To bring the regular season to a close, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (14-14) will travel to Bartow Arena and take on the UAB Blazers (23-5). Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and can be seen on FSN.
The Blazers come into this game on a high note after topping Marshall 95-91 on Thursday. Dirk Williams led all scorers on the team with 19 points on 6-for-7 shooting. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 78-72 win against Middle Tennessee on Thursday. Aaron Cosby was the game’s top scorer, accumulating 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
Over the last five games, Chris Cokley has been playing at a high level for the Blazers. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 block.
The high-octane offense of UAB (30th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 114.4) will square off against the porous defense of Western Kentucky (280th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 108.3), a matchup that should favor the Blazers.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Hilltoppers winning the first matchup 69-62. William Lee was a top player in the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, two blocks, and two three-pointers.
The Blazers come into this game 23-5 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Blazers have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 79.6 points per game. UAB is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a superb .380 from three-point range. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of UAB’s offense. They are fourth in the nation in assists with an average of 18.8 per game.
Across the court, the Hilltoppers have records of 11-13 ATS and 14-14 SU. Offensively, they average 75.8 points per game on the road, which is 42nd in the country.
Western Kentucky won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Blazers to 3-2. Additionally, Western Kentucky holds the advantage ATS with a record of 4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – UAB, ATS Winner – UAB
Notes
“UAB is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“UAB is 20-2 SU in its last 22 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of UAB’s last 5 games “.
“UAB is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of UAB’s last 8 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UAB’s last 5 games when playing Western Kentucky”.
UAB averages 79.6 points per game (ranked 30th). Western Kentucky, on the other hand, allows 75.8 points per game (ranked 214th).
UAB scores 83.9 points per home game (ranked 26th). Western Kentucky ranks a poor 231st in points allowed on the road, allowing 80.7 points.
Ranked 30th, the UAB Blazers have an offensive rating of 114.4. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers rank 280th with a defensive rating of just 108.3.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers average 69.6 possessions per game and 1.094 points per possession. The UAB Blazers earn fewer possessions with 69.6, but they score more points with 1.144.
The UAB Blazers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 21st in the country with an eFG% of 55.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have an underachieving 3-10 record.
On average, the UAB Blazers attempt 19.0 three point field goals per game and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers attempt 18.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, UAB has a superb 12-4 record, while Western Kentucky is 6-7.
The 23rd-ranked team in the category, UAB has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.46 this season. Western Kentucky ranks outside the top 100 at 227th with an A/TO of .98.
UAB ranks 58th in rebounds per game with 39.0 and Western Kentucky ranks 55th with 39.1 rebounds per game.
UAB ranks 33rd in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Western Kentucky ranks 66th.
On average, Western Kentucky forces a turnover rate of 16.3%. When UAB turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a dazzling 15-4 record.
