The Mercer Bears will play at Utah State for the CIT title and they opened as 5-point underdogs on the road.
Mercer lost home-court advantage here because the Aggies boasted a higher RPI rank. But Mercer has been very tough on the road a fact that the CIT final odds menu does not fully respect.
Expect the point spread to hold tight at Sportsbook pending any injury developments before Wednesday night.
The Bears will look to vanquish their hosts on Wednesday, as they are 6-3 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Aggies are 15-13-2 ATS. Mercer is 1-8 against the total, while Utah State is 18-12 versus the number.
View Mercer vs Utah State Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 104-rated Mercer taking on the No. 115-rated Aggies in this contest. The scores prediction computer here indicates a possible 71-70 win for the Bears on Wednesday.
How They Match Up:
Scoring and defensive stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Utah State's No. 144-ranked scoring average of 69 PPG, against a Bears defense rated No. 62 and allowing 62.7 PPG. The Aggies FG% has averaged 47.7% to date this season, more than the Bears shooters have managed so far (45.8% per game).
Defensively, Mercer features the nation's No. 149-rated defense on the road, allowing 69 points per game. Utah State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 119 nationally in scoring at home.
In their last action, Mercer was a 64-59 Sportsbook on the road against Fairfield. They covered the 6-point spread as underdogs. Mercer earned a 64-59 victory over Fairfield on Saturday, getting 13 points from Bud Thomas at Webster Bank Arena.
Utah State was a 105-81 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Oakland. They covered the 5-point spread as favorites. The battle between the Aggies and Grizzlies didn’t turn out to be much of a battle at all as Oakland was handed a 105-81 defeat on Sunday at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
