Mercer vs Troy 12/22/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Troy Trojans (8-4) vs. Mercer Bears (7-5)
December 22, 2021 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: Mercer Bears -7 / Troy Trojans +7; Over/Under: 136
(Get latest betting odds)
The Troy Trojans will travel to Hawkins Arena to take on the Mercer Bears this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.
The Troy Trojans won their 3rd straight game and improved to 8-4 on the season after defeating the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, 84-64, this past Saturday. Troy dominated Arkansas Baptist on both ends of the court in the 1st half and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 47-19 lead. Troy shot 48.4% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Arkansas Baptist to shoot 40.0% from the field & 40.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Trojans was Rifen Miguel who had a double-double with 17 points & 10 rebounds in 22 minutes from off the bench.
On the season, Troy is averaging 73.8 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Troy has been led by Efe Odigie (11.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Duke Deen (9.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.4 spg), Zay Williams (8.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 apg), & Desmond Williams (7.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg).
Defensively, Troy is allowing their opponents to average 66.1 ppg on 40.7% shooting from the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of 2.2 and a turnover margin of 2.2.
The Mercer Bears had their 5-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 7-5 on the season after being defeated by the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 67-55, this past Sunday. Mercer led by a 26-18 margin at halftime, however, had no answers defensively for Florida Gulf Coast in the 2nd half and could not fight back after the Eagles took a 60-52 lead with 4:29 left in regulation. Mercer shot 35.1% from the field & 32.1% from beyond the arc while Florida Gulf Coast shot 44.3% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Jalen Johnson who had a double-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 block.
On the season, Mercer is averaging 72.3 ppg on 44.9% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mercer has been led by Felipe Haase (14.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.8 spg), Jalen Johnson (14.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg), Neftali Alvarez (13.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg), & James Glisson III (11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.6 apg).
Defensively, Mercer is allowing their opponents to average 69.8 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of -0.3 and a turnover margin of 0.63.
The Trojans are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Wednesday games & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Bears are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games.
Troy comes into this game ranked t-134th in scoring offense, t-126th in scoring defense, & 109th in defensive FG%. Mercer has been led by their offense that ranks 174th in scoring offense & 64thin three-pointers made per game, however, have struggled a bit defensively as they currently rank just 215th in scoring defense.
Mercer is no doubt the better team, however, the injury to Neftali Alvarez is a big one for the Bears. I’m probably staying away from this one of I’m not sure of Alvarez’s status but as I’m under the assumption that he is out, I’m leaning on taking Troy and the points. Good Luck!
