East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs Western Carolina Catamounts Prediction, 1/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs Western Carolina Catamounts

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Location: Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, NC

TV: ESPN+

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers (12-5) are traveling to Ramsey Center on Wednesday where they will attempt to defeat the Western Carolina Catamounts (5-10).

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers played UNC Greensboro and took home the win by a score of 86-60 in their last game. East Tennessee State ended with a 59.7% FG percentage (37 of 62) and made 6 out of their 18 shots from downtown. When they shot from the free throw line, the Buccaneers converted 6 of 8 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they earned 27 with 3 of them being offensive. They also doled out 17 dimes in this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 21 turnovers and having 15 steals. In the matter of defense, East Tennessee State allowed their opponent to shoot 34.0% from the floor on 18 out of 53 shooting. UNC Greensboro earned 7 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. Moreover, UNC Greensboro collected 33 rebounds (12 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. UNC Greensboro shot 76.0% from the charity stripe by converting 19 of their 25 tries. They also made 5 of 20 tries from distance. In regard to fouls, the Buccaneers finished with 18 and UNC Greensboro totaled 11 fouls.

Blake Barkley is one guy who came through for the contest. He finished the contest at 78.6% from the field but didn't record a dime. He saw the court for 29 minutes played and also collected 5 rebounds. He ended up scoring 24 points on 11 of 14 shooting.

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East Tennessee State comes into this contest with a mark of 12-5 so far this year. They are turning it over 11.1 times per game and as a group they commit 16.8 personal fouls every game. As a team, East Tennessee State is collecting 34.6 boards per game and has earned 255 assists so far this season, which ranks 129th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Buccaneers are hitting 33.7% on shots from distance (131 of 389) and 74.3% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 78.8 pts per contest (142nd in Division 1) while shooting 49.4% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Buccaneers are forcing their opponents into 14.4 turnovers every game and they draw 14.1 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 30.3% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 29th in college in PPG allowed (66.2). The Buccaneers defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 40.0% (382 of 954) and they relinquish 32.6 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 88th in college hoops in allowing assists with 204 conceded so far this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Western Carolina Catamounts took a loss by a score of 79-77 when they faced The Citadel. The Catamounts pulled down 19 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 30 for the game. They turned the ball over 7 times, while earning 8 steals in the matchup. The Citadel committed 14 personal fouls for the contest which got the Catamounts to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They were able to convert 10 of them for a rate of 62.5%. When it comes to shots from 3-point land, Western Carolina converted 9 of their 30 tries (30.0%). When this game wrapped up, the Catamounts shot 29 for 68 from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.6%. The Catamounts allowed The Citadel to bury 24 of 58 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 41.4% in this contest. They shot 28.6% from distance by going 8 out of 28 and finished the game at 23 out of 28 at the charity stripe (82.1%). Regarding rebounding, Western Carolina permitted The Citadel to collect 38 in total (11 on the offensive glass).

Marcus Kell ended up being a factor for the Catamounts in the matchup. He had 24 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 1 assist for this game. He made 9 of 17 in the game for a field goal percentage of 52.9%, and had 3 rebounds.

Western Carolina has a win-loss mark of 5-10 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Catamounts are hitting on 43.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 274th in college. Western Carolina has 1,158 pts for the year (77.2 per game) and they pull in 39.8 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 13.3 times per game (254th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.4 times per game. The Catamounts are committing 20.4 fouls per game while shooting 69.5% from the charity stripe.

The Western Carolina defense gives up 37.4% on shots from beyond the arc (146 of 390) and their opponents are connecting on 72.0% of their foul shots. They have given up 13.7 dimes and 34.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 215th and 195th in those defensive categories. The Catamounts are ranked 330th in the country in points per game surrendered with 80.8. They are forcing their opponents into 12.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.1% from the field (301st in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Western Carolina

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