A berth in the NCAA Tournament is at stake when the Samford Bulldogs take on the ETSU Buccaneers in the Southern Conference Tournament Championship Game on Monday. Samford (28-5, 15-3), which won its second straight regular-season conference title, knocked off Furman 84-77 in the semifinals. ETSU (19-15, 8-10) overcame a 20-point deficit in the second half against Chattanooga to post an 85-84 victory in overtime. The Bulldogs swept the regular-season series, recording a three-point win on the road and an 87-71 triumph at home.

Tip-off at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Samford vs. ETSU odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 147 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any ETSU vs. Samford picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters 2024 conference championship week on a 145-104 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 28-18 (+820) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows Samford is looking to make its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2000, when it lost to Syracuse in the first round. Junior forward Achor Achor led the Bulldogs with a double-double in their semifinal win against Furman, scoring a game-high 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting while pulling down a career high-tying 14 rebounds. Senior guard Jaden Campbell, who recorded 28 points against ETSU on Feb. 24, had 14 in Sunday's victory. 

The model also is aware that ETSU, which won its 11th conference tournament championship in 2019-20, hopes to become the first team since Clemson in 1939 to register four victories in the SoCon Tournament. Junior guard Quimari Peterson and senior guard Ebby Asamoah each nailed five 3-pointers against Chattanooga and finished with 27 and 21 points, respectively. The Buccaneers are riding a five-game winning streak after having lost four of their previous five contests.

Now, the model has set its sights on Samford vs. ETSU. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Samford vs. ETSU, and which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the ETSU vs. Samford spread you should be all over Monday, all from the model that's on a 28-18 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!