Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Charlotte 49ers Prediction, 2/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Charlotte 49ers

Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023

Location: Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPN+

The Charlotte 49ers (14-11) welcome the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (14-11) at Dale F. Halton Arena on Thursday.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers played MTSU and took home the win by a score of 93-89 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Hilltoppers walked away with 11 while MTSU totaled 21 fouls. They also converted 12 out of their 22 shots from 3-point range. MTSU shot 64.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of their 14 attempts. Moreover, MTSU pulled down 27 rebounds (11 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. MTSU recorded 18 assists and had 8 steals for this contest. In relation to defense, Western Kentucky allowed the other team to shoot 54.0% from the field on 34 of 63 shooting. They also recorded 14 assists for the game while forcing 14 turnovers and having 7 steals. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 24 with 6 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Hilltoppers converted 27 of their 29 attempts for a rate of 93.1%. Western Kentucky wrapped up the game having earned a 54.5% field goal percentage (30 of 55) and made 6 out of their 17 three-point attempts.

Dayvion McKnight is a guy who was a major contributor in this game. He finished the game at 55.6% from the floor and distributed 5 dimes. He was on the court for 36 mins played and also collected 5 rebounds. He accounted for 33 points on 10 out of 18 shooting.

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Western Kentucky heads into this matchup with a mark of 14-11 this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 15.2 personal fouls every game. As a team, Western Kentucky is pulling down 34.6 boards per game and has 338 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 198th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Hilltoppers are hitting 37.1% on shots from distance (199 of 537) and 73.5% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 73.9 points per outing (133rd in the nation) while connecting on 44.7% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Hilltoppers are forcing 12.9 turnovers every game and they draw 17.4 fouls. They are relinquishing 35.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 205th in college basketball in points per game allowed (70.6). The Hilltoppers are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.5% (627 of 1,512) and they surrender 37.3 boards per contest as a basketball team. They currently rank 140th in college basketball in allowing assists with 314 relinquished this season.

The last time they took the court, the Charlotte 49ers took a loss by a score of 67-43 when they played North Texas. The 49ers recorded 9 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 12 for this game. They turned it over 3 times, while earning 2 steals in this game. North Texas was called for 11 fouls in this game which took the 49ers to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They were able to knock down 12 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. When it comes to shots from beyond the perimeter, Charlotte converted 7 out of 25 attempts (28.0%). When the final whistle blew, the 49ers finished the game shooting 12 for 39 from the field which had them shooting 30.8%. The 49ers allowed North Texas to make 25 out of their 42 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 59.5% for the contest. They went 52.9% from beyond the arc by going 9 of 17 and walked away from this one shooting 8 of 8 at the free throw line (100.0%). When it comes to cleaning up the glass, Charlotte allowed North Texas to collect 31 in total (7 offensive).

Aly Khalifa pitched in for the 49ers in the game. He scored 14 points in his 21 mins on the hardwood, but went home with no dimes. He made 5 of 9 for this game for a field goal rate of 55.6%, and accumulated 2 rebounds.

Charlotte has a win-loss mark of 14-11 on the season. The 49ers have committed 14.1 personal fouls every game and they go 75.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.0 times per game (196th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per game. Charlotte has scored 1,639 points so far this season (65.6 per game) and they average 29.6 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the 49ers are shooting 46.7% from the field, which ranks them 65th in the nation.

The Charlotte defense gives up 35.6% on 3-pointers (180 of 506) and their opponents are knocking down 73.1% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 9.8 dimes and 28.6 boards every game, which has them ranked 14th and 4th in the nation. The 49ers are ranked 14th in college basketball in points given up per game with 61.5. They are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.3% from the floor (166th in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Charlotte

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