East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs Mercer Bears Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our East Tennessee State vs Mercer NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Macon.

East Tennessee State vs Mercer Prediction

The Buccaneers and Bears are set to face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Bears will host the game at Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA. East Tennessee State is favored by -2.5 in this Southern conference contest against Mercer. The game's over/under currently sits at 152.5 points.

East Tennessee State vs. Mercer Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: East Tennessee State Buccaneers at Mercer Bears
Where: Macon at Hawkins Arena
Date: Wednesday, January 8th
Betting Odds ETNST -2.5, ETNST -154 | MERC +123 O/U 152.5

Buccaneers Preview: Will East Tennessee State Make it Happen on the Road?

East Tennessee State fell to 6-7 on the season after a 81-78 home loss to Wofford on Saturday. The Buccaneers, who were favored by 4.5 points, failed to cover the spread.

ETSU led 39-34 at halftime but allowed 47 points in the second half while scoring 39 themselves. The game’s total points of 159 went over the pre-game line of 140.5.

Buccaneers Offense Breakdown

East Tennessee State's offense was firing on all cylinders in their latest game, putting up 78 points on 54.3% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 65.2%, with strong performances both inside and out, hitting 64% of their two-point attempts and 42.9% from beyond the arc.

Quimari Peterson and Dillon Bailey led the way with 18 points each, with Bailey knocking down 3 of 5 from deep. John Buggs III and Kyler Filewich also contributed 16 points, with Filewich shooting 77.8% from the floor. The Buccaneers also got 15 points from Jackson Sivills, who hit 4 of 7 from three-point range.

Buccaneers Team Defense

East Tennessee State's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 81 points on 54% shooting from the field. The Buccaneers allowed the opposing team to hit 64% of their two-point attempts, going 16/25 inside the arc.

From three-point range, their opponents shot 42%, connecting on 9 of 21 attempts. East Tennessee State also sent the other team to the free-throw line 28 times, where they made 19, shooting 67%. The Buccaneers allowed 6 offensive rebounds.

Bears Preview: Will the Bears Exceed Expectations at Home?

Mercer Bears Recent Game/Games

Mercer improved to 7-6 on the season with a 70-67 win over VMI on Saturday. The Bears were -6 favorites going into the game but didn’t cover the spread. The total points of 137 fell short of the O/U line of 156.5.

Mercer led 34-26 at halftime but allowed VMI to score 41 points in the 2nd half while scoring 36 themselves. Despite the win, the Bears will need to tighten up defensively moving forward.

Bears Offense Breakdown

Rickey Bradley Jr. and Jah Nze were the stars for Mercer, combining for 55 points in their last game. Bradley had 30 points, hitting 5 of 11 from three, while Nze added 25 points, shooting 5 of 8 from deep and 66.7% overall.

As a team, Mercer shot 44.6% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 53.6%. They hit 37.5% of their threes, going 9 for 24, and struggled at the free-throw line, making just 57.9% of their attempts.

Bears Team Defense

Despite Mercer’s solid defensive effort, their opponent managed to put up 67 points. They shot 40% from the field, connecting on 22 of their 55 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Mercer allowed 9 threes on 27 attempts, a 33% shooting rate. At the free-throw line, the opponent went 14/20, hitting 70% of their shots. Mercer also limited them to just 4 offensive rebounds.

Buccaneers vs Bears Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last three road games, East Tennessee State has an ATS record of just 0-3. However, their overall record was 0-3 while averaging 68 points per game.
Mercer has played well in their previous five home games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 78 points per game while allowing 78. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
The Bears have played well in their last three games as the betting underdog, going 2-1 straight up and 3-0 against the spread.
The last ten games that East Tennessee State was favored, they have an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 6-4 straight up.