East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs Western Carolina Catamounts Betting Pick & Prediction 2/17/24

The Buccaneers and Catamounts are set to face off at 4:00 ET on ESPN+. The Catamounts will host the game at Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, NC. The over/under for this game is set at 138.5 points, and Western Carolina is favored by -7.5 vs. East Tennessee State in a Southern conference matchup.

EAST TENNESSEE STATE BUCCANEERS VS WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS BETTING PICK

The Pick: East Tennessee State Buccaneers +7.5

This game will be played at Ramsey Center at 4:00 ET on Saturday, February 17th.

WHY BET THE EAST TENNESSEE STATE BUCCANEERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-70 in favor of the Catamounts.
• Even though we have Western Carolina winning straight-up, we like East Tennessee State at +7.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 138.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.

Can the Buccaneers Pull Off a Road Win?

East Tennessee State has been much better at home this season, going 7-4 compared to 4-9 on the road. They have also been better as the favorite, going 7-2 compared to 4-11 as the underdog. They are coming off a loss to Chattanooga, 84-71, and have lost two straight games. For the season, they are 13-13, including a 5-8 record in Southern Conference games. Their average scoring margin on the road this season is -6.2 points per game.

So far this season, East Tennessee State has played 26 games, going 8-5 in non-conference games. As the underdog, they are 4-11 this season. They have gone 2-1 in their last three road games and 2-3 in their last five road games. Over their last 10 road games, they are 4-6.

As the underdog this season, East Tennessee State has an ATS record of 9-6. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Buccaneers have gone 6-4 vs. the spread. On the road, ETSU has an ATS mark of 6-7 this year and they are 5-5 in their last 10 road games vs. the spread.

East Tennessee State’s over/under record this season sits at 12-12, and the average scoring total in their games is 138.7 points. Today’s over/under line of 138.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (142.2). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 129 points, and their over/under record during this stretch is 1-2.

Coming off their recent game, the East Tennessee State offense tallied 71 points in a matchup against Chattanooga. Their field goal percentage for the game was 45.8%, and they made 8 threes. Jaden Seymour is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 15.3 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, Ebby Asamoah brings a PPG average of 14.6 into the game.

At present, the Buccaneers’ defense is nationally ranked 98th, allowing 69.0 points per game. Against Chattanooga in their most recent game, the East Tennessee State defense gave up a total of 84 points while allowing Chattanooga to hit 52% of their shots.

Can the Catamounts Pull Out the Win as Home Favorites?

Western Carolina is 18-8 overall and 7-6 in Southern Conference games. They are 7-3 at home, and their average scoring margin at home is +9.1 points per game. They have won two straight games at home and are 12-4 when favored this season.

Over their last 10 home games, the Catamounts are 7-3. In their most recent game, they lost to Samford by a score of 88-62. So far, Western Carolina has played 26 games, going 11-2 in non-conference games and 8-5 on the road.

Western Carolina has an ATS record of 12-11 this season, and they are 8-8 vs. the spread when favored. In their last 10 games as the favorite, the Catamounts have a mark of 4-6. At home, Western Carolina is 4-6 vs. the spread this year.

This season, the over/under record for Western Carolina games is 9-14, and today’s line of 138.5 is lower than the average OU line in their games (144.3). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 136 points, which is below today’s over/under line.

In their most recent game, the Western Carolina offense concluded with only 62 points against Samford. Throughout the game, they made 4/18 three-point attempts and had a field goal percentage of 36.8%. Currently leading the team in scoring is Vonterius Woolbright who comes into today’s matchup averaging 22.3. Tre Jackson also heads into the game with a PPG average of 13.7.

Currently, the Catamounts’ defense holds the 97th rank in the nation, allowing 68.9 points per game. In today’s game vs. East Tennessee State, the Western Carolina defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Western Carolina made 23 free-throws vs. the Catamounts.