Mercer vs Western Carolina College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for SoCon Tournament

The No. 4 seed Mercer Bears (19-12, 11-7 SoCon) and the No. 5 seed Western Carolina Catamounts (14-15, 10-8 SoCon) will look to move on in the SoCon tournament on Saturday as they square off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Mercer vs. Western Carolina Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Saturday, March 7, 2026
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN+
• Location: Asheville, North Carolina
• Arena: Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville

Mercer vs. Western Carolina Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Mercer win (70.8%)

Before you bet on Saturday's Mercer-Western Carolina spread (Mercer -1.5) or total (155.5 points), take a look at the betting trends and insights below.

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Mercer vs. Western Carolina: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Mercer has compiled a 19-9-0 ATS record so far this year.
• Western Carolina has won 13 games against the spread this year, while failing to cover 14 times.
• When the spread is set as 1.5 or more this season, Mercer (12-7) covers a higher percentage of those games when it is the favorite (63.2%) than Western Carolina (9-9) does as the underdog (50%).
• Against the spread, the Bears have performed better at home, covering nine times in 12 home games, and 10 times in 16 road games.
• This year, the Catamounts are 7-4-0 at home against the spread (.636 winning percentage). On the road, they are 6-10-0 ATS (.375).
• Mercer's record against the spread in conference games is 11-7-0.
• Western Carolina has beaten the spread 11 times in 18 SoCon games.

Mercer vs. Western Carolina: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Mercer has been the moneyline favorite in 19 games this season and has come away with the win 14 times (73.7%) in those contests.
• The Bears have a mark of 14-4 in contests where oddsmakers favor them by -125 or better on the moneyline.
• Western Carolina has won six of the 16 games it was the moneyline underdog this season (37.5%).
• In games they have played as a moneyline underdog with odds of +104 or longer, the Catamounts have a 4-9 record (winning only 30.8% of their games).
• Mercer has an implied victory probability of 55.6% according to the moneyline set by oddsmakers for this matchup.

Mercer vs. Western Carolina Head-to-Head Comparison

• On offense, Mercer was the 112th-ranked team in the country (76.1 points per game) last year. On defense, it was 278th (75.3 points allowed per game).
• On the glass, Mercer was 21st-best in the country in rebounds (35.8 per game) last year. However, it was seventh-worst in rebounds conceded (35.5 per game).
• Last season Mercer was ranked 209th in the country in assists with 13.2 per game.
• Last season, Mercer was 246th in the nation in turnovers committed (11.8 per game) and 93rd in turnovers forced (12.2).
• Western Carolina's defensive performance was 20th-worst in the country last year with 79.0 points allowed per game, but offensively it was more effective, averaging 69.7 points per game (290th-ranked in college basketball).
• Western Carolina ranked 14th-worst in the nation with 34.8 rebounds allowed per contest. Meanwhile, it averaged 35.2 boards per game (28th-ranked in college basketball).
• Western Carolina dished out 12.1 assists per game, which ranked them 286th in college basketball.
• While Western Carolina was in the bottom 25 in the country in turnovers per game with 13.4 (19th-worst), it ranked 322nd in college basketball with 9.7 forced turnovers per game.

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