UTEP Miners vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 3/8/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTEP Miners vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Location: Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, TX

TV: ESPN+

The UTEP Miners (14-17) are hitting the road to Ford Center at the Star on Wednesday where they will go up against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (16-15).

The UTEP Miners faced MTSU and took home the win by a score of 77-65 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Miners ended up with 17 while MTSU recorded 18 fouls. They also made 7 out of their 22 tries from beyond the arc. MTSU finished shooting 52.6% when shooting free throws by converting 10 of 19 tries. On top of that, MTSU totaled 29 rebounds (12 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. MTSU distributed 9 assists and had 10 steals in the game. In regard to defense, UTEP let their opponent shoot 42.9% from the field on 24 of 56 shooting. They also distributed 15 dimes in this contest while forcing the other team into 19 turnovers and earning 11 steals. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned 30 with 8 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Miners made 15 of their 18 shots for a percentage of 83.3%. UTEP finished with a 51.9% field goal percentage (27 out of 52) and made 8 out of their 15 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Shamar Givance is a player who was a major factor for the matchup. He ended up shooting 50.0% from the floor and totaled 7 assists. He played 38 mins played and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He ended up with 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting.

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UTEP steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 14-17 for the season. They have an average of 68.5 pts per contest (264th in the country) on 44.9% from the field. The Miners are shooting 29.2% on three-point shots (151 of 517) and 63.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UTEP is snagging 34.8 rebounds per contest and has totaled 366 assists this season, which ranks 290th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 17.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Miners are forcing their opponents into 17.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.7 personal fouls. They surrender 33.2% on 3-pointers and they rank 127th in the country in opponents PPG (68.4). The Miners defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 44.7% (744 of 1,664) and they surrender 32.7 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 36th in college hoops in giving up assists with 326 surrendered for the year.

In their last game, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took a defeat with a final score of 67-33 when they played North Texas. The Hilltoppers snagged 21 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 30 for the matchup. They also turned it over 14 times, while earning 6 steals in this game. North Texas committed 12 fouls for this contest which took the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for a total of 14 tries. They were able to bury 5 of those for a rate of 35.7%. In relation to three-point attempts, Western Kentucky buried 2 of their 11 attempts (18.2%). When the final whistle was blown, the Hilltoppers ended up going 13 out of 47 from the field which gave them a percentage of 27.7%. The Hilltoppers permitted North Texas to bury 26 out of 57 attempts from the field which had them at 45.6% in this game. They finished 31.3% from distance by going 10 of 32 and ended up going 5 out of 5 at the charity stripe (100.0%). In the matter of cleaning up the glass, Western Kentucky allowed North Texas to snag 34 overall (7 offensive).

Dayvion McKnight was important for the Hilltoppers in this matchup. He recorded 24 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and had 3 dimes in the matchup. He made 10 out of 16 for this game for a rate of 62.5%, and added 7 rebounds.

Western Kentucky has a record of 16-15 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Hilltoppers are connecting on 44.7% from the floor, which ranks 183rd in the country. Western Kentucky has scored 2,231 pts for the campaign (72.0 per contest) and they collect 34.8 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 12.8 times per game (203rd in the nation) and they are turning it over 11.6 times per contest. The Hilltoppers have committed 14.9 fouls per game and they hit 71.8% from the free throw line.

The Hilltoppers defensively are ranked 195th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 70.6. They are forcing 12.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.7% from the floor (64th in college hoops). The Western Kentucky defense gives up 36.2% from downtown (291 of 804) and their opponents are knocking down 70.4% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 12.9 assists and 36.8 total rebounds per game, which ranks 202nd and 320th in those categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Kentucky

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