Chattanooga vs. Mercer - 2/22/20 College Basketball Pick, Odds, and Prediction
Photo by Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mercer Bears (14-14) at Chattanooga Mocs (17-11)
College Basketball: Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 4:30 pm (McKenzie Arena)
The Line: Chattanooga Mocs -6.5 -- Over/Under: 140.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Mercer Bears will travel to McKenzie Arena to take on the Chattanooga Mocs this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Mercer Bears improved to 14-14 (8-7 Southern) on the season after defeating the Samford Bulldogs, 106-66, this past Wednesday. Mercer dominated Samford on both ends of the court and had no trouble picking up the victory after taking a 60-37 lead with 16:36 left in regulation. Mercer shot 61.1% from the field and 51.9% from beyond the arc in the victory. Leading the way for the Bears was Jeffrey Gray who had 32 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and a steal.
On the season, Mercer is averaging 72.2 ppg on 45.3% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 35.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mercer has been led by Djordje Dimitrijevic (17.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.6 spg), Ethan Stair (15.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.3 spg), and Jeffrey Gray (11.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.0 apg).
Defensively, Mercer is allowing their opponents to average 71.2 ppg on 43.5% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of 3.6 and a turnover margin of -1.8.
The Chattanooga Mocs improved to 17-11 (8-7 Southern) on the season after defeating The Citadel Bulldogs, 91-68, this past Wednesday night. Chattanooga had their way on the offensive end agianst The Citadel and never looked back after taking a 75-51 lead with 8:11 left in regulation. Chattanooga shot 54.2% from the field and outrebounded The Citadel by a 36-23 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Matt Ryan who had 27 points and 9 rebounds.
On the season, Chattanooga is averaging 72.8 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Mocs are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 35.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Chattanooga has been led by Matt Ryan (15.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 apg), David Jean-Baptiste (12.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg), and Ramon Vila (12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 apg).
Defensively, Chattanooga is allowing their opponents to average 67.9 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Mocs have a rebound margin of 2.9 and a turnover margin of -0.1.
The Bears are just 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Chattanooga. The Mocs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games and 5-5 ATS at home on the season.
Mercer comes into this game ranked 144th in scoring offense, 95th in FG%, and 229th in scoring defense.
Chattanooga has been balanced on both ends of the court this season and currently rank 129th in scoring offense, 102nd in FG%, and 139th in scoring defense.
Chattanooga comes in with a 9-3 home record and already picked up a win on the road vs. Mercer earlier in the season, however, the Bears have been solid since their first match-up, posting an 8-4 record. The Mocs can at times struggle defensively as Chattanooga doesn’t create many turnovers and as Mercer has shown they can beat the best on the road after taking down East Tennessee State by a 16-point margin in late January, I think the Bears offense does enough in this one to at worst cover with the points. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Mercer Bears +6.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
