FIU Panthers vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 3/6/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: FIU Panthers vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Thursday, March 6, 2025

Location: E.A. Diddle Arena in Richmond, VA

TV: ESPN+

E.A. Diddle Arena is where the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (16-13) will meet the FIU Panthers (9-20) on Thursday.

The FIU Panthers took the court against Jacksonville State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 84-79 in their last contest. FIU wrapped up the contest with a 41.4% field goal percentage (29 out of 70) and knocked down 4 of 20 shots from 3-point land. At the charity stripe, the Panthers made 17 of their 21 tries for a rate of 81.0%. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 37 with 9 of them being offensive. They also recorded 13 dimes for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and getting 8 steals. With respect to defense, FIU let their opponent shoot 39.1% from the field on 27 out of 69 shooting. Jacksonville State doled out 12 assists and had 5 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, Jacksonville State snagged 39 boards (10 offensive, 29 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Jacksonville State finished shooting 82.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 24 of 29 attempts. They converted 6 of their 22 tries from beyond the arc. With respect to fouls, the Panthers finished with 19 while Jacksonville State finished the game with 15 fouls.

Jonathan Aybar is a player who played a role in this game. He finished the contest at 38.5% from the floor but had no dimes when the game ended. He was on the hardwood for 37 mins played and snagged 6 boards. He finished with 19 points on 5 of 13 shooting.

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FIU will play this game with a record of 9-20 on the year. They currently have an average of 70.4 pts per contest (278th in the country) while connecting on 43.3% from the field. The Panthers are shooting 29.0% on 3-pointers (145 of 500) and 71.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, FIU is collecting 35.0 boards per game and has accounted for 366 assists on the campaign, which is 287th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 14.0 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Panthers are forcing 15.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.4 fouls. They are 236th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 413 relinquished on the year. The Panthers are allowing a field goal percentage of 44.5% (721 of 1,620) and they concede 34.1 boards per contest as a unit. They are conceding 34.0% from 3-point land and they are 195th in college in PPG allowed (72.4).

The last time they took the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers went home defeated by a final of 65-47 when they played New Mexico State. The Hilltoppers were able to collect 23 defensive boards and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 25 in the matchup. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. New Mexico State was called for 12 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Hilltoppers to the charity stripe for 17 attempts. They were able to knock down 11 of those for a percentage of 64.7%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Western Kentucky made 8 of 32 tries (25.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Hilltoppers finished shooting 14 out of 52 from the floor which had them shooting 26.9%. The Hilltoppers allowed New Mexico State to make 22 out of their 59 tries from the field which had them shooting 37.3% in this matchup. They finished shooting 24.0% from downtown by hitting 6 of 25 and finished the game at 15 of 23 at the charity stripe (65.2%). When it comes to how they attacked the glass, Western Kentucky allowed New Mexico State to get 48 in total (14 offensive).

Tyrone Marshall pitched in for the Hilltoppers for this game. He racked up 16 points in his 35 mins on the court and had 3 assists in this game. He made 5 of 17 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 29.4%, and had 3 rebounds.

Western Kentucky has a record of 16-13 this season. The Hilltoppers have committed 18.2 fouls per contest and they go 73.0% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.0 times per game (297th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 11.3 times per contest. Western Kentucky has 2,197 pts so far this season (75.8 per game) and they pull in 37.1 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Hilltoppers are hitting on 42.7% from the floor, which is ranked 298th in D-1.

The Hilltoppers on the defensive side of the court are 267th in college in PPG given up with 74.9. They are forcing 13.0 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 40.9% from the floor (41st in the country). The Western Kentucky defense allows 30.9% on 3-point shots (239 of 773) and their opponents are converting on 74.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.7 dimes and 40.3 boards per game, which has them ranked 233rd and 362nd in those categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take FIU

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