Mercer Bears vs Western Carolina Catamounts Prediction, 2/25/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mercer Bears vs Western Carolina Catamounts

Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Location: Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, NC

TV: ESPN+

Ramsey Center is where the Western Carolina Catamounts (12-15) will take on the Mercer Bears (18-11) on Wednesday.

The Mercer Bears took the court against Samford and took home the win by a score of 89-86 in their last game. Mercer ended having earned a 64.0% FG percentage (32 of 50) and converted 7 of their 17 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Bears converted 18 of their 25 attempts for a rate of 72.0%. Concerning rebounding, they earned 31 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 16 assists for the matchup while forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In regard to defense, Mercer allowed 46.9% from the floor on 30 of 64 shooting. Samford recorded 12 dimes and had 7 steals for this contest. On top of that, Samford had 26 rebounds (8 offensive, 18 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Samford went 87.0% from the free throw line by making 20 of their 23 tries. They also converted 6 of their 16 shots from distance. Regarding fouls, the Bears walked away with 19 while Samford recorded 22 fouls.

Baraka Okojie is someone who was a contributor in the game. He finished shooting 53.8% from the floor and recorded 5 assists. He saw the court for 34 minutes and also totaled 6 rebounds. He left the arena with 25 points on 7 of 13 shooting.

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Mercer will play this game with a mark of 18-11 so far this season. They have an average of 83.3 points per game (41st in D-1) while going 46.1% from the field. The Bears are connecting on 34.6% on shots from distance (259 of 749) and 73.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Mercer is pulling down 38.4 rebounds per game and has accounted for 411 dimes for the year, which ranks 128th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.6 times per game and as a unit they are committing 15.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Bears are forcing 12.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.9 personal fouls. They currently rank 161st in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 368 relinquished so far this year. The Bears are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.2% (778 of 1,803) and they concede 36.1 boards per game as a team. They are giving up 34.2% on 3-point shots while they are 229th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (75.3).

The last time they took the court, the Western Carolina Catamounts got the victory with a final of 81-62 against VMI. Concerning how they cleaned up the glass, Western Carolina allowed VMI to collect 25 overall (4 on the offensive glass). They went 37.9% from downtown by shooting 11 of 29 and ended up shooting 7 of 11 at the charity stripe (63.6%). The Catamounts permitted VMI to bury 22 of 56 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 39.3% for the contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Catamounts ended up going 28 for 62 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.2%. In reference to 3-point shots, Western Carolina buried 10 of 30 attempts (33.3%). They were able to knock down 15 of them for a clip of 88.2%. VMI committed 13 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Catamounts to the free throw line for 17 tries. They coughed up the ball 2 times, while getting 3 steals for the matchup. The Catamounts were able to corral 30 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 38 for the matchup.

Cord Stansberry pitched in for the Catamounts for this game. He racked up 17 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and earned 4 assists for the game. He made 6 out of 10 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and earned 11 rebounds.

Western Carolina has a win-loss mark of 12-15 so far this season. The Catamounts are committing 19.5 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 70.7% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 13.4 times per contest (226th in college) and they turn it over 11.5 times per game. Western Carolina has accounted for 2,124 pts this year (78.7 per game) and they snag 38.7 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Catamounts are shooting 44.6% from the floor, which is ranked 221st in Division 1.

The Western Carolina defense allows 36.5% on shots from beyond the arc (251 of 687) and opponents are connecting on 75.1% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 13.1 assists and 33.0 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 157th and 91st in the country. The Catamounts on the defensive side of the court are 300th in the country in points per game surrendered with 78.3. They have forced 10.9 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.7% from the floor (273rd in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Western Carolina

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