Western Kentucky vs. UTEP C-USA Tournament Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Wednesday, March 8, 2023

The C-USA conference tournament continues Wednesday as the No. 8 seed Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (16-15, 8-12 C-USA) face off against the No. 9 seed UTEP Miners (14-17, 7-13 C-USA) at Ford Center at The Star, beginning at 6:30 PM on ESPN+. Western Kentucky is a 2.5-point favorite to move one step closer to an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket. The matchup’s point total is set at 132.5.

Western Kentucky vs. UTEP Odds

• Western Kentucky odds to win: -145
• UTEP odds to win: +122
• Spread: Western Kentucky (-2.5)
• Total: 132.5

Western Kentucky vs. UTEP Promo Codes

Game Time and Information

• Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
• Time: 6:30 PM ET
• TV: ESPN+
• Where: Frisco, Texas
• Venue: Ford Center at The Star

Who Will Win Western Kentucky vs. UTEP?

Western Kentucky and UTEP Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread

In games it has played as at least 2.5-point favorites this season, Western Kentucky is 6-9 against the spread.

In games this season in which it was an underdog by 2.5 points or more, UTEP has a 6-9 record against the spread.

The Hilltoppers and the Miners combine to average eight more points per game than the over/under of 132.5 set for this game.

Opponents of the two teams average a combined 6.5 more points per game, 139, than this game’s over/under of 132.5 points.

Western Kentucky’s average point total in matchups this season is 142.5, 10 points higher than the over/under in this game.

The average total in Miners games this season is 4.4 more points than the point total of 132.5 in this outing.

The Hilltoppers’ ATS record is 12-16-1 this season.

The Miners have gone 16-13-0 ATS this year.

Western Kentucky Stats & Insights

Western Kentucky is outscoring opponents by 1.4 points per game with a +43 scoring differential overall. It puts up 72 points per game (177th in college basketball) and allows 70.6 per contest (194th in college basketball).

The 31 rebounds per game Western Kentucky averages rank 231st in the country, and are 1.7 fewer than the 32.7 its opponents grab per contest.

The Hilltoppers make 7.6 three-pointers per game (158th in college basketball), 1.8 fewer than their opponents (9.4). They are shooting 36.5% from deep (62nd in college basketball) while allowing opponents to shoot 36.2%.

Western Kentucky ranks 199th in college basketball with 93.1 points scored per 100 possessions, and 170th in college basketball defensively with 91.3 points conceded per 100 possessions.

At home, the Hilltoppers are scoring 9.3 more points per game (77.1) than they are on the road (67.8).

UTEP Stats & Insights

UTEP scores 68.5 points per game (264th in college basketball) and concedes 68.4 (127th in college basketball) for a +6 scoring differential overall.

The 31.4 rebounds per game UTEP accumulates rank 202nd in the nation, 1.7 more than the 29.7 its opponents record.

UTEP knocks down 1.8 fewer threes per contest than the opposition, 4.9 (353rd in college basketball) compared to its opponents’ 6.7.

UTEP ranks 323rd in college basketball with 87.3 points scored per 100 possessions, and 69th defensively with 87.1 points conceded per 100 possessions.

The Miners average 69.9 points per game at home, and 66.6 away.

Western Kentucky Key Players to Watch

Dayvion McKnight leads the Hilltoppers in points and assists per game, scoring 16.5 points and distributing 3.7 assists.

Jamarion Sharp is Western Kentucky’s best rebounder, hauling in an average of 7.5 boards in each contest while scoring 7.3 points per game.

Dontaie Allen makes more threes per game than any other member of the Hilltoppers, knocking down shots from beyond the arc at a clip of 1.7 per contest.

McKnight and Sharp lead Western Kentucky on the defensive end, with McKnight leading the team in steals averaging 1.7 per game and Sharp in blocks averaging 4.2 per contest.

UTEP Key Players to Watch

Tae Hardy is at the top of the Miners scoring leaderboard with 12.7 points per game. He also pulls down 2.7 rebounds and racks up 1.8 assists per game.

Calvin Solomon has a stat line of 5.9 rebounds, 9.4 points and 2.1 assists per game for UTEP to take the top rebound spot on the team. Shamar Givance holds the top spot for assists with 4.3 per game, adding 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per matchup.

Hardy makes 1.4 three-pointers per game, the most on the Miners.

UTEP’s leader in steals is Givance with two per game, and its leader in blocks is Solomon with 0.5 per game.

Western Kentucky vs. UTEP Prediction

• Pick ATS:

  UTEP (+2.5)
  

• Pick OU:

  Over (132.5)
  

• Prediction:
  Western Kentucky 70, UTEP 69

How to Bet on Western Kentucky vs. UTEP

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