Saturday’s game between the Samford Bulldogs (11-3, 1-0 SoCon) and the Western Carolina Catamounts (4-8, 0-1 SoCon) at Ramsey Regional Activity Center should be a one-sided matchup, as our computer prediction projects a final score of 83-71 and heavily favors Samford to come out on top. Tipoff is at 3:00 PM ET on January 4.

According to our computer prediction, Western Carolina is projected to cover the spread (12.5) against Samford. The two teams are projected to go under the 160.5 total.

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Samford vs. Western Carolina Game Info & Odds

• Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025
• Time: 3:00 PM ET
• TV: ESPN+
• Live stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
• Where: Cullowhee, North Carolina
• Venue: Ramsey Regional Activity Center
• Line: Samford -12.5
• Point total: 160.5
• Moneyline (to win): Samford -901, Western Carolina +570

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Samford vs. Western Carolina Score Prediction

• Prediction:
  Samford 83, Western Carolina 71

Spread & Total Prediction for Samford vs. Western Carolina

• Pick ATS: Western Carolina (+12.5)
• Pick OU: Under (160.5)

Samford is 6-6-0 against the spread, while Western Carolina’s ATS record this season is 3-6-0. The Bulldogs have a 7-5-0 record going over the point total, while games involving the Catamounts have a record of 5-4-0 when it comes to hitting the over. The two teams put up 158.1 points per game combined, 2.4 fewer than this matchup’s total.

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Samford Performance Insights

• The Bulldogs’ +175 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 12.5 points per game) is a result of scoring 88.8 points per game (fourth in college basketball) while giving up 76.3 per outing (301st in college basketball).
• The 32.8 rebounds per game Samford averages rank 198th in the nation. Its opponents record 33.1 per contest.
• Samford knocks down 4.2 more threes per contest than the opposition, 12.1 (third-most in college basketball) compared to its opponents’ 7.9.
• The Bulldogs rank 47th in college basketball by averaging 104.0 points per 100 possessions on offense, and defensively are 146th in college basketball, allowing 89.4 points per 100 possessions.
• Samford has won the turnover battle by 4.1 turnovers per game, committing 12.4 (262nd in college basketball play) while forcing 16.5 (fourth in college basketball).

Western Carolina Performance Insights

• The Catamounts have a -97 scoring differential, falling short by 8.0 points per game. They’re putting up 69.3 points per game, 309th in college basketball, and are giving up 77.3 per contest to rank 315th in college basketball.
• Western Carolina wins the rebound battle by 5.0 boards on average. It collects 36.3 rebounds per game, 42nd in college basketball, while its opponents grab 31.3.
• Western Carolina hits 9.1 three-pointers per game (83rd in college basketball) at a 29.3% rate (337th in college basketball), compared to the 9.3 its opponents make, shooting 33.6% from beyond the arc.
• Western Carolina has had more turnovers than its opponents this season, committing 16.7 per game (360th in college basketball) while forcing 12.0 (178th in college basketball).

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