Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs MTSU Blue Raiders Prediction, 2/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs MTSU Blue Raiders

Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024

Location: Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (19-7) are traveling to Murphy Center on Saturday where they will try to beat the MTSU Blue Raiders (11-16).

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers played New Mexico State and took home the win by a score of 72-58 in their last game. Western Kentucky wrapped up the contest having earned a 46.4% field goal percentage (26 of 56) and knocked down 5 of 19 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Hilltoppers made 15 of 17 tries for a percentage of 88.2%. When talking about getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 37 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 14 assists for the matchup as well as forcing 10 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When discussing defending, Western Kentucky let their opponent shoot 39.7% from the floor on 23 of 58 shooting. New Mexico State totaled 8 dimes and had 6 steals in the game. Additionally, New Mexico State collected 25 rebounds (9 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. New Mexico State finished 50.0% at the charity stripe by making 5 of 10 shots. They knocked down 7 of their 25 attempts from 3-point range. When talking about fouls, the Hilltoppers finished with 14 while New Mexico State racked up 19 fouls.

Teagan Moore is a player who played a role for this contest. He totaled 12 points on 4 out of 7 shooting. He played 17 mins played and also collected 3 rebounds. He finished the game at 57.1% from the field but didn't record an assist.

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Western Kentucky enters this game with a mark of 19-7 on the campaign. They lose possession via turnover 14.0 times per contest and as a team are committing 18.3 fouls per contest. As a unit, Western Kentucky is collecting 40.2 boards per game and has earned 354 dimes so far this year, which ranks 166th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Hilltoppers are hitting 33.8% on three-point shots (175 of 518) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 80.3 pts per game (40th in the nation) while shooting 47.0% from the floor.

On defense, the Hilltoppers are able to force 14.2 turnovers per game while drawing 17.9 personal fouls. They relinquish 29.6% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 240th in college basketball in points per game allowed (73.8). The Hilltoppers are giving up a shooting percentage of 41.0% (683 of 1,667) and they surrender 36.8 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 162nd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 333 surrendered on the season.

In their last game, the MTSU Blue Raiders took a loss by a final score of 76-68 against Jacksonville State. In reference to rebounds, MTSU permitted Jacksonville State to get 38 overall (10 on the offensive side). They shot 33.3% from beyond the perimeter by going 3 out of 9 and ended up shooting 25 of 30 at the free throw line (83.3%). The Blue Raiders allowed Jacksonville State to bury 24 out of 61 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.3% in the game. In all, the Blue Raiders ended up going 23 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.1%. In relation to 3-point attempts, MTSU knocked down 12 of 29 attempts (41.4%). They were able to bury 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 66.7%. Jacksonville State was called for 13 fouls in the matchup which took the Blue Raiders to the charity stripe for 15 tries. They turned it over 9 times, while getting 2 steals in this contest. The Blue Raiders collected 24 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards totaling 29 for this contest.

Jared Coleman-Jones ended up being a major contributor for the Blue Raiders in this game. He had 19 points in his 36 minutes of playing time and tallied 3 dimes for this contest. He knocked down 8 out of 18 in this contest for a field goal rate of 44.4%, and accounted for 7 rebounds.

MTSU has a win-loss mark of 11-16 this year. The Blue Raiders are responsible for committing 15.6 personal fouls every game while shooting 68.5% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 10.1 times per contest (354th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.6 times per contest. MTSU has scored 1,766 points on the year (65.4 per contest) and they pull down 35.1 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Blue Raiders are connecting on 41.0% from the field, which ranks them 332nd in college basketball.

The MTSU defense gives up 31.8% on shots from behind the 3-point line (150 of 471) and their opponents are converting on 72.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 10.8 assists and 35.4 boards per game, which is 32nd and 217th in Division 1. The Blue Raiders defensively are ranked 107th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 69.2. They are able to force 11.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.7% from the floor (192nd in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take MTSU

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