UNC Asheville vs Gardner-Webb 1/27/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs will travel to Kimmel Arena to take on the UNC Asheville Bulldogs this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 9-10 on the season after being defeated by the Winthrop Eagles, 64-62, this past Saturday. Gardner-Webb led by a 45-35 margin midway through the 2^nd half, however, the Bulldogs struggled defensively down the stretch and could not fight back after Winthrop took a 56-53 lead with 2:22 left in regulation. Gardner-Webb shot 40.0% from the field & 38.1% from beyond the arc while allowing Winthrop to shoot 48.9% from the field & 26.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Lance Terry who had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Gardner-Webb is averaging 71.7 ppg on 45.4% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 32.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Gardner-Webb has been led by Lance Terry (14.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg), D’Maurian Williams (13.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.0 spg), Kareem Reid (10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Jordan Sears (8.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.6 apg).

Defensively, Gardner-Webb is holding their opponents to an average of 66.0 ppg on 39.5% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of -0.2.

The UNC Asheville Bulldogs snapped a 3-game losing streak and improved to 11-8 on the season after defeating the Radford Highlanders, 78-74 (OT), this past Saturday. UNC Asheville allowed Radford to fight back from a 36-26 halftime deficit to force OT< however, the Bulldogs were solid offensively in the extra period and was able to pull away for the victory after taking a 74-71 lead with 1:30 left in OT. UNC Asheville shot 47.7% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Radford to shoot 41.8% from the field & 21.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Drew Pember who had a double-double with 41 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 blocks.

On the season, UNC Asheville is averaging 75.8 ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game on 37.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UNC Asheville has been led by Drew Pember (15.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 3.6 bpg), Tajion Jones (13.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.2 apg), LJ Thorpe (10.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.4 apg), & Trent Stephney (7.1 ppg, .2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.7 spg).

Defensviely, UNC Asheville is allowing their opponents to average 67.2 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of -2.2 and a turnover margin of 0.9.   

Gardner-Webb is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss & 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. UNC Asheville is 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win & 9-6-1 ATS overall on the season.

Gardner-Webb has been led by their defense which ranks 96^th in scoring defense, 29^th in defensive FG%, & 20^th in blocks per game and have also been decent offensively as the Bulldogs come into this game ranked 180^th in scoring offense & 119^th in FG%. UNC Asheville has been led by their offense which ranks 81^st in scoring offense & 87^th in FG%, however, the defense at times has been a weak point for the Bulldogs as they come into this game ranked just 214^th in defensive FG% & 276^th in rebound margin.

I think these are two evenly matched teams, however, I do give Gardner-Webb the slight edge in terms of their talent and although they are just 2-8 on the road, I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen in recent competitive losses at Longwood & Wintrhop. UNC Asheville has an offense that certainly can put up points at home, however, as I think the Gardner-Webb defense gives UNC Asheville some trouble in the one, I’m taking Gardner-Webb and the point. Good Luck!