Mercer vs East Tennessee State 2/16/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers will travel to Hawkins Arena to take on the Mercer Tigers this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers dropped to 13-14 on the season after being defeated by the Samford Bulldogs, 77-73, this past Saturday. East Tennessee State struggled defensively against Samford and could not fight back after the Bulldogs took a 74-71 lead with 1:03 left in regulation. East Tennessee State shot 44.9% from the field & 31.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Samford to shoot 54.2% from the field & 35.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Buccaneers was Jordan King who had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, East Tennessee State is averaging 72.1 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Buccaneers are averaging 9.3 three-pointers per game on 36.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, East Tennessee State has been led by Jordan King (14.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 apg), Ledarrius Brewer (14.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg), David Sloan (12.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.7 spg), & Ty Brewer (10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, East Tennessee State is allowing their opponents to average 72.9 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Buccaneers have a rebound margin of -0.0 and a turnover margin of -0.3.

The Mercer Bears snapped a 3-game losing streak and improved to 14-13 on the season after defeating the UNC Greensboro Spartans, 73-64, this past Sunday. Mercer was outstanding on both ends of the court in the 1^st half against UNC Greensboro and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 55-41 lead with 10:18 left in regulation. Mercer shot 56.3% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc while allowing UNC Greensboro to shoot 41.8% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Felipe Haase who had 28 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Mercer is averaging 70.9 ppg on 45.1% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game on 35.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mercer has been led by Felipe Haase (14.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.2 spg), Jalen Johnson (14.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 bpg), James Glisson III (11.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 spg), & Kamar Robertson (9.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 spg). Mercer has been without Neftali Alvarez, and he is questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, Mercer is allowing their opponents to average 71.3 ppg on 44.6% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of -0.0 and a turnover margin of -1.4.

The Buccaneers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games, however, are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games vs. Mercer. The Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games, however, are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Wednesday games.

East Tennessee State has struggled as of late, losing 6 of their last 7 games, and has really had issues on the defensive end as the Buccaneers come into this game ranked 275^th in scoring defense & 268^th in defensive FG%. Mercer didn’t have Neftali Alvarez in their last game, however, was able to pick up an impressive road win at UNC Greensboro and as I think the Bears offense, which ranks 75^th in three-pointers made per game & 87^th in 3P-FG%, will have plenty of success on their home court against the East Tennessee State defense, I’m taking Mercer to cover this small home spread. Good Luck!