Charlotte 49ers vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 2/17/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Charlotte 49ers vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022

Location: E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY

TV: CBSSN

The Charlotte 49ers (13-11) are on their way to E. A. Diddle Arena on Thursday where they will compete against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (15-11).

The Charlotte 49ers faced MTSU and went home with a loss by a final score of 78-63 in their last contest. Charlotte finished the contest having earned a 45.3% FG percentage (24 of 53) and buried 3 out of their 13 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the 49ers buried 12 of 14 tries for a percentage of 85.7%. Pertaining to rebounding, they compiled a total of 18 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 7 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 2 steals. With regard to defending, Charlotte allowed the other team to go 55.1% from the field on 27 of 49 shooting. MTSU dished out 12 assists and had 2 steals in this game. Additionally, MTSU grabbed 32 rebounds (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. MTSU ended up going 83.3% at the free throw line by converting 15 of 18 attempts. They made 9 of 17 tries from distance. In the matter of personal fouls, the 49ers ended up with 17 while MTSU accumulated 16 personal fouls.

Jahmir Young is someone who was a major contributor in the matchup. He ended up with 26 points on 10 out of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins and snagged 2 rebounds. He finished the game at 62.5% from the field and recorded 1 assist.

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Charlotte comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 13-11 this year. They have an average of 70.0 points per outing (211th in the country) while connecting on 46.6% from the floor. The 49ers are hitting 36.1% on 3-pointers (187 of 518) and 77.7% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Charlotte is pulling in 30.9 rebounds per game and has accumulated 342 assists so far this year, which is 134th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 11.7 times per contest and as a team are committing 14.0 personal fouls per contest.

On defense, the 49ers are forcing their opponents into 11.1 turnovers per game and they draw 14.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 128th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 291 conceded on the campaign. The 49ers defense is allowing a FG percentage of 46.2% (634 of 1,372) and they relinquish 32.7 rebounds per contest as a squad. They surrender 36.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 254th in college hoops in opponents PPG (71.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took home the win by a final score of 87-77 when they played Southern Miss. The Hilltoppers were able to snag 21 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 27 in this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while getting 8 steals for the matchup. Southern Miss had 18 personal fouls in this game which took the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for 23 tries. They were able to knock down 20 of those for a rate of 87.0%. Pertaining to shots from beyond the arc, Western Kentucky made 13 of 25 attempts (52.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Hilltoppers ended up shooting 27 for 54 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Hilltoppers permitted Southern Miss to knock down 30 out of 66 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 45.5% in this game. They wrapped up this game 40.0% from downtown by shooting 8 out of 20 and finished the game at 9 of 10 from the charity stripe (90.0%). Regarding how they rebounded, Western Kentucky allowed Southern Miss to pull down 36 in total (15 on the offensive glass).

Dayvion McKnight was important for the Hilltoppers in this matchup. He knocked down 9 out of 14 in this game for a field goal rate of 64.3%, and had 7 rebounds. He accumulated 26 points in his 38 minutes on the court and earned 5 dimes in this contest.

Western Kentucky has a win-loss record of 15-11 on the year. The Hilltoppers commit 11.9 fouls per game and they go 72.0% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 15.0 times per game (62nd in college hoops) and they are turning it over 12.6 times per contest. Western Kentucky has totaled 1,991 points on the campaign (76.6 per contest) and they grab 35.1 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hilltoppers are connecting on 47.7% from the field, which has them ranked 27th in college basketball.

The Western Kentucky defense surrenders 34.0% on 3-pointers (249 of 732) and opponents are connecting on 72.5% of their foul shots. They relinquish 15.8 dimes and 36.5 rebounds per game, which is 342nd and 285th in the country. The Hilltoppers on the defensive end are ranked 202nd in the nation in points per game surrendered with 69.8. They have forced 14.6 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.8% from the field (119th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Charlotte

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