Check out our free Samford vs Western Carolina pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Cullowhee. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Samford vs Western Carolina Pick & Preview: Wednesday, February 1st Betting Odds
Bulldogs vs Catamounts Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Samford Bulldogs at Western Carolina Catamounts
- Where: Cullowhee at Ramsey Center
- Date: Wednesday, February 1st
- Betting Odds: Samford -5, SAMF -226 | WCAR +180 O/U 144.0
Bulldogs Preview:
Samford heads into this matchup having played 23 games and have an overall record sitting at 14-9. So far, the Bulldogs have played 11 games on the road, with a record of 4-7. This season, Samford has been favored to win in 13 games, sitting with a mark of 10-3. For today’s contest, Samford has a betting line set -5 points in their favor.
Samford’s leading scorer this season is Logan Dye, who is averaging 13.91 points per contest. So far, Dye has accounted for 17.78% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 5.48 rebounds per game and 1.39 assists. Jermaine Marshall is the second leading scorer for the Bulldogs, averaging 11.59 points per game. Between him and Marshall, they are accounting for 32.0% of the team’s scoring.
On offense, Samford is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 74.7 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 23 games, they have only hit 33.5% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 42.61% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.
Catamounts Preview:
The Western Carolina Catamounts head into today’s game in what will be their 24th game of the season, posting a record of 12-11. Currently, the Catamounts have been the home team 12 times, sitting with a record of 8-4. So far, the Catamounts have been the underdog 13 times, going 5-8 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +5 underdogs on the spread.
Tyzhaun Claude comes into today’s game as the Catamounts’ leading scorer at 15.26 points per contest. Not only has Claude been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Western Carolina’s top rebounder at 8.52 boards per contest. Behind Claude, the team has benefited from the strong play of Vonterius Woolbright, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.32 points per game. Overall, he has hit 47.0% of his shots and is adding 7.14 boards per game.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Western Carolina this season, as they are currently ranked 221st in college basketball at 70.7 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Catamounts’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 31.9%, placing them 372nd in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: Samford Bulldogs -5
If you are eying this matchup between Western Carolina Catamounts and Samford Bulldogs as a candidate to place a bet, we have done the work for you and our model recommends taking Samford to cover the spread as -5 favorites on the road. Although both team’s are going to look to get up shots from outside, we see Samford shooting well enough to keep the Catamounts at bay. Before tip-off, lock in a bet on the Bulldogs’ to win the game and cover the spread.
