UTEP Miners vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 1/30/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTEP Miners vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Thursday, January 30, 2025

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

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (12-8) will compete against the UTEP Miners (15-5) at E.A. Diddle Arena on Thursday.

The UTEP Miners faced off with Kennesaw State and took home the win by a score of 73-71 in their last game. UTEP finished the contest having earned a 42.6% FG percentage (26 of 61) and made 5 of their 17 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Miners made 16 of 23 tries for a rate of 69.6%. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they earned 25 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 15 assists for this game while forcing 22 turnovers and having 14 steals. When talking about defending, UTEP allowed 45.6% from the floor on 26 out of 57 shooting. Kennesaw State distributed 13 dimes and had 5 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Kennesaw State snagged 36 rebounds (9 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't have a block. Kennesaw State shot 66.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of 18 tries. They converted 7 of their 24 tries from downtown. Concerning personal fouls, the Miners left the arena with 15 while Kennesaw State totaled 18 personal fouls.

Otis Frazier III is a player who came through for this game. He ended up going 42.9% from the field and also dished out 3 dimes. He played 38 mins and also snagged 5 rebounds. He walked away with 17 points on 6 out of 14 shooting.

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UTEP heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 15-5 this season. They are turning it over 12.3 times per game and as a unit they commit 19.0 fouls per contest. As a team, UTEP is pulling down 29.2 rebounds per contest and has earned 275 assists on the year, which has them ranked 214th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Miners are connecting on 38.2% on three-point shots (154 of 403) and 71.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.4 points per contest (211th in college) while shooting 45.7% from the field.

Defensively, the Miners are forcing their opponents into 18.0 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.5 personal fouls. They give up 31.0% from beyond the arc while they are 83rd in college in points per game allowed (68.1). The Miners defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 43.6% (459 of 1,052) and they surrender 36.2 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 170th in college hoops in giving up assists with 265 conceded on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took home the win by a final score of 75-66 against Sam Houston State. Concerning cleaning the glass, Western Kentucky allowed Sam Houston State to snag 32 in total (13 offensive). They shot 29.2% from 3-point land by connecting on 7 of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 11 of 18 from the free throw line (61.1%). The Hilltoppers permitted Sam Houston State to knock down 24 out of 64 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 37.5% for the matchup. Overall, the Hilltoppers shot 26 out of 59 from the floor which had them sitting at 44.1%. In the matter of shots from beyond the perimeter, Western Kentucky converted 8 of 27 attempts (29.6%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throw tries for a rate of 83.3%. Sam Houston State earned 14 fouls for the game which took the Hilltoppers to the charity stripe for 18 tries. They turned the ball over 14 times, while recording 5 steals in this contest. The Hilltoppers corralled 26 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 in the matchup.

Don McHenry ended up having an impact for the Hilltoppers in this contest. He buried 6 of 17 in the game for a field goal rate of 35.3%, and tallied 3 rebounds. He tallied 20 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the game.

Western Kentucky has a mark of 12-8 this year. The Hilltoppers are committing 18.4 fouls per contest and they go 73.6% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.1 times per game (303rd in Division 1) and they turn the ball over 11.6 times per game. Western Kentucky has tallied 1,536 pts so far this year (76.8 per game) and they pull down 38.2 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Hilltoppers are shooting 42.3% from the field, which ranks 310th in the country.

The Western Kentucky defense allows 30.5% on three-point shots (168 of 550) and opponents are knocking down 72.1% of their foul shots. They relinquish 13.8 assists and 41.2 total boards per game, ranking them 238th and 360th in the country. The Hilltoppers on defense are ranked 277th in D-1 in points given up per game with 75.1. They are able to force 13.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.7% from the floor (50th in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UTEP

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