The East Tennessee State Buccaneers (19-15) and Samford Bulldogs (27-5) meet in the Southern Conference (SoCon) Championship Game Monday at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the East Tennessee State vs. Samford odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Seventh-seeded East Tennessee has made an impressive run to the final, topping VMI, UNC Greensboro and Chattanooga, while covering all 3 games. The Over is also 3-0 for the Buccaneers in the SoCon Tourney, and 6-1 across their past 7 games overall. That includes an 87-71 loss at Samford Feb. 24 as the Over (148) connected.
The Bulldogs, who had a bye as the No. 1 seed, ousted Mercer and Furman on their way to the title game, covering both outings — the O/U went 1-1. The Over is 4-1 in their previous 5 contests, which started with the February win against ETSU.
The Buccaneers are trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. They are 2-11 all time in the NCAA Tourney, starting with their first appearance in 1968 — a 79-69 victory vs. Florida State.