The No. 18-ranked Oregon Ducks opened up the season with a solid 82-75 win over the Georgetown Hoyas in South Korea last Friday night. The Ducks were actually underdogs in the matchup and came out looking to prove that they are in fact a legitimate national title contender that can improve on last season’s surprising Sweet 16 run. Oregon will begin the year with five straight home games and two neutral-site games. The team will not play on the road until Dec. 8 when they travel to the HTC Center to play the Ole Miss Rebels. Until then, the Ducks hope to stay undefeated and begin climbing the Top 25 rankings

The Western Carolina Catamounts already have two victories to start the year and will be returning all five starters from last season. Wednesday’s matchup will be the first time in school history that the Catamounts have faced the Ducks. The team has also never beaten a Top 25 team, and they will be looking to pull off an impressive upset against Oregon. Let’s take a closer look at the Catamounts versus Ducks matchup and figure out which side of the very large spread has the most value to wager on.

Western Carolina at Oregon Betting Story Lines

Western Carolina is returning many of their players from last years 14-19 team. But the Catamounts will have to play without the Southern Conference’s second-leading scorer from last season, Trey Sumler, who is suspended due to offseason assault chargers. Sumler averaged 18.4 points per game last season and ran much of the offense for Western Carolina, and in his absence the Catamounts will probably struggle to score points. The team has only made the NCAA Tournament once in the school’s history and is currently on a 17-year postseason drought.

The school has managed to play well during the first two games of the year and had a 22-point victory during their home opener. The Catamounts are also coming off seven-point win during their second outing against the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs. The team had three players score double-digit points and was led by James Sinclair, who scored 17 points and added five steals and five assists.

Oregon earned an impressive victory over the Hoyas during opening night of the college basketball season. The team was led by Joseph Young, who had 24 points and five rebounds on the night. Ducks forward Mike Moser also had an excellent game with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, six steals and one block. Oregon had three players score in double-figures and received points from seven of their nine players dressed for the game. One area where the team is looking to improve on is their three-point shooting. The Ducks went 6-22 from beyond the arc against Georgetown, which led to a multiple fast break opportunities.

Western Carolina at Oregon NCAA Betting Odds and Key Trends

Oregon opened as a 17-point favorite, according to BetOnline, and the total was off the board. Western Carolina is 8-1 ATS during their last nine Wednesday games and is 14-6 over their last 20 games on the road. The “under” has also come in 16 times during the team’s last 21 nonconference games. The Ducks have a 2-6-1 ATS record in their last nine home games, and the under has come in nine times during their last 13 home games.

Free College Basketball Picks: Western Carolina at Oregon Predictions

Large spreads are standard affairs in college basketball, especially for teams that are so mismatched with talent. The Ducks are a Top 25 school that could easily creep into the Top 10 as the season wears on. The only concerning part of this matchup is that Western Carolina will be starting five experienced players that might be able to keep the game in the low double-digits. However, the Catamounts are a small school that rarely plays a ranked team throughout the year and will probably get overwhelming by an Oregon squad that is looking to start out the year on an impressive note. The Ducks understand that they are up against the Kentuckys and Dukes of the world and need to continue to win impressively. The spread may be large, but expect Oregon to cover.

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