Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Charlotte 49ers Prediction, 1/1/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Charlotte 49ers

Date: Friday, January 1, 2021

Location: Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Western Kentucky (-5.5)

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7-2) travel to Dale F. Halton Arena on Friday where they'll take on the Charlotte 49ers (4-3). The line on this contest has Western Kentucky as 5.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 137.

Western Kentucky heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 7-2 on the campaign. They turn it over 12.9 times per contest and as a group they commit 16.1 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Western Kentucky is pulling in 39.0 rebounds per contest and has racked up 126 assists so far this season, which is 84th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Hilltoppers are hitting 31.1% on three-point attempts (52 of 167) and 77.2% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 77.4 points per outing (100th in Division 1) while going 44.9% from the floor. On defense, the Hilltoppers are able to force 14.4 turnovers every game while drawing 18.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 41.5% on shots from downtown while they are 234th in D-1 in PPG allowed (73.1). The Hilltoppers defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 44.3% (233 of 526) and they relinquish 31.7 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 273rd in college hoops in giving up assists with 120 surrendered so far this year.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers faced the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and notched a win by a score of 88-68 in their last game. Western Kentucky ended the game having earned a 46.2% field goal percentage (30 out of 65) and knocked down 9 of their 24 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Hilltoppers buried 19 of 22 attempts for a percentage of 86.4%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 38 with 9 of them being offensive. They also doled out 18 assists in this matchup as well as getting 6 steals and 2 blocks. In terms of defending, Western Kentucky let their opponent shoot 46.2% from the floor on 30 out of 65 shooting. Tennessee Tech earned 13 dimes and had 4 steals for this game. On top of that, the Golden Eagles pulled down 29 rebounds (5 offensive, 24 defensive) and had 2 blocked shots. Tennessee Tech finished the contest at 71.4% from the charity stripe by knocking down 10 of their 14 shots. They also buried 6 out of their 18 shots from beyond the arc.

Luke Frampton is someone who was a factor in this contest. He ended up scoring 22 points on 6 out of 9 shooting. He played 23 mins and snagged 5 rebounds. Frampton finished the game shooting 66.7% from the field and also distributed 2 assists. An additional guy that was a contributor in this matchup for the Hilltoppers was Josh Anderson. He collected 6 boards and also collected 4 assists. He went 83.3% from the field for the matchup by shooting 5-of-6 (14 points). When all was said and done, Anderson played for 26 minutes.

Charlotte has a win-loss mark of 4-3 for the season. The 49ers are committing 15.6 fouls per game while shooting 71.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.4 times per contest (236th in Division 1) and they lose possession via turnover 12.0 times per game. Charlotte has earned 462 points so far this year (66.0 per contest) and they average 31.7 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the 49ers are shooting 45.6% from the field, which has them ranked 153rd in college hoops. The 49ers on defense are ranked 36th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 61.7. They relinquish 11.7 dimes and 29.9 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 103rd and 26th in those categories on the defensive end. The Charlotte defense gives up 30.7% from downtown (51 of 166) and opponents are knocking down 79.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are able to force 12.6 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.0% from the field (115th in Division 1).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Charlotte 49ers got the victory with a final of 66-65 when they faced the George Washington Colonials. The 49ers earned 19 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 29 in the game. They rejected 3 attempts while getting 9 steals in the game. The Colonials earned 12 fouls in this game which got the 49ers to the charity stripe for 17 tries. They were able to convert 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 58.8%. With regard to 3-pointers, Charlotte buried 6 out of 13 tries (46.2%). Overall, the 49ers ended up shooting 25 for 52 from the floor which gave them a rate of 48.1%. The 49ers permitted the Colonials to bury 25 out of 52 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 48.1% in this matchup. They wrapped up this game 35.0% from beyond the perimeter via 7 of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 8 of 9 at the free throw line (88.9%). Concerning team rebounding, Charlotte permitted George Washington to pull down 26 overall (5 on the offensive side).

Jahmir Young ended up being a factor for the 49ers in this game. He knocked down 7 of 20 for the matchup for a rate of 35.0%, which gave him 21 points. Young collected 4 boards in his 38 mins played and had 2 assists for this contest. One more player that was important for Charlotte was Jordan Shepherd. He walked away with 16 points in 37 minutes on the hardwood by going 6 out of 10 from the floor in this game. Shepherd ended the game having shot 60.0% from the field while also totaling 3 assists and 5 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Charlotte (+5.5)

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