Citadel at East Tennessee State 2/20/18 - CBB Picks & Predictions

Duggar Baucom's running, gunning Bulldogs of The Citadel have lost four games in a row. Playing at the fastest tempo in the Southern Conference - and 2nd fastest in the nation - hasn't helped the Bulldogs defense and they lost to Baucom's old school, VMI, 75-71 over the weekend. East Tennessee State is the class of the SoCon yet again as coach Steve Forbes is likely to be a hot commodity on the coaching carousel this spring. The defending champion Bucs beat Western Carolina 72-61 over the weekend to push their lead to two games with three remaining.

The Citadel moves like a blur on the court, pushing the pace and piling up the points (84.2 ppg) in a tempo friendly to most visitors (89 ppg allowed. The Citadel ranks seventh in offensive efficiency and eighth in defensive efficiency, but took ETSU to the wire (73-71) in the first meeting. Zane Najdawi leads a balanced Bulldogs effort with 15 ppg. Matt Frierson chips in 13.8 ppg. ETSU is third in SoCon in offensive efficiency, hitting 39 percent of 3-point shots, and first in defensive efficiency. The Bucs score 76.4 ppg and allow 65.4 ppg. Desonta Bradford leads the squad with 15 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 3.5 apg. Jalan McCloud adds 11.9 ppg, 3.5 apg and shoots 39 percent on 3-pointers for the Bucs. ETSU has held its conference opponents to 43 percent on 2-pointers and 31 percent on 3-pointers to lead the SoCon in both categories.