| MATCHUP | East Tennessee State Buccaneers | Mercer Bears |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 21-9 | 18-12 |
| Where | Hawkins Arena, Macon, GA | |
| When | Saturday, February 28, 2026 | |
| Time | 04:30 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The East Tennessee State Buccaneers and the Mercer Bears meet Saturday in college basketball action from Hawkins Arena in Macon. Here’s a East Tennessee State vs Mercer prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best East Tennessee State vs Mercer pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers Betting Preview
The Buccaneers were sitting at 15-6 through their first 21 games of the season back on January 23. After a loss to Western Carolina came wins over Wofford, Furman, VMI and Chattanooga, then a loss to Samford. After wins versus Furman and UNC Greensboro the Buccaneers were sitting at 21-8 in the books through the first 29 outings of the year.
On Wednesday versus Wofford, the Bucs were in decent shape at halftime, sporting a 37-33 edge in the locker room. East Tennessee State was outscored 39-32 the rest of the way though, leading to a tough loss on their home court 72-69 in the end. Blake Barkley was tops on 16 points with six rebounds and Jordan McCullum added 15 points with six rebounds.
Mercer Bears Betting Preview
Over on the Mercer side, they hit an 8-7 run in their first 15 games, then on five straight from January 7 to January 21. The next five were a 2-3 run with losses to Wofford, Chattanooga and Samford, then came a 3-1 stretch with wins over Furman, the Citadel and Samford alongside a loss to Chattanooga. That would make for an 18-11 run through 29 games for the Bears.
Matched up against Western Carolina on Wednesday the Bears were within one point at the break with a 33-32 deficit on the scoreboard. Mercer hit a 45-42 disadvantage the rest of the way though, leading to a loss on the road by a margin of 78-74. Baraka Okojie led the team in scoring with 22 points and one assist while Armani Mighty had 16 points and 14 rebounds.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers @ Mercer Bears Betting Trends: February 28, 2026
Why the Mercer Bears will win
- Mercer has won each of its last eight day games at Hawkins Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the East Tennessee State Buccaneers will win
- East Tennessee State has won each of its last six road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Mercer has lost the first half in five of its last six games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
East Tennessee State vs Mercer Prediction
I’ll take a stab on ETSU but it’s a coin flip. The Bucs need a good bounce-back effort after falling in a home matchup versus Wofford this week. East Tennessee State shot well (52.9 percent) from the field in that one and had a 33-29 rebounding edge. That said, the Bucs hit just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from outside and 59.1 percent (13-of-22) at the line. ETSU is still 6-2 in their last eight games but they’ve lost two of the last four.
Back on January 3 when these teams last saw each other, East Tennessee State powered out a 77-71 win at home. In that one the Buccaneers shot 42.1 percent from the field but really cleaned up at the line on 85.2 percent (23-of-27). The 34-29 rebounding edge was helpful, however ETSU also had 12 turnovers along the way. This rematch should be a pretty good one, and I expect it to be competitive.