Mercyhurst vs San Francisco Game Information

Mercyhurst vs San Francisco Preview

San Francisco (5-2, 4-0 at Home) welcomes Mercyhurst (4-4, 1-4 on Road) to the City By the Bay on Sunday afternoon for a WCC-NEC matchup. This is the first season playing at the Division I level for Mercyhurst who call Erie, Pennsylvania home. The Lakers played in Division II last year and won’t be eligible to participate in the NCAA Tournament (or the NIT) until 2028-29. The esteemed Ken Pomeroy Ratings have Mercyhurst ranked No. 357 of 364 DI teams. The Lakers have lost 3 of their last 4 games, falling at Cal by 26 in their last game (81-55), by 34 at Air Force (82-48) and by 14 at Columbia (77-63). Their lone win over that span was to the Mount Aloysius Mounties (98-45), a private Division III school from Cresson, Pennsylvania who plays in the AMCC. The Dons have lost 2 of their last 3, beating Fordham by 21 in their last game (85-64) but losing back-to-back games to Clemson (70-55) and Memphis (68-64).

Mercyhurst Will Get No Mercy From the Dons in SF

Mercyhurst (3-1-1 ATS, 2-3-0 O/U) is new to the Point Spread game, so College Hoops bettors will need to follow the Lakers very closely as this early profitable start may be deceiving. Leading Mercyhurst in scoring heading in here are F Jeff Planutis (13.2 ppg), F Aidan Reichert (11.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg), G Bernie Blunt III (8.9 ppg), F Mykolas Ivanausjas (7.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and G Jake Lemeiman (7.4 ppg). The Lakers average 68.9 ppg (Tied #315) and allowed 68.5 and have been a poor Rebounding team with an average of just 28.8 rpg, ranked No. 438. This weakness on the glass may come to hurt Mercyhurst.

Mercyhurst Betting Trends

• Mercyhurst won its first 3 games ATS (GW, MORG, CAN)
• The Under is 4-2-0 in the Lakers 6 games
• The Lakers have played 2 non-lined games (HOUGH, MTLAO)
• The Lakers have been Underdogs in all 6 games they have played
• Mercyhurst has lost its last 2 games ATS (AFA, CAL)

San Francisco Looks to Rebound vs. Lakers

San Francisco (4-3-0 ATS, 3-4-0 O/U) is led by G Malik Thomas (15.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), G Tyrone Riley IV (13.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G Marcus Williams (12.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg), F Ndewedo Newbury (10.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg), F Junjia Wang (7.4 ppg), and C Carlton Linguard Jr. (6.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg). The Dons are averaging 77.1 ppg (Tied #168) while allowing 63.4 ppg and San Francisco averages 15.3 Assists Per Game (Tied #117) and 36.1 Rebounds Per Game (Tied #222). Playing in the West Coast Conference (WCC) with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, the Dons (23-11 SU, 19-14 ATS in 2023-24) cut their teeth in an underrated DI conference. This team is now ranked No. 65 by Pomeroy. 

San Francisco Betting Trends

• San Francisco is 25 -9 in its last 34 First Half Moneyline (+13.00 Units, 5% ROI)
• The Over is 13-7 in the last 20 SF Home games (+5.30 Units, 24% ROI) 
• San Francisco is 13-4 on the Moneyline in last 17 at Home (+8.60 Units, 3% ROI)
• The Dons are 22-12 ATS in their last 34 in the First Half (+8.25 Units, 21% ROI)
• The Under is 5-1 in the last 6 San Francisco games 

Mercyhurst vs San Francisco Prediction

The angle on this handicap is comparing the Margin of Victory to two other recent Road games Mercyhurst has played—the 26-point crunching at Cal (81-55) and the telling 34-point loss at Air Force (82-48). At Halftime vs the Bears, the Lakers trailed by 18 (41-23) while at the Flyboys, they were down just 7 after 20 minutes (31-24) but were fumigated in the Second Half by AFA, 51-24. Mercyhurst was outrebounded in that game 38-18, so against the Dons they will get no missed shots in the paint. This Mercyhurst vs San Francisco free NCAAB pick will be to lay the points with the Home team which has a tendency to cover ATS at home, especially vs weaker opponents as we saw against fellow NEC side Chicago State in November. This one could get ugly early on and a First Half wager might also be a good stocking stuffer. This is a good game to bet on.

Kevin’s Pick: San Francisco -28.5