College hoops betting interest focuses on the Western Carolina vs The Citadel battle Friday at US Cellular Center as the Catamounts look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.

This game is part of the Southern Tournament which will decide the conference champion and help decide March Madness seedings. This matchup is a neutral-site affair being played at US Cellular Center.

The Catamounts currently sports a 13-18 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 13-13-1 ATS. The Bulldogs are 8-21 and 12-10-2 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Catamounts produce a 10-13 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Bulldogs have gone 12-10-1 against the number.



View The Citadel vs Western Carolina Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Catamounts were listed as 8.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark earlier in the day. It opened first at Sportsbook, where the total was expected shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Catamounts sit at No. 195 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Bulldogs sit at No. 342 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Catamounts will win this game 69-60.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Western Carolina has the nation's No. 132-rated offensive output, at 69.1 PPG. The visiting Bulldogs defense ranks No. 317 allowing on average 73.1 PPG. The Catamounts FG% has averaged 43% so far, less than the Bulldogs marksmen have achieved on the year, 45.3% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, The Citadel owns the country's No. 326-rated mark, allowing 78.2 points per game on the highway. Western Carolina, on the other hand, rates No. 198 in scoring at home.

The Citadel lost its last outing, a 69-62 result against Wofford on March 2. They covered in that game as a 12-point underdog. Mike Groselle scored 17 points in a futile effort to lead the Bulldogs to a win (they lost 69-62 to Wofford at Benjamin Johnson Arena on Saturday).

Last time out for Western Carolina, they were a 56-54 Sportsbook as they battled Samford at home. They failed to cover in the match as a 6-point favorite. Tawaski King scored 12 points leading the Catamounts to a 56-54 victory over Samford at Ramsey Center on Saturday.


The Citadel Bulldogs Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
After playing Wofford are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

Western Carolina Catamounts Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
After playing Samford are 7-2
After a win are 4-6

A few Bulldogs at Catamounts trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Western Carolina's last 5 games when playing The Citadel