Conference USA foes will battle when the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-6) take on the FIU Golden Panthers (7-7) at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Hilltoppers are hoping to rebound after their 94-76 loss to Marshall on Sunday. Justin Johnson finished with 24 points to lead the team. The Golden Panthers, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-59 win against Florida Atlantic on Sunday. Adrian Diaz had a good performance and claimed his sixth double-double of the season, registering 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Western Kentucky, an eight-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against FIU. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 137 points. The Hilltoppers come into this game 8-6 Straight Up (SU) and 5-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Hilltoppers, ranking 25th in the country in blocks per game with 5.5.
Over on the other bench, the Golden Panthers have 7-7 SU and 4-2 ATS records.
These conference rivals will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Western Kentucky came out on top, bringing its SU record to 8-2 over FIU in their most recent games. The Hilltoppers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Western Kentucky held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five games, while FIU wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – WestKy, ATS Winner – FIU, O/U – Over
Notes
Western Kentucky is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Western Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Western Kentucky’s last 12 games when playing Florida International.
Western Kentucky is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Florida International.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Western Kentucky’s last 6 games when playing at home against Florida International.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers average 78.4 points per game, ranking 83rd in the nation. The FIU Golden Panthers rank 78th in points allowed with 66.5.
Western Kentucky lost its last game by an 18-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, FIU is 2-1. Western Kentucky is 3-3 in blowouts this season.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers average 70.3 possessions and 1.115 points per possession in games this season. The FIU Golden Panthers average fewer possessions with 67.7, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.049.
FIU has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.2%. Western Kentucky is an underachieving 3-5 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Western Kentucky attempts 20.0 three pointers and FIU attempts 16.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have a 5-4 record while the FIU Golden Panthers are even at 1-1.
Western Kentucky ranks 144th in offensive rebounds, while FIU ranks 27th in defensive rebounds.
Western Kentucky records 4.4 steals per game. FIU is 4-6 when giving up at least 4 steals.
