MTSU Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 1/29/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Saturday, January 29, 2022

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

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (10-9) will compete against the MTSU Blue Raiders (12-6) at E. A. Diddle Arena on Saturday.

The MTSU Blue Raiders faced off with Southern Miss and notched a win by a score of 74-60 in their last game. MTSU ended the contest with a 47.3% field goal percentage (26 out of 55) and made 2 out of their 24 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Blue Raiders knocked down 20 of their 29 attempts for a rate of 69.0%. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 31 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 9 dimes in this matchup as well as forcing 14 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In relation to defending, MTSU allowed their opponent to shoot 48.9% from the field on 22 out of 45 shooting. Southern Miss recorded 5 dimes and had 2 steals for the contest. On top of that, Southern Miss collected 21 rebounds (1 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Southern Miss went 78.9% when shooting free throws by making 15 of their 19 attempts. They also made 1 of their 12 tries from beyond the arc. In the matter of personal fouls, the Blue Raiders ended up walking away with 16 while Southern Miss totaled 23 personal fouls.

Donovan Sims is one guy who was a major factor for the contest. He scored 16 points on 6 out of 9 shooting. He played 24 mins played and also totaled 4 boards. He finished shooting 66.7% from the floor and totaled 3 assists.

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MTSU steps onto the hardwood with a record of 12-6 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 13.3 times per contest and as a team they are committing 18.6 fouls per game. As a unit, MTSU is snagging 35.8 rebounds per contest and has 220 dimes so far this season, which ranks 267th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Blue Raiders are connecting on 29.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (138 of 475) and 72.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.3 points per contest (144th in college hoops) while hitting 43.9% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Blue Raiders are able to force 16.7 turnovers per game while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They rank 37th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 184 relinquished for the season. The Blue Raiders defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 41.6% (400 of 961) and they surrender 34.1 boards per contest as a squad. They are relinquishing 30.7% from 3-point land and they rank 69th in college basketball in opponents points per game (64.5).

The last time they took the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took a defeat with a final score of 86-83 against FIU. The Hilltoppers corralled 16 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 23 for the contest. They turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 10 steals for the game. FIU committed 17 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Hilltoppers to the charity stripe for 26 tries. They were able to knock down 21 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 80.8%. Concerning 3-point attempts, Western Kentucky made 8 of their 21 attempts (38.1%). In all, the Hilltoppers shot 27 out of 55 from the field which had them at 49.1%. The Hilltoppers permitted FIU to bury 30 of their 62 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.4% for this contest. They shot 45.7% from 3-point land by hitting 16 of 35 and finished the game at 10 of 13 at the charity stripe (76.9%). When it comes to rebounding, Western Kentucky permitted FIU to pull down 34 in total (12 offensive).

Josh Anderson ended up being a major contributor for the Hilltoppers in this matchup. He converted 6 out of 11 for the game for a field goal percentage of 54.5%, and tallied 1 rebound. He tallied 23 points in his 22 minutes on the court and added 2 assists for the matchup.

Western Kentucky has a record of 10-9 for the year. The Hilltoppers commit 12.4 fouls every game and they shoot 71.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.3 times per game (60th in the country) and they cough up possession 13.6 times per contest. Western Kentucky has accounted for 1,452 pts on the season (76.4 per contest) and they pull down 36.2 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Hilltoppers are hitting on 47.3% from the field, which has them ranked 42nd in D-1.

The Western Kentucky defense gives up 33.5% on shots from distance (190 of 568) and opponents are knocking down 69.9% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 15.6 dimes and 37.3 boards every game, which ranks 335th and 305th in the nation. The Hilltoppers are ranked 204th in college hoops in PPG given up with 69.6. They are forcing 15.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.0% from the floor (85th in Division 1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Kentucky

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