Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 2/9/23 – The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will host the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee won the first meeting between these teams this season. However, NCAAB betting trends favor Western Kentucky to lead in this game.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Date & Time: Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Location: E.A. Diddle Arena
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Betting Odds
Middle Tennessee
Moneyline: -105
Spread: -1 (+102)
Total: 140 over (-105)
Western Kentucky
Moneyline: -105
Spread: +1 (+112)
Total: 140 under (-105)
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Analysis
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders has just won two convincing victories over struggling UTEP, UTSA. The Blue Raiders defeated UTSA 84 to 59 on Saturday. The victory saw three Blue Raiders score a team record 13 points. Middle Tennessee made nine three-pointers, and the Roadrunners were outrebounded 43 to 27. At 8-5, the Blue Raiders now sit in third place in Conference USA. In scoring offense and defense, Middle Tennessee is in the middle of Conference USA. The conference’s seventh-highest scoring margin is +4.3 points per game for the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee’s offensive shooting percentage is a respectable 46.4%. However, they are ninth in Conference USA for three-pointers. They only shoot 67.3% from behind the foul line. The Blue Raiders are a good defensive team and have forced turnovers. The league’s third-highest turnover margin has been achieved by Middle Tennessee, with opponents turning the ball over on average 15.7 times per match. With 4.96 blocked shots per match, Middle Tennessee ranks second in Conference USA and fifth with 7.96 stoles per game. At +2.5 per match, the Blue Raiders rank sixth in rebounding margin.
Last week, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won over UTEP and UTSA. With Saturday’s 74 to 69 win over UTEP, the Hilltoppers moved up to 5-8 in conference play. Dontaie, a junior guard, scored 25 points on an impressive 8-of-15 shooting including five three-pointers. Conference USA is now at 5-8 with the Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky allows 69.8 points per game while scoring 73.1 points on average. The conference’s eighth-highest scoring margin, which is +3.3 points per match, is the Hilltoppers. They average 8.0 three-pointers per contest and shoot an impressive 37.1% from behind the arc. Western Kentucky shot 72.2% from free throws this season. However, they were just 4-of-10 against the Blue Raiders in December. The Hilltoppers are third in Conference USA for their defensive defense, with opponents shooting just 40.9% from the field.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Against the Spread
Middle Tennessee are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games. The total has gone OVER in 4 of Middle Tennessee’s last 5 games. Middle Tennessee are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games. Middle Tennessee are 14-6 SU in their last 20 games against Western Kentucky. The total has gone OVER in 6 of Middle Tennessee’s last 8 games on the road.
Western Kentucky are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games. The total has gone OVER in 5 of Western Kentucky’s last 6 games. Western Kentucky are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games. The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Western Kentucky’s last 7 games against Middle Tennessee. Western Kentucky are 11-4 SU in their last 15 games at home.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Free Pick
These teams have very similar stats. The Hilltoppers do many things better than the Blue Raiders, despite what the records show. Western Kentucky is more defensively sound, on the glass and from the outside, than the Blue Raiders. Although the Blue Raiders aren’t fond of shooting a lot of three-pointers against Sharp, they will be in for a long time if they attempt to do so inside. Blue Raiders aren’t good in covering the spread. Take Western Kentucky here to win the game according to the best college basketball betting picks.
Free Pick: Western Kentucky +1 (+112)
