New Mexico State Aggies vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 3/14/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Mexico State Aggies vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Thursday, March 14, 2024

Location: Propst Arena in Huntsville, AL

TV: ESPN+

The New Mexico State Aggies (13-18) are hitting the road to Propst Arena on Thursday where they will compete against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (19-11).

The New Mexico State Aggies faced off with FIU and earned the victory with a final of 77-70 in their last contest. In regard to fouls, the Aggies finished with 14 while FIU accumulated 12 fouls. They also made 8 of 28 shots from distance. FIU finished the contest at 50.0% from the charity stripe by making 6 of their 12 tries. Moreover, FIU snagged 27 rebounds (6 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a block. FIU doled out 13 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. Concerning defending, New Mexico State allowed their opponent to shoot 44.4% from the floor on 28 out of 63 shooting. They also dished out 20 dimes in this game while forcing 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 42 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Aggies made 5 of their 10 attempts for a rate of 50.0%. New Mexico State finished the contest having earned a 44.9% FG percentage (31 of 69) and made 10 out of their 27 3-pointers.

Christian Cook is someone who played a role for this contest. He accounted for 26 points on 8 out of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 34 minutes and also collected 3 rebounds. He finished the game at 53.3% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist.

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New Mexico State will enter this matchup with a mark of 13-18 so far this year. They turn the ball over 11.9 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 19.8 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, New Mexico State is pulling in 33.6 rebounds per game and has earned 351 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 319th in the nation in terms of passing. The Aggies are connecting on 32.9% on 3-pointers (200 of 608) and 68.4% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 67.6 points per game (316th in the nation) while connecting on 42.2% from the field.

On defense, the Aggies have forced 11.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.5 fouls. They give up 34.0% from 3-point land and they are 179th in college hoops in points per game allowed (71.9). The Aggies defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.8% (733 of 1,752) and they surrender 35.2 rebounds per contest as a group. They rank 214th in D-1 in allowing assists with 413 surrendered for the campaign.

In their last game, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took a loss by a final score of 82-79 against Liberty. The Hilltoppers recorded 21 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for this contest. They coughed it up 15 times, while getting 12 steals in this contest. Liberty was called for 19 personal fouls for the contest which took the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They were able to make 14 of the free throws for a rate of 82.4%. Pertaining to shots from distance, Western Kentucky buried 5 out of 16 tries (31.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Hilltoppers finished shooting 30 for 58 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.7%. The Hilltoppers permitted Liberty to convert 24 of 47 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 51.1% in this matchup. They shot 39.3% from three-point range by shooting 11 of 28 and ended up shooting 23 of 31 at the free throw line (74.2%). In regard to how they attacked the glass, Western Kentucky permitted Liberty to grab 25 in all (2 offensive).

Teagan Moore ended up having an impact for the Hilltoppers in this game. He had 16 points in his 30 minutes on the court and added 2 dimes in this contest. He knocked down 5 of 10 for this contest giving him a rate of 50.0%, and had 1 rebound.

Western Kentucky has a win-loss record of 19-11 so far this season. The Hilltoppers have committed 18.6 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 71.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 13.4 times per game (153rd in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.8 times per game. Western Kentucky has totaled 2,407 pts on the year (80.2 per game) and they average 39.8 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Hilltoppers are shooting 46.7% from the floor, which ranks 68th in college basketball.

The Hilltoppers defensively are ranked 273rd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 75.0. They have forced 14.0 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 41.5% from the field (49th in the nation). The Western Kentucky defense surrenders 31.6% on shots from distance (244 of 772) and their opponents are making 70.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 13.0 dimes and 36.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 192nd and 287th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Mexico State

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