It will be a battle between Conference USA opponents when the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (12-13) welcome the Old Dominion Monarchs (14-11) to E.A. Diddle Arena. Action starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18.
The Hilltoppers are hoping for a better outcome after their 96-93 loss to Marshall in their last matchup. Despite the loss, Justin Johnson earned his seventh double-double this season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Monarchs, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-66 loss at the hands of Rice in their last game. Trey Freeman had a game-high 27 points.
Fredrick Edmond has really been playing well as of late for the Hilltoppers, averaging 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks over the last five games.
The Monarchs will look to keep miscues at a minimum in this matchup. They’re ranked seventh in the nation at avoiding mistakes (TO% of 14.6%). Conversely, Western Kentucky forces the 25th-fewest errors in the nation, with just 15.7% of opponents’ possessions resulting in a turnover.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Monarchs won the first game 68-62. Freeman had a stellar game with 28 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two three-pointers.
The Hilltoppers have gone 12-13 Straight Up (SU) and 9-12 Against The Spread (ATS). Western Kentucky has averaged 69.5 points per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 77.6. Western Kentucky’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 66.6 during that span, compared to its 77.5 season average.
In the other locker room, the Monarchs head into the game with records of 6-14-1 ATS and 14-11 SU. Offensively, the Monarchs have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 67.6 points per game by averaging 77.1 during that stretch. The Monarchs have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, 36th in the country. The Monarchs rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 21st-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.46. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Monarchs on the defensive end. They allowed 78.5 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 62.0. The Old Dominion defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 5.0 field goals from three-point range per game.
Old Dominion won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Hilltoppers to 2-1. The Hilltoppers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – ODU, ATS Winner – ODU
Notes
Western Kentucky averages 77.6 points per game this season. Old Dominion is one of the best teams in points allowed, giving up just 62.0 points per game (ranked 12th).
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers rank 83rd for their offensive rating of 110.1. The Old Dominion Monarchs have a defensive rating of 99.7 (ranked 100th).
Old Dominion has an average field goal percentage of 43.5%. Western Kentucky is an underachieving 3-11 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Old Dominion Monarchs both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Western Kentucky is 97th and 65th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Old Dominion ranks 293rd and 208th in these categories.
The Old Dominion Monarchs rank 21st with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.46, while the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers rank outside the top 100 at 198th with an A/TO of 1.01.
Western Kentucky ranks 48th in rebounds per game with 39.5 and Old Dominion ranks 95th with 37.9 rebounds per game.
Western Kentucky ranks 75th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Old Dominion ranks 36th.
On average, Western Kentucky forces a turnover rate of 15.7%. When Old Dominion turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 8-4 record.
