Southern foes will collide when the Wofford Terriers (8-12) play the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (13-7) at Benjamin Johnson Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28.
The Terriers are hoping to rebound after their 63-62 loss to Furman in their last matchup. Spencer Collins was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are coming off a 101-92 win against Citadel in their last game. Isaac Banks claimed his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Eric Garcia has taken his game to another level for the Terriers, averaging 14.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.4 three-pointers. T.J. Cromer has been hot for the Buccaneers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.8 three-pointers.
Wofford is a slim one-point favorite at home against East Tennessee State. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 146 points. The Terriers come into this game 8-12 Straight Up (SU) and 6-9 Against The Spread (ATS). The Terriers are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .389 from beyond the arc.
As for their opponent, the Buccaneers have 13-7 SU and 8-6-1 ATS records.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Wofford won the last game in the matchup, but the win was not enough to overtake East Tennessee State in the head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-4 SU. The Buccaneers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – EastTn, ATS Winner – EastTn, O/U – Over
Notes
Wofford is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing East Tennessee State.
Wofford is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against East Tennessee State.
East Tennessee State averages 79.5 points per game (ranked 53rd). Wofford, on the other hand, allows 71.7 points per game (ranked 179th).
East Tennessee State beats Wofford in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Buccaneers average 72.2 possessions and 1.102 points per possession, while the Terriers average 65.3 possessions with 1.056 points per possession.
The Wofford Terriers average an effective field goal percentage of 51.5% this season. The East Tennessee State Buccaneers have a poor record of 3-5 when opponents have an eFG% of 51.5% or greater.
Wofford ranks 79th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22. East Tennessee State is ranked lower at 212th with an A/TO of 1.00.
Wofford averages a forced turnover rate of 17.9% this season. East Tennessee State has a 4-3 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.