The Grand Canyon Antelopes (22-11) go head-to-head against the Mercer Bears (18-14) in the College Basketball Invitational at Grand Canyon University Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN 3 at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 142.5 points with Grand Canyon opening as a 6.5-point favorite.
Mercer Bears at Grand Canyon Antelopes Free Prediction
The Bears are trying to rebound after their 73-53 loss to the Wofford Terriers in their last game. Wofford’s 7.6 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over Mercer, who had a rate of 25.7. The Terriers’ mark was better than their season average of 16.6, while the Bears’ was above their season average of 16.2. Stephon Jelks had a solid game for Mercer, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
In the Antelopes’ last game, they fell to the New Mexico State Aggies, 72-58. Getting to the free throw line was one of New Mexico State’s biggest strengths. They made 27 trips to the line, while Grand Canyon went just 10 times. Grand Canyon’s Keonta Vernon contributed 17 points and eight rebounds in the contest.
The aggressive Grand Canyon offense might be getting to the foul line a lot in this battle. The Antelopes rank 48th in the NCAA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.280, while Mercer ranks 173rd in FTA rate allowed (0.232). Furthermore, the 25th-ranked offense of the Bears (offensive efficiency of 114.6) will go head-to-head against the fourth-ranked defense of the Antelopes (defensive efficiency of 92.2).
Mercer heads into the game with records of 18-14 straight up (SU) and 12-12-3 against the spread (ATS). Bears games have a slight tendency to finish over the O/U total (51.9 percent).
Grand Canyon has a respectable 22-11 SU record, but they are just 2-3 ATS. Vegas has a tendency to place the total high when the Antelopes are involved, as 60.0 percent of their games have gone under the total.
Alessandro Lever has averaged 22.6 points and 7.0 rebounds over the last five games for Grand Canyon.
Mercer Bears at Grand Canyon Antelopes Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Mercer, ATS Winner – Mercer, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Grand Canyon ranks 10th in three pointers allowed per game (17.0) while Mercer ranks 300th (26.2).
The Bears rank third in rebounds allowed per game (28.9) while the Antelopes rank 219th (36.4).
Grand Canyon ranks fourth in assists allowed per game (9.6) while Mercer ranks 218th (14.6).
The Antelopes rank 77th in blocks per game (3.9) while the Bears rank 246th (1.7).
Bettings Trends:
The Bears’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.8, down from 6.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Antelopes have scored an average of 70.2 points per game (3.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 66.6 points per game (1.9 above their season average).
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