East Tennessee State vs Samford Prediction College Basketball Picks 2/24/24

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers and the Samford Bulldogs meet Saturday in college basketball action from Pete Hanna Center. East Tennessee State sits at .500 through 28 games so far following a win over VMI on Wednesday. As for Samford, they’re coming off a win over Furman that improved the Bulldogs to 24-4 overall. Let’s get into our East Tennessee State vs. Samford prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Pick Dawgz.

East Tennessee State Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have been hovering around the .500 mark since late January when they were 10-10 through 20 outings. East Tennessee State is 4-4 since then with wins over Mercer, the Citadel, Wofford and VMI alongside losses to Samford, Furman, Chattanooga and Western Carolina.

In the VMI matchup on Wednesday, the Buccaneers stormed out to a 52-30 halftime lead. East Tennessee State was outscored 39-30 from there but held on for the win 82-69 all the same. Ebby Asamoah was the leading team scorer on his 21 points and five rebounds.

Samford Bulldogs

Over on the Samford side, they lost to only Purdue, VCU and Furman during a 17-3 start. The Bulldogs beat East Tennessee State, Wofford, Chattanooga, UNC Greensboro, VMI, Western Carolina and Furman (with a loss to Mercer) over the next eight outings.

In their latest matchup versus Furman on Wednesday, the Bulldogs held a four-point edge in the locker room. Samford had to scramble during a 46-44 second half but still held on for the win 74-72. Rylan Jones led the team in scoring with 17 points, four assists, five rebounds and three steals.

ANDREW’S FREE EAST TENNESSEE STATE VS SAMFORD PREDICTION

I’ll stick with Samford. The Bulldogs weren’t exactly perfect in their last matchup versus Furman, but everything worked out well in the end. Samford shot 48.1 percent from the field with 32 rebounds and 18 assists in that one, but also gave up 14 turnovers. Still, it was a solid bounce-back effort after a road loss to Mercer last weekend.

It was a close outcome the last time these teams met up; Samford eked out a 75-72 road win back on January 27. The Bulldogs shot well in that one (52.8 percent) but also got out-hustled on the boards 40-30. I like another strong effort in a cover from Samford during the rematch.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Samford Bulldogs -12