Marshall Thundering Herd vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 3/5/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Marshall Thundering Herd vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022

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

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (18-12) will compete against the Marshall Thundering Herd (11-19) at E. A. Diddle Arena on Saturday.

The Marshall Thundering Herd faced Western Kentucky and ended up losing by a score of 86-72 in their last contest. Marshall wrapped up the contest having earned a 44.6% FG percentage (29 out of 65) and converted 9 out of their 25 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Thundering Herd converted 5 of their 10 attempts for a rate of 50.0%. Concerning pulling down rebounds, they earned 28 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 16 dimes in this game as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With regard to defense, Marshall allowed the other team to shoot 57.6% from the floor on 38 of 66 shooting. Western Kentucky distributed 10 assists and had 11 steals in the game. Furthermore, Western Kentucky collected 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Western Kentucky finished the game at 42.9% at the free throw line by making 3 of their 7 attempts. They buried 7 out of their 17 tries from three-point range. When talking about fouls, the Thundering Herd walked away with 12 while Western Kentucky had 9 fouls.

Taevion Kinsey is one player who was a contributor in this contest. He was able to score 24 points on 10 out of 19 shooting. He played 37 mins played and also totaled 6 rebounds. He finished the contest at 52.6% from the floor and also recorded 5 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks

Marshall heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 11-19 so far this season. They are averaging 74.4 points per outing (96th in the country) while connecting on 44.1% from the field. The Thundering Herd are shooting 29.6% from downtown (221 of 747) and 70.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Marshall is pulling down 36.8 boards per game and has racked up 437 assists this season, which is 69th in the nation in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 13.2 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 15.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Thundering Herd are able to force 13.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 14.7 personal fouls. They currently rank 236th in the country in giving up assists with 390 surrendered so far this season. The Thundering Herd defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 45.3% (844 of 1,862) and they relinquish 38.2 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are giving up 34.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 332nd in college hoops in PPG allowed (76.9).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers got the victory with a final of 86-72 when they played Marshall. The Hilltoppers were able to pull down 24 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 31 for this contest. They turned the ball over 13 times, while earning 11 steals in the matchup. Marshall earned 12 fouls for the contest which got the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for 7 tries. They were able to make 3 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 42.9%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, Western Kentucky made 7 of their 17 tries (41.2%). When the final whistle blew, the Hilltoppers went 38 out of 66 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 57.6%. The Hilltoppers allowed Marshall to make 29 out of 65 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.6% in this game. They went 36.0% from 3-point land by hitting 9 out of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 5 of 10 at the free throw line (50.0%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Western Kentucky permitted Marshall to snag 28 overall (9 offensive).

Camron Justice ended up having an impact for the Hilltoppers for the matchup. He buried 12 out of 15 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 80.0%, and added 4 rebounds. He tallied 27 points in his 36 mins on the hardwood and had 4 dimes in the matchup.

Western Kentucky has a win-loss mark of 18-12 for the season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Hilltoppers are connecting on 47.4% from the floor, which ranks them 37th in the nation. Western Kentucky has 2,279 pts for the year (76.0 per game) and they grab 35.2 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 14.3 times per contest (92nd in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 12.4 times per contest. The Hilltoppers commit 11.5 fouls every game while shooting 71.8% from the charity stripe.

The Hilltoppers are ranked 196th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 69.5. They are forcing their opponents into 14.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.7% from the field (95th in Division 1). The Western Kentucky defense surrenders 33.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (283 of 841) and opponents are converting on 71.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 15.8 assists and 36.7 boards per contest, which ranks them 346th and 299th in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Kentucky

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