East Tennessee State vs. Samford betting: College basketball preview for Jan. 17

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

SoCon foes square off when the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (12-6, 4-1 SoCon) visit the Samford Bulldogs (9-9, 2-3 SoCon) at Pete Hanna Center, tipping off at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 17, 2026. The Bulldogs are 3.5-point underdogs in the game. The point total in the matchup is set at 148.5.

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East Tennessee State Cover -3.5 vs Samford -105

Bet $20, Payout $39.05

East Tennessee State vs. Samford betting lines

  • East Tennessee State moneyline odds to win: -164
  • Samford moneyline odds to win: +138
  • Spread: East Tennessee State (-3.5)
  • Total: 148.5

East Tennessee State statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • Against the spread, East Tennessee State has performed better when playing at home, covering six times in nine home games, and two times in seven road games.
  • The Buccaneers have hit the over on the total in a higher percentage of home games (44.4%) than road games (42.9%).
  • As a moneyline favorite, East Tennessee State has won eight of nine games at home, good for a .889 winning percentage. It has won one of four games away from home (.250) as a moneyline favorite.

Recent trends

  • In their last 10 games, the Buccaneers have been putting up 76.3 points per contest, an average that’s slightly lower than the 78.2 they’ve scored over the course of the 2025-26 season.
  • East Tennessee State’s defense has been more porous as of late, as the team has given up 68.0 points per game during its past 10 compared to the 66.5 points per game its opponents are averaging on the season.
  • During their last 10 contests, the Buccaneers are making the same number of three-pointers per game as their season long average (7.7), while shooting a higher percentage from beyond the arc in that span (34.4% compared to 33.6% season-long).

East Tennessee State betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 8-8-0 (Home: 6-3-0; Away: 2-5-0)
  • ATS Record When Favored by 3.5+: 7-6-0 (As Favorite: 7-6-0; As Underdog: 1-2-0)
  • O-U-P: 7-9-0 (Home: 4-5-0; Away: 3-4-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 9-4 (Home: 8-1; Away: 1-3)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-2 (Home: 0-0; Away: 1-2)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
48.9 (38th in nation) 40.5 (47th) 31.4 (252nd) 29.6 (105th) 14.8 (150th) 10.3 (80th)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on East Tennessee State vs. Samford? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

Samford statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • Samford has performed better against the spread on the road (4-5-0) than at home (1-4-0) this season.
  • Looking at the over/under, Bulldogs games have gone over two of five times at home (40%), and six of nine away (66.7%).
  • As moneyline underdogs, the Bulldogs have won the same percentage of games (.000) at home (0-1) and on the road (0-5).

Recent trends

  • While the Bulldogs are averaging 77.7 points per game in 2025-26, they have bettered that mark in their previous 10 games, tallying 78.0 a contest.
  • Samford has played better defensively over its previous 10 games, surrendering 75.1 points per contest, 1.3 fewer points than its season average of 76.4 allowed.
  • Over their past 10 games, the Bulldogs are draining 8.6 three-pointers per contest, 0.6 fewer threes than their season average (9.2). They also have a worse three-point percentage over their last 10 contests (32.5%) compared to their season average (33.0%).

Samford betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 6-10-0 (Home: 1-4-0; Away: 4-5-0)
  • ATS Record When Underdog by 3.5+: 1-4-0 (As Favorite: 5-4-0; As Underdog: 1-6-0)
  • O-U-P: 8-8-0 (Home: 2-3-0; Away: 6-3-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 7-2 (Home: 3-1; Away: 3-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 0-7 (Home: 0-1; Away: 0-5)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
43.4 (280th in nation) 43.5 (167th) 33.1 (173rd) 35.1 (338th) 14.9 (140th) 8.8 (sixth)
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