Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 2/28/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2024

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

TV: ESPN+

E. A. Diddle Arena is where the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (19-8) will meet the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (20-8) on Wednesday.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs stepped onto the hardwood against New Mexico State and went home with a win by a final score of 67-58 in their last game. In regard to fouls, the Bulldogs ended up finishing with 16 while New Mexico State totaled 18 fouls. They also made 8 of their 18 tries from downtown. New Mexico State finished the contest at 54.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 12 of their 22 shots. Additionally, New Mexico State totaled 22 rebounds (5 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't have a block. New Mexico State distributed 12 assists and had 3 steals in the game. In the matter of defense, Louisiana Tech allowed their opponent to shoot 38.8% from the floor on 19 out of 49 shooting. They also recorded 10 dimes for this contest in addition to creating 5 turnovers and earning 4 steals. Concerning rebounding, they collected 35 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs knocked down 16 of their 21 attempts for a percentage of 76.2%. Louisiana Tech walked away from the contest having earned a 47.9% field goal percentage (23 of 48) and converted 5 of their 21 shots from beyond the arc.

Isaiah Crawford is a player who was a major factor in the game. He finished 46.2% from the field and dished out 3 assists. He was on the court for 40 minutes and collected 10 boards. He accounted for 20 points on 6 out of 13 shooting.

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Louisiana Tech steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 20-8 on the year. They average 74.5 points per game (160th in college hoops) while shooting 45.8% from the floor. The Bulldogs are connecting on 35.7% on 3-pointers (203 of 568) and 69.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Louisiana Tech is collecting 38.9 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 352 assists so far this season, which is 218th in college basketball in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.8 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.5 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are able to force 12.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.4 fouls. They relinquish 33.2% on shots from distance and they are 10th in D-1 in opponents PPG (63.2). The Bulldogs defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 38.9% (623 of 1,602) and they surrender 32.5 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 15th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 285 conceded so far this season.

In their last game, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took a loss by a final score of 74-72 against MTSU. The Hilltoppers were able to snag 30 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 in the matchup. They turned it over 12 times, while earning 4 steals in the game. MTSU had 18 fouls for the game which took the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for a total of 29 tries. They were able to knock down 23 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 79.3%. In the matter of shots from downtown, Western Kentucky made 5 out of 20 tries (25.0%). When the final whistle was blown, the Hilltoppers ended up going 22 for 59 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.3%. The Hilltoppers allowed MTSU to convert 22 of 63 tries from the field which had them at 34.9% for this contest. They went 35.7% from beyond the perimeter by going 10 out of 28 and ended up going 20 of 30 from the free throw line (66.7%). In relation to how they rebounded, Western Kentucky allowed MTSU to pull down 38 in all (12 on the offensive glass).

Brandon Newman was important for the Hilltoppers for the matchup. He totaled 14 points in his 33 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to tally an assist. He made 3 out of 8 in the game for a field goal percentage of 37.5%, and had 4 rebounds.

Western Kentucky has a mark of 19-8 on the year. As an offensive unit, the Hilltoppers are hitting on 46.7% from the field, which ranks 72nd in the country. Western Kentucky has scored 2,161 points on the season (80.0 per game) and they grab 40.2 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 13.6 times per contest (147th in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 13.9 times per contest. The Hilltoppers are responsible for committing 18.5 fouls per game and they go 71.3% from the charity stripe.

The Hilltoppers are ranked 244th in college basketball in PPG surrendered with 73.8. They are forcing their opponents into 14.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 40.8% from the field (37th in the country). The Western Kentucky defense concedes 29.9% on shots from distance (208 of 696) and their opponents are making 69.7% of their foul shots. They surrender 12.7 assists and 37.0 boards every game, which has them ranked 159th and 293rd 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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