Mercer vs Western Carolina 3/4/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 10-seed Western Carolina Catamounts & 7-seed Mercer Tigers will square off at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in the 1^st round of the SoCon Championship this Friday night.

The Western Carolina Catamounts finished their regular season with an overall record of 11-20 and earned the 10-seed in the SoCon Championship after finishing conference play with a 5-13 record. Western Carolina was led by their offense which ranks 171^st in scoring offense & 11^th in three-pointers per game, however, the Catamounts didn’t shoot the ball particularly well (328^th in FG%; 260thin 3P-FG%) and struggled defensively as they come into this matchup ranked just 328^th in scoring defense. Western Carolina finished their non-conference schedule with a 6-7 record with their most impressive win coming on the road against the Longwood Lancers. Western Carolina struggled overall in conference play, at one point losing 10 of 11 games, however, the Catamounts do come into the conference tournament with some momentum as they won 2 of their last 3 regular season games with wins over Mercer & VMI.

On the season, Western Carolina is averaging 71.2 ppg on 40.3% shooting from the field. The Catamounts are averaging 10.1 three-pointers per game on 32.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Western Carolina has been led by Nicholas Robinson (14.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 spg), Vonterius Woolbright (9.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.9 apg), Cam Bacote (8.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.9 apg), & Tyler Harris (7.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Western Carolina is allowing their opponents to average 77.1 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Catamounts have a rebound margin of 0.3 and a turnover margin of -2.2.

The Mercer Tigers finished their regular season with an overall record of 15-16 and earned the 7-seed in the SoCon Championship after finishing conference play with an 8-10 record. Mercer was led by their offense which ranks 201^st in scoring offense, 115^th in FG%, & t-127^th in 3P-FG%, however, the Bears did struggle a bit defensively as they currently rank just 221^st in scoring defense & 261^st in defensive FG%. Mercer went 7-6 in their non-conference schedule with impressive wins over Georgia State & Coastal Carolina. Mercer picked up a few keys win in conference play, highlighted by a victory over Wofford, however, the Mercer has struggled as of late as the Bears have lost 6 of their last 8 games.

On the season, Mercer is averaging 70.3 ppg on 45.1% shooting from the field. The Tigers are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 34.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mercer has been led by Felipe Haase (14.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg), Jalen Johnson (13.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 bpg), Neftali Alvarez (12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg), & James Glisson III (10.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.5 apg). Neftali Alvarez has been out for most of the season due to injury and should be considered doubtful for this matchup.

Defensively, Mercer is allowing their opponents to average 70.8 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of -0.4 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Catamounts are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall, however, are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 Friday games. The Bears are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Friday games & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.

Western Carolina and Mercer split their regular season series as the Catamounts defeated Mercer by a 69-65 margin at home about two weeks ago while the Mercer defeated Western Carolina by a 72-64 margin at home in late January.

Mercer has struggled in February, which included a loss against Western Carolina, however, there is no doubt in my mind that the Bears are the better team in this one. Western Carolina struggled away from home this season, going 3-13 in away/neutral site games and as I think the Bears have plenty of success against a below-average Catamounts defense, I’m taking Mercer to cover this mid-range spread. Good Luck!