New Mexico State Aggies vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 2/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Mexico State Aggies vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024

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

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (17-7) will take on the New Mexico State Aggies (11-13) at E. A. Diddle Arena on Saturday.

The New Mexico State Aggies faced off with UTEP and ended up losing by a score of 74-49 in their last contest. New Mexico State wrapped up the game with a 34.6% field goal percentage (18 of 52) and knocked down 2 of their 19 shots from downtown. When they shot from the free throw line, the Aggies buried 11 of 16 tries for a percentage of 68.8%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they earned 30 with 6 of them being offensive. They also distributed 5 assists for the matchup while forcing 14 turnovers and having 9 steals. When discussing the defense, New Mexico State allowed the other team to go 41.3% from the floor on 26 of 63 shooting. UTEP distributed 14 dimes and had 14 steals for this game. Additionally, UTEP pulled down 44 boards (17 offensive, 27 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. UTEP shot 57.1% from the free throw line by knocking down 12 of their 21 tries. They converted 10 out of their 24 attempts from 3-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Aggies finished with 20 while UTEP totaled 15 personal fouls.

Jaden Harris is one guy who came through in this matchup. He ended up finishing with 20 points on 5 out of 10 shooting. He played 34 mins and collected 4 rebounds. He went 50.0% from the field but wasn't able to get a dime.

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New Mexico State enters this game with a record of 11-13 this season. They are averaging 68.9 points per outing (300th in Division 1) while hitting 42.3% from the field. The Aggies are shooting 32.8% on shots from beyond the arc (154 of 470) and 70.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, New Mexico State is collecting 34.7 boards per game and has accounted for 274 dimes so far this season, which ranks 320th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 13.0 times per game and as a group they commit 20.6 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Aggies are able to force 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.3 fouls. They rank 188th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 316 relinquished so far this season. The Aggies defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 40.5% (554 of 1,369) and they concede 35.4 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They give up 33.4% from 3-point land while they are 176th in D-1 in PPG allowed (71.6).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers got the victory with a final of 70-59 against Jacksonville State. When discussing how they attacked the glass, Western Kentucky allowed Jacksonville State to pull down 35 in all (7 offensive). They finished shooting 7.1% from behind the 3-point line by going 1 of 14 and finished the contest at 14 out of 22 at the free throw line (63.6%). The Hilltoppers allowed Jacksonville State to knock down 22 out of 58 tries from the floor which left them shooting 37.9% for the game. When the game finished, the Hilltoppers finished the game shooting 27 out of 65 from the field which had them shooting 41.5%. In regard to three-point shots, Western Kentucky made 6 out of their 17 attempts (35.3%). They were able to knock down 10 of those for a rate of 76.9%. Jacksonville State committed 16 fouls for the contest which got the Hilltoppers to the charity stripe for a total of 13 attempts. They also turned it over 12 times, while getting 8 steals in the matchup. The Hilltoppers collected 29 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 39 in this contest.

Don McHenry pitched in for the Hilltoppers in the game. He made 9 of 18 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accounted for 1 rebound. He totaled 24 points in his 33 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Western Kentucky has a win-loss mark of 17-7 on the season. As an offensive unit, the Hilltoppers are hitting on 46.6% from the field, which ranks 82nd in college basketball. Western Kentucky has 1,927 pts this season (80.3 per game) and they pull in 40.1 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.5 times per game (163rd in college basketball) and they turn it over 14.0 times per game. The Hilltoppers are committing 18.5 fouls per game and they shoot 70.1% from the charity stripe.

The Hilltoppers on defense are ranked 252nd in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 74.2. They are able to force 14.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.0% from the floor (45th in the country). The Western Kentucky defense allows 29.8% on shots from beyond the arc (183 of 614) and opponents are making 71.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 12.9 dimes and 37.0 rebounds every game, which is ranked 188th and 297th in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Mexico State

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