Mercer vs The Citadel 2/23/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Citadel Bulldogs will travel to Hawkins Arena to take on the Mercer Bears this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Citadel Bulldogs lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 11-16 on the season after being defeated by the Samford Bulldogs, 76-74, this past Monday night. The Citadel struggled offensively against Samford and could not fight back after a Logan Dye layup gave Samford a 76-72 lead with 2:06 left in regulation. The Citadel shot 38.8% from the field & 30.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Samford to shoot 40.8% from the field & 22.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Hayden Brown who had a double-double with 17 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, The Citadel is averaging 77.8 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 11.1 three-pointers per game on 35.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, The Citadel has been led by Hayden Brown (18.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg), Jason Roche (13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Stephen Clark (10.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 spg), & Tyler Moffe (10.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg).

Defensively, The Citadel is allowing their opponents to average 76.8 ppg on 42.6% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 0.0 and a turnover margin of -2.1.

The Mercer Bears had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 15-14 on the season after being defeated by the Western Carolina Catamounts, 69-65, this past Saturday. Mercer was able to keep the game competitive despite a poor shooting performance, however, the Bears could not fight back after the Catamounts took a 66-65 lead on a Vonterius Woolbright layup with :49 seconds left in regulation. Mercer shot just 37.0% from the field & 23.1% from beyond the arc while allowing Western Carolina to shoot 49.1% from the field & 21.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Felipe Haase who had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, & 3 steals.

On the season, Mercer is averaging 70.5 ppg on 44.9% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game on 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mercer has been led by Felipe Haase (15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg), Jalen Johnson (14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 bpg), Neftali Alvarez (12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg), & James Glisson III (10.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 apg). Neftali Alvarez has missed the past two weeks due an undisclosed injury and should be considered at best, questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, Mercer is allowing their opponents to average 70.7 ppg on 44.6% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of -0.4 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Bulldogs are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games & 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Mercer. The Bears are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games, however, are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Wednesday games.

The Citadel has been led by their offense which ranks 36^th in scoring offense, 140^th in FG%, & 5^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Bulldogs have struggled defensively as they come into this game ranked just 325^th in scoring defense. Mercer has been below average on both ends of the court as the Bears come into this game ranked just 192^nd in scoring offense & 222^nd in scoring defense.

Mercer has been solid at home, posting a 10-3 record and as a 71-64 win over The Citadel earlier this season, however, the Bears are missing one of their best players and have lost 6 of their last 9 games. The Citadel is a strong offensive team that should be able to take advantage of a less than average Mercer defense and as I think the Bulldogs make this a competitive game, I’m taking The Citadel and the points. Good Luck!