Davidson vs. Charleston Prediction and Odds for Thursday, November 17 (Offenses Should Dominate)
By Peter Dewey
The undefeated Davidson Wildcats take on the College of Charleston Cougars on Thursday night in what should be a fun matchup between two high-powered offenses.
Davidson comes into this game off a narrow win against VMI, and the team has played back-to-back close games, beating Wright State by just five points in its second game of the season.
The Wildcats will go as far as senior guard Foster Loyer takes them. He’s off to an insane start this season, averaging 28.3 points per game, but the team has gotten steady contributions up and down the roster with Sam Mennega, Grant Huffman and freshman Reed Bailey all averaging in double figures this season.
Charleston is no slouch of an opponent for the Wildcats, as the Cougars gave No. 2 North Carolina a scare on Friday, before losing by 16 points. Charleston led by seven at the half in that game.
Sophomore guard Reyne Smith (18.3 points per game) and senior guard Dalton Bolon (13.3 points per game) pace this high-powered attack that has scored at least 85 points in each of its first three games.
Here are the odds for Thursday’s matchup:
Davidson vs. Charleston Odds, Spread and Total
Davidson vs. Charleston Prediction and Pick
This matchup has “bet the OVER” written all over it, and it’s mainly because Charleston has no interest in defending and much more in pushing the pace.
The Cougars play at the No. 9 adjusted tempo in the nation, per KenPom, and they ranks 266th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. That’s going to be problematic against a Davidson team that is 60th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and had multiple scorer options, led by Loyer.
I’m not interested in backing a side here given how Charleston hung tough with UNC, but I expect both teams to push into the 80s in this game, especially since Charleston has yet to score less than 85 points in a matchup.
Davison has put up 87, 102 and 75 points in its first four games, and the team is 27th in the country in field goal percentage from 2-point range. The Wildcats should get whatever they want against this soft Charleston defense, especially if the Cougars aim to run and gun tonight.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.