounds allowed per contest.
East Tennessee State is 286th in the country with 6.4 threes per game so far this year. Meanwhile, it ranks 281st with a 32.4% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. The Buccaneers are ceding 7.9 three-pointers per game (262nd-ranked in college basketball). They are allowing opposing teams to shoot 32% (71st-ranked) from beyond the arc.
The Buccaneers are 6-4 against the spread and 4-6 overall in their last 10 games. Four of East Tennessee State’s past 10 games have hit the over. East Tennessee State’s offense has been worse over its last 10 games, putting up 69 points a contest compared to the 69.5 it has averaged this year. East Tennessee State’s defense has been less stingy lately, as the team has allowed 70.8 points per game during its past 10 compared to the 69 points per game its opponents are averaging this season.
What you need to know about the Western Carolina Catamounts
Western Carolina’s conference games have hit the over 10 out of 18 times this year. The Catamounts are 118th in the nation in points scored (74.5 per game) and 207th in points allowed (71). Western Carolina is 81st in the country in rebounds per game (33.5) and 232nd in rebounds conceded (31.8).
Beyond the arc, Western Carolina is 51st in college basketball in 3-pointers made per game (8.7). It is 173rd in 3-point percentage at 34.5%. The Catamounts are the 20th-best team in the nation in 3-pointers allowed (5.7 per game) and 147th in 3-point percentage defensively (33.3%).
The Catamounts have gone 6-4 in their past 10 games, with a 5-5 record against the spread during that span. In its past 10 contests, Western Carolina has hit the over seven times. Western Carolina has played worse offensively over its past 10 games, tallying 73.1 points per contest, 1.4 fewer points its than season average of 74.5. The Catamounts are surrendering 75.4 points per contest over their past 10 games, which is 4.4 more points than they are allowing for the season (71).
East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina Prediction & Pick
Our prediction to win this matchup is East Tennessee State, and we expect that Western Carolina will cover the spread (East Tennessee State -2). Finally, we see the scoring in this one going over the posted total of 140.5 points.
How to bet East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina
You can bet on East Tennessee State vs. Western Carolina at every legal online sportsbook. For more college basketball odds, including moneylines, spreads, over/under totals, check out the latest NCAA lines as well as our guide to the best college basketball betting sites.
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