The Eastern Kentucky Colonels (6-1) will attempt to extend a five-game winning streak when they take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (3-3) at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
The Hilltoppers are hoping for a better outcome after their 81-73 loss to Duquesne in their last game. Justin Johnson was the team’s leading scorer, putting up 21 points. The Colonels are coming off a 98-85 win against Southern Utah in their last game. Javontae Hawkins led the team in scoring with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
Western Kentucky, a seven-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Eastern Kentucky. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 157 points. The Hilltoppers enter the game with records of 3-3 Straight Up (SU) and 2-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Western Kentucky is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a stellar .400 from three-point range. Western Kentucky has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 42.3 rebounds per game. Western Kentucky will look to take advantage of the Colonels and their propensity to foul. Eastern Kentucky ranks 311th in the nation in fouls, averaging 23.4 per game.
Across the court, the Colonels head into the game with records of 2-1 ATS and 6-1 SU. Offensively, they average 93.7 points per game, which is good for fifth in the country. Eastern Kentucky is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting 9.0 shots from three-point range per game. The Colonels are an unselfish team with an average of 19.0 assists per game, ranking 15th in Division I.
Western Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – WestKy, ATS Winner – EastKy, O/U – Over
Notes
Western Kentucky is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games at home.
Western Kentucky averages 81.5 points per game (ranked 65th). Eastern Kentucky, on the other hand, allows 81.4 points per game (ranked 320th).
Ranked 47th, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have an offensive rating of 116.3. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels rank 257th with a defensive rating of just 106.8.
Eastern Kentucky beats Western Kentucky in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Colonels average 75.8 possessions and 1.236 points per possession, while the Hilltoppers average 70.1 possessions with 1.163 points per possession.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers average an effective field goal percentage of 54.5% this season. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are a perfect 3-0 in games where opponents have an eFG% of 54.5% or greater.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers attempt 22.0 three pointers per game, and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels attempt 21.0 on average. When attempting at least 20 three pointers this season, Western Kentucky is 2-3 and Eastern Kentucky is a perfect 6-0.
Western Kentucky ranks 53rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.40, while Eastern Kentucky ranks 58th with an A/TO of 1.37.
Western Kentucky, the 50th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 42.3 rebounds per game. Eastern Kentucky does worse, ranked 280th with 34.1.
On average, Western Kentucky makes 3.2 steals per game. Eastern Kentucky has a tremendous 6-1 record when it gives up at least 3 steals.
