Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Charlotte 49ers Prediction, 2/3/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Charlotte 49ers

Date: Thursday, February 3, 2022

Location: Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPN+

Dale F. Halton Arena is the location where the Charlotte 49ers (11-8) will go up against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (10-11) on Thursday.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers faced MTSU and took a loss by a final of 93-85 in their last contest. When talking about fouls, the Hilltoppers left the arena with 14 and MTSU racked up 21 fouls. They converted 15 out of their 26 shots from distance. MTSU ended up shooting 94.1% from the charity stripe by knocking down 16 of 17 shots. On top of that, MTSU grabbed 30 rebounds (5 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. MTSU totaled 20 assists and had 6 steals in the matchup. Pertaining to defending, Western Kentucky allowed their opponent to shoot 57.4% from the field on 31 out of 54 shooting. They also dished out 13 assists in this game while forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and earning 13 steals. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they compiled 24 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Hilltoppers made 19 of their 27 attempts for a rate of 70.4%. Western Kentucky finished having earned a 45.9% field goal percentage (28 of 61) and knocked down 10 of 24 3-point shots.

Dayvion McKnight is a player who was a factor in this game. He ended up shooting 50.0% from the field and earned 10 assists. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes and pulled down 5 rebounds. He accounted for 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting.

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Western Kentucky heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 10-11 on the season. They are averaging 76.3 pts per game (68th in the country) while shooting 47.1% from the floor. The Hilltoppers are hitting 34.6% on shots from 3-point land (154 of 445) and 71.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Western Kentucky is snagging 35.8 boards per game and has accumulated 315 assists on the season, which has them ranked 63rd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 13.6 times per game and as a unit they commit 12.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Hilltoppers have forced 15.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.0 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 34.7% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 224th in the country in points per game allowed (70.7). The Hilltoppers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.7% (556 of 1,332) and they surrender 37.0 boards per contest as a squad. They rank 344th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 330 surrendered for the season.

The last time they took the court, the Charlotte 49ers took a loss by a score of 68-52 against Old Dominion. The 49ers were able to snag 21 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 29 in this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while recording 5 steals in this contest. Old Dominion committed 19 fouls in this matchup which took the 49ers to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They were able to knock down 13 of those for a rate of 65.0%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Charlotte converted 5 out of their 23 tries (21.7%). Overall, the 49ers went 17 out of 49 from the floor which gave them a rate of 34.7%. The 49ers allowed Old Dominion to convert 26 out of their 56 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.4% for the matchup. They finished 7.7% from beyond the arc by connecting on 1 of 13 and finished the contest at 15 of 22 from the free throw line (68.2%). When it comes to cleaning the glass, Charlotte allowed Old Dominion to grab 31 in all (6 on the offensive glass).

Jahmir Young pitched in for the 49ers for the game. He recorded 13 points in his 33 minutes on the court and accumulated 3 assists for the contest. He converted 5 out of 11 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 45.5%, and tallied 3 rebounds.

Charlotte has a record of 11-8 so far this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the 49ers are shooting 46.0% from the field, which is 89th in college hoops. Charlotte has earned 1,313 pts on the season (69.1 per contest) and they average 30.4 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 13.5 times per game (156th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.7 times per contest. The 49ers commit 13.9 personal fouls every game and they connect on 76.4% from the charity stripe.

The Charlotte defense gives up 36.6% on 3-pointers (140 of 383) and their opposition makes 77.8% of their foul shots. They concede 12.3 dimes and 33.5 total boards per game, which is 153rd and 120th in those defensive categories. The 49ers on the defensive end are ranked 242nd in the nation in points given up per game with 71.2. They are forcing their opponents into 11.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.7% from the floor (314th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Kentucky

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