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The East Tennessee State Buccaneers will try to stay near the top in the Southern Conference when they hit the road to face the Western Carolina Catamounts on Wednesday afternoon at Ramsey Regional Activity Center in Cullowhee, N.C. The Buccaneers (7-5, 3-1) sit in third place in the conference, behind only Furman (10-3, 4-0) and Wofford (8-4, 5-1). ETSU is coming off a 92-81 win over VMI on Monday. Meanwhile, Western Carolina (7-5, 0-3) occupies last place in the 10-team Southern Conference. The Catamounts enter Wednesday's game on a three-game losing streak. 

Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET. The Buccaneers are favored by 1.5-points in the latest ETSU vs. Western Carolina odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 146. Before making any Western Carolina vs. ETSU picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on ETSU vs. Western Carolina. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Western Carolina vs. ETSU:

  • ETSU vs. Western Carolina spread: ETSU -1.5
  • ETSU vs. Western Carolina over-under: 146 points
  • ETSU vs. Western Carolina money line: ETSU -125, Western Carolina +105
  • ETSU: The team leads the conference in field goal percentage defense (40.1)
  • WCU: Mason Faulkner leads the team in scoring (17.0 points per game)

Why East Tennessee State can cover 

East Tennessee State has dominated the series against Western Carolina over the years. In fact, the Buccaneers have won 12 consecutive games against the Catamounts and 29 of the last 30 meetings. The average margin of victory during the 12-game winning streak is 13.9 points.

In addition, East Tennessee State has one of the best defenses -- if not the best defense -- in the Southern Conference. The Buccaneers allow opponents to shoot just 40.1 percent from the field, which leads the conference. They also give up just 100.0 points per 100 possessions, which ranks second in the conference behind only UNC Greensboro (96.7).

Why Western Carolina can cover

Western Carolina has a high-scoring trio in Mason Faulkner, Matt Halvorsen and Xavier Cork. A 6-foot-1 senior from Glasgow, Ky., Faulkner leads the team and ranks seventh in the conference in scoring, at 17.6 points per game. Halvorsen and Cork add 15.4 and 15.0 points per game, respectively. The Catamounts are the only team to have three players ranked in the top 14 in scoring in the conference.

Western Carolina should also get a boost from playing its first home game since Dec. 6. The Catamounts are 3-0 at home and are outsourcing their opponents by 15.4 points on their home court. However, Western Carolina is just 4-5 in road or neutral-site games this season. Since their last home game, the Catamounts are just 2-4.

How to make ETSU vs. Western Carolina picks

The model is leaning over on the total, projecting both teams will combine to score 148 points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that is hitting in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Western Carolina vs. ETSU? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the ETSU vs. Western Carolina spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.