Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles Prediction, 12/30/2021 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Date: Thursday, December 30, 2021

Location: Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, MS

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-5) are on their way to Reed Green Coliseum on Thursday where they will attempt to beat the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (4-8).

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers faced off with Kentucky and ended up losing by a score of 95-60 in their last game. Western Kentucky wrapped up the contest with a 32.8% field goal percentage (21 of 64) and converted 3 out of their 20 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Hilltoppers knocked down 15 of their 19 attempts for a rate of 78.9%. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they collected a total of 25 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 5 assists in the game as well as forcing 16 turnovers and getting 12 steals. When talking about defending, Western Kentucky allowed their opponent to shoot 55.9% from the field on 38 out of 68 shooting. Kentucky dished out 27 dimes and had 5 steals for the matchup. In addition, Kentucky grabbed 46 rebounds (14 offensive, 32 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Kentucky ended up going 76.9% when shooting free throws by making 10 of their 13 tries. They also knocked down 9 of 20 shots from beyond the arc. Concerning fouls, the Hilltoppers finished with 15 and Kentucky finished the game with 17 fouls.

Josh Anderson is one player who played a role in the game. He finished shooting 54.5% from the field and also earned 1 assist. He was on the court for 31 minutes and also snagged 1 board. He walked away with 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

Western Kentucky enters this contest with a record of 8-5 for the year. They are averaging 77.2 pts per contest (78th in D-1) while hitting 47.0% from the field. The Hilltoppers are hitting 32.1% from downtown (93 of 290) and 70.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, Western Kentucky is snagging 37.5 boards per contest and has accounted for 204 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 35th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 14.1 times per game and as a unit they commit 12.2 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Hilltoppers are forcing their opponents into 16.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.2 fouls. They rank 327th in college hoops in giving up assists with 189 surrendered so far this season. The Hilltoppers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 39.6% (334 of 843) and they concede 38.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They surrender 32.0% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 173rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (67.9).

The last time they took the court, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles took a defeat with a final score of 68-67 against East Carolina. The Golden Eagles were able to corral 24 defensive boards and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 in this contest. They also gave up possession 13 times, while earning 2 steals in the matchup. East Carolina earned 11 personal fouls in this game which got the Golden Eagles to the free throw line for a total of 3 tries. They were able to convert 3 of them for a rate of 100.0%. When talking about shooting from downtown, Southern Miss buried 8 out of 23 tries (34.8%). At the conclusion of this game, the Golden Eagles finished the game shooting 28 for 56 from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. The Golden Eagles permitted East Carolina to knock down 23 of their 58 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 39.7% for this contest. They went 25.0% from 3-point land via 4 out of 16 and finished the game at 18 out of 24 from the charity stripe (75.0%). In relation to how they rebounded, Southern Miss allowed East Carolina to collect 30 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

Tyler Stevenson ended up being a factor for the Golden Eagles for the contest. He made 7 of 12 in the game giving him a rate of 58.3%, and totaled 8 rebounds. He had 16 points in his 35 minutes on the court and earned 1 assist for the contest.

Southern Miss has a win-loss record of 4-8 for the year. As an offense, the Golden Eagles are connecting on 42.7% from the field, which ranks 251st in college basketball. Southern Miss has totaled 736 points so far this season (61.3 per contest) and they snag 35.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.6 times per game (236th in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.2 times per contest. The Golden Eagles commit 15.8 personal fouls every game while shooting 66.1% from the charity stripe.

The Southern Miss defense allows 34.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (105 of 309) and opponents are knocking down 69.8% of their free throw shots. They concede 13.9 dimes and 36.6 total boards per game, which is 266th and 267th in college basketball. The Golden Eagles on the defensive end are ranked 226th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 70.1. They are forcing 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 41.8% from the field (152nd in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Miss

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here