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  1. Home
  2. NCAAB Picks
  3. Western Carolina Catamounts vs Mercer Bears
Sat 2:00 PM ET
Western Carolina Catamounts logo
Western Carolina
Catamounts71
15-16
versus
Mercer Bears logo
Mercer
Bears68
19-13
Final
Team12T
Western Carolina Catamounts314071
Mercer Bears333568
NCAAB · Western Carolina Catamounts at Mercer Bears

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Western Carolina Catamounts vs Mercer Bears Betting Picks & Predictions

Game time: February 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET

Venue: Hawkins Arena — Macon, GA

Article updated Feb 18, 3:09 AM EST

Published by SportsJaw Editorial Team

The Western Carolina Catamounts are on the road playing the Mercer Bears at the Hawkins Arena stadium on Saturday, 2/18/2023 @ 2:00pm EST. Mercer is the betting favorite

Game outlook

The Western Carolina Catamounts are on the road playing the Mercer Bears at the Hawkins Arena stadium on Saturday, 2/18/2023 @ 2:00pm EST. Mercer is the betting favorite opening at -3.5 and the current line is Mercer -6.5.

Catamounts vs Bears Prediction for Today's Game

Based on recent trends and head to head stats, the Scorecaster predicts Bears to win today's game by 5 points. This model factors in recent against the spread (ATS) trends and scoring which predicts the Western Carolina Catamounts to cover the 6.5 point spread and the total to go over 134 points.

PREDICTED SCORE: Western Carolina 72 to Mercer 77

Scorecaster algorithmic predictions factor in up-to-date player injuries for both the Western Carolina Catamounts and Mercer Bears, including recent team & player performances and defensive & offensive matchups from recent history.

Curated Picks & Predictions

53% of SportsJaw users predict Western Carolina Catamounts to cover the spread.

Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Mercer will win straight-up is 72%.

Based on the current lines, Oddsmakers predict the score to be W.CAR 60.5, MERCR 73.5.

OddsShark 's prediction is The super computer is giving each team a 50% chance of winning , and the total will go over.

21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Picks are opinions, not guarantees. Past results do not predict future outcomes.

split down the middle on Covers.com

Western Carolina Key Betting Stats

With a power ranking of 189, Western Carolina is ranked #100 in offense (scoring an average of 75.26 per game), #231 in defense (allowing an average of 71.44 points to be scored against them per game) and are 15-13 (12-12-1 ATS) this season.

Offensively, the Catamounts hit an average of 42.67% of their field goals (ranked #284) and 70.90% of their free throws (ranked #207) and makes an average of 33.71% of their three pointers ranked #210 in the NCAAB). They average 37.41 rebounds per game (ranked # 61) and average 12.44 offensive assists and 10.81 turnovers per game (ranked # 240 and 29 respectively).

Defensively speaking, Western Carolina allows an average of 44.66% field goals (ranked #257) and 72.07% free throws (ranked #228 in the NCAAB) The Catamounts allow an average of 33.48% of the three pointers (ranked #170) and averages 35.41 defensive rebounds per game (ranked # 35.41) Finally, the Catamounts average 11.19 defensive assists and 11.74 turnovers per game (ranked # 70 and 272 respectively).

Mercer Key Betting Stats

Mercer Bears has a power ranking of 191 and are #238 for offense (scoring an average of 69.26 per game), #127 for defense (giving up an average of 68.00 points per game) and 12-16 (10-15-1 ATS) overall. Western Carolina went 1-2 (1-2 ATS) in their last 3 matchups against Mercer.

For offense, the Bears hit an average of 44.96% of their field goals (ranked #165) and 68.00% of their free throws (ranked #298) and makes an average of 33.61% of their three pointers (ranked #220 in the NCAAB). They average 34.19 rebounds per game (ranked # 229) and average 13.44 offensive assists and 11.04 turnovers per game (ranked # 159) and 36 respectively).

On defense, Mercer allows an average of 43.30% field goals (ranked #162) and 73.08% free throws (ranked #275 in the NCAAB) The Bears allow an average of 34.50% of the three pointers (ranked #239) and averages 33.37 defensive rebounds per game (ranked # 33.37) Finally, the Bears average 11.33 defensive assists and 12.11 turnovers per game (ranked # 78 and 238 respectively).

Betting Summary

Mercer has a slight advantage in regards to ball control (factoring in rebounds and turnovers).

The Scorecaster model predicts the Western Carolina Catamounts to cover the 6.5 point spread and the total to go over 134 points.

Written by SportsJaw Staff Categorized as NCAAB Predictions

SportsJawGame Predictions
Predicted score

Unavailable for this preview

Projected winnerUnavailableConfidencelow
Pick on the Spread

Published pick: Unavailable

Pick on the Total

Published pick: Unavailable

#WesternCarolinaCatamounts#MercerBears

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Written by

SportsJaw Editorial Team

SportsJaw published this archived preview from its original game-day article. Its prediction and quoted lines are preserved as written.

About our editorial process

SportsJaw Catamounts vs Bears archived game preview contains historical odds and availability that may no longer be current. View history of past Catamounts vs Bears matchups or learn how our predictions work.

Current matchup data

Lines, trends and availability

Line movement since open

  • Moneyline · Western Carolina Catamounts+150 → +220Moved
  • Moneyline · Mercer Bears-160 → -260Moved
  • Spread · Western Carolina Catamounts+3.5 (-110) → +6.5 (-110)Moved
  • Spread · Mercer Bears-3.5 (-110) → -6.5 (-110)Moved
  • Total · Over137.5 (-110) → 134 (-110)Moved
  • Total · Under137.5 (-110) → 134 (-110)Moved

ATS and O/U trends

Western Carolina Catamounts
15-16 matchup record · 5-4-1 ATS · 6-4-0 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file
Mercer Bears
19-13 matchup record · 5-5-0 ATS · 3-7-0 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file

Injuries and availability

From the published research (2023-02-18T08:09:28.000Z). Availability may have changed; review the cited sources.

Scorecaster algorithmic predictions factor in up-to-date player injuries for both the Western Carolina Catamounts and Mercer Bears, including recent team & player performances and defensive & offensive matchups from recent history.

Recent head-to-head

  • 2023-01-07Mercer Bears 45 · Western Carolina Catamounts 73
  • 2022-03-04Western Carolina Catamounts 53 · Mercer Bears 81
  • 2022-02-19Mercer Bears 65 · Western Carolina Catamounts 69
Final result

Matchup pick recap

Western Carolina Catamounts defeated Mercer Bears 71-68

Western Carolina Catamounts defeated Mercer Bears 71-68 on February 18, 2023, a 3-point decision in the series. Western Carolina Catamounts' strongest period was the 2nd half, when it outscored its opponent 40-35. Against SportsJaw's recorded Western Carolina Catamounts +6.5 (-110) spread, Western Carolina Catamounts covered, while the 139 combined points finished over the recorded total of 134.

SportsJaw editorial picks

  • Projected winnerNo published selectionUnavailable

Tipster picks

  • AliencreationSpread · Western Carolina Catamounts +4.5 (-110)Win
  • CoolioSpread · Western Carolina Catamounts +5.5 (-110)Win
  • CoolioTotal · Over 136.5 (-110)Win
  • OddssharkSpread · Western Carolina Catamounts +5.5 (-110)Win
  • OddssharkTotal · Over 136.5 (-110)Win
  • CoversSpread · Mercer Bears -5.5 (-110)Loss