Western Carolina Catamounts vs Mercer Bears Betting Pick & Prediction 1/13/24
Betting on today’s Catamounts and Bears game? Catch the action at Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA, as the Bears hosts this showdown at 2:00 ET on ESPN+. The Catamounts come into this Southern conference matchup as the betting favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 139 points.
WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS VS MERCER BEARS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Mercer Bears +3
This game will be played at Hawkins Arena at 2:00 ET on Saturday, January 13th.
WHY BET THE MERCER BEARS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Bears.
- Not only will Mercer pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +3.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 139 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.
Taking a Look at the Catamounts Chances in Macon
Western Carolina is favored by three points against Mercer. They have been the favorite in eight of their 16 games this season, and they have yet to lose as the favorite. Overall, the Catamounts are 14-2, and they have won six straight games.
On the road, Western Carolina has been strong, going 7-2 this season. Their average scoring margin on the road is +2.9, and they have won four straight road games. In their last 10 road games, they are 7-3.
Western Carolina has been a solid team vs. the spread this season, going 8-5 overall. Their ATS mark is even better on the road, where they are 6-3 this year. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Catamounts have gone 6-3-1 vs. the spread.
This season, the over/under record for Western Carolina games is 5-8 and today’s line of 139 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (143.1). So far, 7 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line.
Western Carolina’s offense had a good outing, putting up 80 points against East Tennessee State. They achieved a 50.8% field goal percentage and went 9/14 from the free-throw line. Leading the team in scoring was Vonterius Woolbright with 20 points. Tre Jackson also added 20 points for the Catamounts.
At this time, the Catamounts’ defense is positioned 68th in the country, permitting 66.3 points per game. Western Carolina will look once again to perform well on defense, holding East Tennessee State to just 37% shooting in their most recent game.
Will the Bears Pull Through as the Home Underdog?
At home this season, Mercer has gone 3-2 with an average scoring margin of +1.2 points per game. Over their last 10 games at home, the Bears have gone 7-3. So far this season, Mercer has been the underdog in seven of their 16 games, going 2-5 in those contests.
Most recently, the Bears lost to Wofford by a score of 74-73. Over their last five games, Mercer has gone 4-1 at home.
As the underdog, Mercer has a solid ATS mark of 4-3 this season. They have also fared well vs. the spread at home, going 4-1 this year and 6-1 over their last 10 home games. Overall, the Bears’ ATS record is 7-5-1 this season.
The over/under record for Mercer this season sits at 9-4 and today’s line of 139 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (138.5). This year, 5 of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s mark. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 148 points and their over/under record for the season is 6-2 in their last 10 games.
In their recent game, the Bears’ offense concluded with 73 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 71.1 points per contest. Leading the team in scoring is Jalyn McCreary, who is averaging 15.5 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, Jake Davis also maintains a PPG average of 9.8 heading into game.
Coming into today’s game, the Mercer defense is giving up an average of 70.7 points per contest. Mercer’s three-point defense is currently 53rd in the country at 5.8 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 40.6% of their shots vs. Mercer.