Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs North Texas Mean Green Prediction, 3/4/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs North Texas Mean Green

Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023

Location: The Super Pit in Denton, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (15-14) are headed to The Super Pit on Saturday where they will meet the North Texas Mean Green (23-6).

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers faced off with UAB and took a loss by a score of 72-60 in their last game. Western Kentucky finished with a 41.1% FG percentage (23 of 56) and buried 5 of 20 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Hilltoppers made 9 of their 12 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. In terms of rebounding, they earned 29 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 13 assists in the matchup in addition to creating 5 turnovers and earning 1 steal. With regard to defense, Western Kentucky allowed 43.9% from the floor on 29 out of 66 shooting. UAB recorded 15 assists and had 10 steals in this matchup. In addition, UAB snagged 31 rebounds (12 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. UAB walked away from this one shooting 60.0% at the free throw line by making 9 of 15 tries. They knocked down 5 of their 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Concerning personal fouls, the Hilltoppers ended up finishing with 13 while UAB accounted for 13 personal fouls.

Jairus Hamilton is one player who was a major contributor for the matchup. He scored 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 30 mins and totaled 5 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 63.6% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Western Kentucky heads into this contest with a record of 15-14 on the season. They average 73.3 pts per game (144th in college basketball) while shooting 44.7% from the field. The Hilltoppers are hitting 36.8% on shots from 3-point land (231 of 627) and 73.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Western Kentucky is grabbing 35.0 rebounds per game and has accounted for 385 assists on the campaign, which is 206th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 11.3 times per contest and as a group are committing 15.0 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Hilltoppers are able to force 12.4 turnovers every game while drawing 16.8 personal fouls. They are surrendering 36.0% on 3-point shots while they are 205th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (70.8). The Hilltoppers defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 41.5% (733 of 1,767) and they surrender 37.1 rebounds per game as a team. They rank 158th in the country in giving up assists with 373 relinquished for the season.

For their last game, the North Texas Mean Green walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 55-49 against Charlotte. The Mean Green were able to corral 20 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 28 for the matchup. They also turned it over 11 times, while earning 4 steals for the game. Charlotte was called for 13 fouls in this game which took the Mean Green to the free throw line for 10 shots. They were able to bury 10 of them for a clip of 100.0%. When it comes to shots from beyond the arc, North Texas buried 3 of 13 tries (23.1%). Overall, the Mean Green ended up shooting 18 for 46 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.1%. The Mean Green permitted Charlotte to knock down 20 of 42 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.6% in this game. They finished 28.6% from distance via 4 out of 14 and walked away from this one shooting 11 of 14 from the charity stripe (78.6%). In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, North Texas permitted Charlotte to pull down 20 overall (2 offensive).

Aaron Scott pitched in for the Mean Green in the matchup. He accumulated 12 points in his 30 minutes on the court, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He buried 5 of 7 in the matchup giving him a rate of 71.4%, and had 5 rebounds.

North Texas has a win-loss record of 23-6 for the season. As an offensive team, the Mean Green are shooting 43.5% from the floor, which ranks 248th in the country. North Texas has accumulated 1,845 pts on the campaign (63.6 per contest) and they snag 33.2 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.0 times per game (327th in college basketball) and they are turning it over 11.8 times per contest. The Mean Green are committing 16.4 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 73.8% from the charity stripe.

The North Texas defense gives up 31.1% on shots from beyond the arc (147 of 473) and opponents are knocking down 70.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 8.0 assists and 28.5 boards per contest, which is ranked 4th and 3rd in the nation. The Mean Green on the defensive end are ranked 2nd in college basketball in PPG given up with 56.3. They are able to force 12.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.7% from the field (33rd in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take North Texas

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