Samford vs The Citadel Prediction 2/1/25 College Basketball Picks

The Samford Bulldogs and the Citadel Bulldogs meet on Saturday in college basketball action from McAlister Field House. Here’s a Samford vs the Citadel prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Samford vs the Citadel pick. We will examine: 

The Samford Bulldogs’ recent form and player performance

The Citadel Bulldogs’ recent form and player performance 

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Samford Bulldogs

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Citadel Bulldogs

Recent betting trends in games played between Samford and the Citadel

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Samford vs the Citadel game

Samford Bulldogs Betting Preview

Samford has been quite the resilient and consistent team so far this season. They’re yet to lose consecutive games and are racking up the wins in bunches. The Bulldogs opened on a 4-2 run with losses to Cornell and Michigan State among wins over Rhodes, North Alabama, Mississippi College, and Texas Southern. An 11-1 run came next with a lone loss to Arizona amid wins over North Dakota State, Utah Valley, West Georgia, South Carolina State, Austin Peay, Alabama A&M, the Citadel, Western Carolina, VMI, UNC Greensboro, and Mercer. It’s been a 2-2 stretch since then with losses to East Tennessee State and Furman around wins versus Chattanooga and Wofford. The result so far has been a 17-5 overall run this year. 

In the Furman game on Wednesday, the Bulldogs came out of halftime with a 33-25 deficit. Samford got better in the second half on a 45-39 run but couldn’t make the comeback in a 72-70 loss. Rylan Jones was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points, three rebounds, four steals and two assists. Trey Fort added 12 points with four rebounds and two assists, while Lukas Walls led the bench scoring 10 points with two steals and one rebound. 

The Citadel Bulldogs Betting Preview

Over on the Citadel side, they didn’t play too badly in the early part of the season, but it’s been all losses since December 3. The Bulldogs went 5-3 in their first eight games, beating Erskine, Stetson, North Greenville, St. Andrews, and Toccoa Falls with losses to Boston College, North Carolina A&T, and Charleston otherwise. It’s been a string of losses since then versus Campbell, Central Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Samford, Chattanooga, Furman, East Tennessee State, UNC Greensboro, VMI, Wofford, Western Carolina, and Mercer in succession since then however, giving the Bulldogs a dismal 5-15 overall record so far this season through 20 games. 

In the Mercer game on Wednesday, the Citadel was blasted 34-18 in the first half. The Bulldogs fell even further behind on a 46-28 second half and limped to the blowout loss 80-46 in the end. Brody Fox led the team in scoring during the losing effort with 11 points, nine boards, one assist, and one steal. Paxton Davidson added 10 points with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Colby McAllister led the bench players with five points and two rebounds. 

Why the Samford Bulldogs will win

• The Citadel has lost each of its last 12 games against the Southern Conference.
• Samford has won 22 of its last 24 day games.
• Samford has won the first half in 23 of its last 24 day games.

Samford vs the Citadel Prediction 

I’ll stick with Samford, but the line’s probably too thick to mess with. The Bulldogs are coming off a tough loss to a pretty good Furman team, giving up 49.1 percent shooting from the field with a 38-34 rebounding deficit and 14 turnovers for 21 Paladins points. It was a gaffe-filled road outing for Samford, but the good news is that they lost by only two points in the end. The Bulldogs have scored 70 or more points in every win so far this year, and in nine of the last 10 games overall. A good total here is likely in the cards, especially considering how much the Citadel is struggling this year. 

Speaking of the Citadel, they’ve given up 70 or more points in six straight and lost by 30 points the last time these teams met up on New Year’s Day. This one likely won’t be such a blowout, but Samford will still have control.