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It will be a battle between Mid-American opponents when the Western Michigan Broncos (9-14) welcome the Miami (OH) RedHawks (8-15) to University Arena in Read Fieldhouse. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and can be seen on ES3.
The Broncos fell to Ball State 75-71 on Saturday. Thomas Wilder finished with 23 points to lead the game. The RedHawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 55-51 win over Bowling Green on Saturday. Willie Moore led the game in scoring by accounting for 13 points on 3-for-4 shooting.
Wilder has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Broncos. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers.
The Broncos enter the game with records of 9-14 Straight Up (SU) and 9-9 Against The Spread (ATS). The Broncos have no trouble scoring as they rank 39th in the nation in home offense with 82.4 points per game. The Broncos are a high-volume shooting team from the line with 18.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Across the court, the RedHawks have records of 8-12 ATS and 8-15 SU. Offensively, the RedHawks have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 63.6 points per game by averaging 74.4 during that stretch. The RedHawks average 68.1 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 77.4 points per game during that span.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, Western Michigan came out on top, bringing its SU record to 7-3 over Miami (OH) in their most recent games. Furthermore, Western Michigan holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither Western Michigan nor Miami (OH) has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – WestMi, ATS Winner – WestMi
Notes
Western Michigan averages 74.5 points per game, placing the team just 121st in the nation. Miami (OH) ranks 81st in points allowed, giving up 68.1 points per game.
On average, Western Michigan has 70.1 possessions per game and scores 1.064 points on each possession. Miami (OH) has both fewer possessions (65.2) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.974).
Western Michigan has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.4%. Miami (OH) is an abysmal 2-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Western Michigan Broncos attempt 19.0 three point field goals per game and the Miami (OH) RedHawks attempt 16.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Western Michigan is 5-4, while Miami (OH) has a losing record of 2-6.
The Miami (OH) defense has forced an average TO% of 22.8% this season (ranked 16th). In games where it gives up a TO% of 23% or greater, Western Michigan has a losing 1-3 record.
