Austin Peay Governors vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 12/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Austin Peay Governors vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

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

TV: ESPN+

E. A. Diddle Arena is where the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-3) will play the Austin Peay Governors (6-6) on Saturday.

The Austin Peay Governors took the court against Southern Illinois and notched a win by a score of 70-68 in their last contest. Concerning fouls, the Governors finished with 16 and Southern Illinois finished the game with 13 fouls. They also made 6 of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc. Southern Illinois finished the game shooting 88.9% at the charity stripe by burying 16 of 18 attempts. Additionally, Southern Illinois pulled down 31 rebounds (6 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Southern Illinois totaled 15 dimes and had 3 steals for the matchup. When it comes to the defense, Austin Peay allowed the other team to shoot 43.4% from the field on 23 of 53 shooting. They also doled out 16 dimes for this game as well as creating 10 turnovers and having 7 steals. When it comes to hauling in boards, they earned 29 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Governors knocked down 5 of their 9 attempts for a percentage of 55.6%. Austin Peay finished having earned a 47.5% field goal percentage (28 of 59) and converted 9 out of their 23 shots from distance.

Ja'Monta Black is a guy who came through for the matchup. He left the arena with 22 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He played for 40 mins played and collected 2 rebounds. He finished the game at 60.0% from the field and also totaled 2 assists.

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Austin Peay steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 6-6 for the campaign. They are averaging 67.0 pts per contest (319th in the nation) while going 42.3% from the field. The Governors are hitting 34.6% on three-point shots (91 of 263) and 67.3% from the charity stripe. As a team, Austin Peay is snagging 34.8 rebounds per contest and has tallied 132 assists on the campaign, which is 193rd in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 10.3 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 17.4 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Governors are forcing 13.8 turnovers per game and they draw 14.2 personal fouls. They currently rank 315th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 151 conceded on the season. The Governors defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.5% (270 of 635) and they concede 35.1 boards per game as a unit. They surrender 26.9% on 3-pointers and they are 41st in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (64.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers got the victory with a final of 91-84 when they faced Wright State. When talking about team rebounding, Western Kentucky allowed Wright State to collect 28 in total (7 on the offensive side). They went 23.5% from distance by connecting on 4 of 17 and walked away from this one shooting 16 of 21 at the free throw line (76.2%). The Hilltoppers permitted Wright State to knock down 32 of their 68 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.1% in this matchup. Overall, the Hilltoppers ended up shooting 36 out of 69 from the floor which had them shooting 52.2%. In regard to 3-pointers, Western Kentucky buried 8 of 21 attempts (38.1%). They were able to bury 11 of the free throw tries for a clip of 57.9%. Wright State earned 17 fouls in this contest which took the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They also gave up possession 17 times, while recording 6 steals in this contest. The Hilltoppers pulled down 29 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 39 in the matchup.

Don McHenry ended up being a major contributor for the Hilltoppers in this contest. He earned 30 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 2 dimes in this contest. He converted 12 out of 20 for the matchup for a rate of 60.0%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Western Kentucky has a mark of 8-3 so far this year. When it comes to offense, the Hilltoppers are hitting on 44.8% from the field, which ranks 179th in the nation. Western Kentucky has tallied 901 pts on the year (81.9 per contest) and they grab 42.1 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 12.9 times per contest (228th in Division 1) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.6 times per contest. The Hilltoppers have committed 20.3 fouls per game and they go 69.2% from the charity stripe.

The Hilltoppers defensively are ranked 254th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 73.9. They are able to force 16.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 40.8% from the floor (94th in college hoops). The Western Kentucky defense gives up 26.5% on three-point shots (73 of 275) and their opposition knocks down 71.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 13.1 assists and 38.9 boards per game, which ranks 228th and 321st in college basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Austin Peay

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