Mercer vs Western Carolina Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 2/18/23
Western Carolina Catamounts (15-13) vs. Mercer Bears (12-16)
February 18, 2023 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Mercer Bears -3.5 / Western Carolina Catamounts +3.5 ; Over/Under: 137.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Western Carolina Catamounts and the Mercer Bears meet Saturday in college basketball action from Hawkins Arena. Western Carolina took on East Tennessee State in their last game. In that one the Catamounts powered out a two-point victory. As for Mercer, they played Wofford on Wednesday. The Bears ended up losing by three points. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Western Carolina Catamounts
Western Carolina posted an up-and-down 11-9 stretch across their first 20 outings of the year. The Catamounts would then hit a 3-4 stretch with losses to Samford, the Citadel, Samford again and Furman alongside wins over VMI, Chattanooga and Wofford.
In the East Tennessee State matchup on Wednesday, the Catamounts took a 32-30 edge into the second half. Western Carolina scored another 36 points from there and won 68-66. Tyler Harris was the leading team scorer with 14 points.
Mercer Bears
Over on the Mercer side, they finished just under .500 at 9-11 over their first 20 games this season. The Bears hit a 3-4 run over their next seven as well, losing to UNC Greensboro (twice), Samford and Chattanooga with wins over East Tennessee State, the Citadel and VMI.
Matched up against Wofford on Wednesday, the Bears were up 31-29 at halftime. Mercer fell behind 41-36 from there however and lost 70-67. Kamar Robertson was the top team scorer on 14 points and four rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stay with Western Carolina here. The Catamounts are on a pretty good stretch of games, going 4-2 over their last half-dozen outings. Western Carolina has scored 68 or more points in six of their last seven as well. These teams last met back on January 7 at Ramsey Center. That one turned into a 73-45 blowout win for the Catamounts. This one’s not going to be as easy; Mercer has played well at home over their last couple of games. That said, it should still be Western Carolina’s cover (and maybe win) if they play well.
