Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Florida Atlantic Owls Prediction, 3/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Florida Atlantic Owls

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, TX

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Western Kentucky (+11)

The Florida Atlantic Owls (28-3) will try to defeat the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (16-15) at Ford Center at the Star on Thursday. Western Kentucky opens as 11-point dogs. The total is set at 143.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took the court against North Texas and took a loss by a score of 67-33 in their last game. Western Kentucky ended the game with a 27.7% FG percentage (13 out of 47) and knocked down 2 out of their 11 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Hilltoppers converted 5 of 14 shots for a rate of 35.7%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 30 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 5 dimes in this contest while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In relation to defending, Western Kentucky let their opponent shoot 45.6% from the field on 26 out of 57 shooting. North Texas earned 15 assists and had 8 steals for the game. Furthermore, North Texas pulled down 34 rebounds (7 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a block. North Texas finished 100.0% from the charity stripe by making 5 of 5 attempts. They knocked down 10 of 32 attempts from 3-point range. In regard to fouls, the Hilltoppers ended up with 8 while North Texas racked up 12 fouls.

Dayvion McKnight is a player who was a contributor for this contest. He ended up going 62.5% from the field and totaled 3 dimes. He was on the court for 36 mins played and also collected 7 boards. He ended up with 24 points on 10 out of 16 shooting.

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Western Kentucky comes into this one with a mark of 16-15 on the campaign. They turn the ball over 11.6 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 14.9 fouls every game. As a team, Western Kentucky is snagging 34.8 boards per game and has racked up 397 dimes so far this season, which ranks 214th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Hilltoppers are shooting 36.5% on shots from 3-point land (236 of 647) and 71.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 72.0 pts per game (178th in D-1) while connecting on 44.7% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Hilltoppers are able to force 12.4 turnovers every game and they draw 16.7 fouls. They are 193rd in college hoops in giving up assists with 401 relinquished so far this season. The Hilltoppers defense is allowing a FG percentage of 41.7% (783 of 1,876) and they surrender 36.8 boards per game as a basketball team. They surrender 36.2% on shots from distance and they rank 195th in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (70.6).

The last time they took the court, the Florida Atlantic Owls took home the win by a final score of 76-72 against Louisiana Tech. When discussing rebounds, Florida Atlantic allowed Louisiana Tech to pull down 29 in total (8 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 35.3% from three-point range via 6 of 17 and ended up shooting 14 of 15 from the free throw line (93.3%). The Owls permitted Louisiana Tech to convert 26 of 57 attempts from the field which had them shooting 45.6% in this game. When the final whistle was blown, the Owls ended up going 25 out of 54 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.3%. With regard to shots from beyond the arc, Florida Atlantic converted 9 out of their 23 attempts (39.1%). They were able to bury 17 of them for a percentage of 70.8%. Louisiana Tech committed 18 personal fouls for this game which took the Owls to the charity stripe for 24 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while earning 6 steals in this contest. The Owls earned 19 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 25 in this contest.

Vladislav Goldin pitched in for the Owls in this contest. He scored 15 points in his 25 minutes on the hardwood, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He made 5 of 9 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 55.6%, and had 4 rebounds.

Florida Atlantic has a win-loss mark of 28-3 on the season. The Owls have committed 16.0 fouls per contest and they connect on 71.2% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 15.0 times per game (55th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 11.6 times per contest. Florida Atlantic has accounted for 2,458 points for the campaign (79.3 per contest) and they pull in 38.3 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Owls are shooting 47.2% from the floor, which has them ranked 43rd in the nation.

The Florida Atlantic defense concedes 33.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (202 of 607) and their opposition makes 74.5% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 8.0 dimes and 32.6 rebounds every game, ranking them 4th and 91st in the country. The Owls are ranked 57th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 65.7. They are forcing their opponents into 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.1% from the field (39th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Florida Atlantic (-11)

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