Looking to win big? The Buccaneers and Spartans face off at 2:30 ET on ESPN+. The Spartans are hosting the game at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, NC. The odds for this Southern conference game currently have UNCG as the -5.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 132.5 points.

EAST TENNESSEE STATE BUCCANEERS VS UNCG SPARTANS BETTING PICK

The Pick: UNCG Spartans -5.5

This game will be played at Harrah’s Cherokee Center at 2:30 ET on Saturday, March 9th.

WHY BET THE UNCG SPARTANS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Spartans.
  • Not only will UNCG pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -5.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 132.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.

Will East Tennessee State Pull Through as the Underdog Road Team?

East Tennessee State comes into this game as the underdog, as they have a record of 5-13 when they are the underdog. They have gone 17-15 overall this season, and they have won their last three games. On the road, the Buccaneers are 5-11 this season, and they have gone 4-6 in their last 10 road games. Their average scoring margin on the road this season is -5.2 points per game.

In their last game, the Buccaneers took on VMI and won by a score of 98-66. So far this season, East Tennessee State has gone 9-10 in Southern Conference play, and they have gone 8-5 in non-conference games. For the year, they have played 32 games.

As the underdog, East Tennessee State has been solid vs. the spread this season, going 11-7. Their overall ATS mark is 16-14. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Bucs are 6-4 vs. the spread. On the road, their ATS record is 8-8 this year and they are 5-5 in their last 10 road games vs. the spread.

Today’s over/under line of 132.5 is lower than the average over/under line in East Tennessee State’s games this season (142.1). So far, the over/under record in their games this year is 16-14. Over their last three games, their games have averaged 145 points compared to their season average of 140.4 points per game.

East Tennessee State recently showcased a strong offensive performance, scoring 98 points against VMI. This output exceeded their season average of 71.1 points per game. Leading East Tennessee State in scoring vs. VMI was Tyler Rice with his 13 points. Jadyn Parker also added 12 points for the Buccaneers.

At this time, the Buccaneers’ defense is positioned 97th in the country, permitting 69.2 points per game. In today’s game vs. UNCG, the East Tennessee State defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, East Tennessee State made 23 free-throws vs. the Buccaneers.

Will UNCG Win at Home?

After dropping a close one to East Tennessee State in their last matchup, the UNCG Spartans will look to bounce back and improve their record to 11-3 at home. So far, the Spartans have been favored in 21 of their 31 games, going 15-6 in those matchups.

Over their last 10 games at home, the Spartans have gone 7-3, and they have a scoring margin of +6.8 points per game at home this season.

Against the spread, UNCG has gone 13-16 this season. At home, their ATS mark is 5-8. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Spartans are 4-6 vs. the spread.

Today’s over/under line of 132.5 is lower than the average over/under line in UNCG’s games this year (142.3). In their last three games, their over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 149 points.

In their latest game, UNCG offense put up 65 points against East Tennessee State. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 42.6% and made 11 threes. Currently leading the team in scoring is Mikeal Brown-Jones who comes into today’s matchup averaging 19.3. Keyshaun Langley also heads into the game with a PPG average of 15.6.

Coming into today’s game, the UNCG defense is giving up an average of 69.7 points per contest. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.9 threes per game vs. East Tennessee State. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 32.1%.