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The Charlotte 49ers and Eastern Kentucky Colonels meet for the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) title on Wednesday. The matchup takes place at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, and both teams are playing well at the end of the season. Charlotte is 21-14 overall and 7-3 in the last 10 games. Eastern Kentucky is 23-13 overall and 10-4 in the last 14 contests.

Tip-off is at 5 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists Charlotte as a 5.5-point favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 133 in the latest Charlotte vs. Eastern Kentucky odds. Before you make any Eastern Kentucky vs. Charlotte picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters this week 83-54 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season, returning more than $1,500 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Eastern Kentucky vs. Charlotte. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Charlotte vs. Eastern Kentucky:

  • Charlotte vs. Eastern Kentucky spread: Charlotte -5.5
  • Charlotte vs. Eastern Kentucky over/under: 133 points
  • Charlotte vs. Eastern Kentucky money line: Charlotte -225, EKU +185
  • CLT: The 49ers are 7-2 against the spread in the last nine games
  • EKU: The Colonels have covered the spread in five straight games
  • Charlotte vs. Eastern Kentucky picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Charlotte can cover

Charlotte was the best shooting team in Conference USA this season. The 49ers shot 37.5% from 3-point range in conference play and also converted almost 53% of shot attempts inside the arc. Charlotte also excels in ball security, committing a turnover on fewer than 17% of offensive possessions. Eastern Kentucky is poor on the defensive glass, grabbing fewer than 71% of available rebounds, and Charlotte is elite on the other end with a 75.7% defensive rebound rate. 

The 49ers are also in the top 20 of the country in free throw rate allowed and opponents shoot only 49.7% from 2-point range against Charlotte. Charlotte yields only 9.6 assists per game, and the 49ers should benefit from Eastern Kentucky's shortcomings on offense. The Colonels are making fewer than 66% of free throw attempts this season, and Eastern Kentucky is well below the national average in free throw creation rate, 2-point accuracy, and 3-point accuracy.

Why Eastern Kentucky can cover 

The Colonels are above-average on the defensive end, yielding about 1.02 points per possession for the full season. Eastern Kentucky ranked in the top third of the ASUN in adjusted defensive efficiency and led the conference with a 13.4% block rate. Eastern Kentucky also gave up only 47.8% 2-point shooting and 33.6% from 3-point range in conference play, with the Colonels forcing a turnover on well over 18% of defensive trips. The Colonels are also in the top 40 nationally in free throw rate allowed, effectively keeping opponents away from the charity stripe. 

On offense, Eastern Kentucky is averaging 96 points per game in the CBI and coming off a 51% shooting performance with only nine turnovers in the win over Southern Utah. The Colonels secure one-third of missed shots on the offensive glass, and Eastern Kentucky has a very strong turnover rate of less than 17% this season.

How to make Eastern Kentucky vs. Charlotte picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 142 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Charlotte vs. Eastern Kentucky? And which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.