The Belmont Bruins (8-1) and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (5-5) face off at Curb Event Center. The Bruins look to lengthen their six-game winning streak. The game gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 19, 2018.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Belmont Bruins ATS Odds
In their last game, the Bruins were victorious over the Illinois State Redbirds, 100-89, while the Hilltoppers lost big to the 25th-ranked Washington Huskies, 73-55.
Belmont played a perfect game. They had a free throw rate of 0.169 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 30.6. For those same stats, Illinois State had marks of 0.083 and 21.1, respectively. Western Kentucky, on the other hand, had a better effective field goal percentage (0.425 vs. 0.438). Grayson Murphy had a good game for Belmont, finishing with 13 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky was led by Charles Bassey, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bruins won the lone game between these two teams last year, 75-72. Belmont’s 0.589 effective field goal percentage was its biggest strength over Western Kentucky, who had a rate of 0.462.
Taveion Hollingsworth has taken his game to another level recently for Western Kentucky, averaging 0 points over the last five games.
The prolific offense of Belmont will battle against the porous defense of Western Kentucky. Since last season, the Bruins rank 44th in offensive efficiency, while the Hilltoppers are 259th in defensive efficiency. The Bruins figure to have the edge on that side of the ball. Additionally, the Hilltoppers rank 19th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.291), while the Bruins rank 51st in opponents’ FTA rate (0.195).
Western Kentucky vs. Belmont Betting Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Belmont, ATS Winner – Western Kentucky, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2017-Present):
- Belmont ranks 20th in three pointers attempted per game (30.0) while Western Kentucky ranks 265th (15.4).
- The Bruins average 3.1 blocks per game, which ranks 18th in the NCAA. The Hilltoppers rank 139th in blocks allowed per game (3.5).
- Western Kentucky averages 7.3 steals per game, which ranks 42nd in the NCAA. Belmont ranks 74th in steals allowed per game (6.1).
- The Bruins rank third in assists per game (17.1) while the Hilltoppers rank 196th (13.1).
- Belmont ranks sixth in rebounds per game (36.4) while Western Kentucky ranks 133rd (35.8).
