Charlotte vs Western Kentucky 2/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Charlotte 49ers meet in college basketball action from the Dale Halton Arena on Thursday night.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will look to snap a five-game losing skid after a 93-85 loss at the hands of Middle Tennessee last time out. Dayvion McKnight leads the Hilltoppers in scoring and assists with 15.1 PPG with 6.2 RPG and a team-high 6.3 APG while Jairus Hamilton has 13.5 PPG with 5.7 RPG. Camron Justice has 13.3 PPG with 2.9 APG and Josh Anderson has 12.2 PPG to make up the group of double-digit scorers for WKU this season. Luke Frampton has 8.8 PPG and Jamarion Sharp also has a team-high 7 RPG for the Hilltoppers this season. As a team, Western Kentucky is averaging 76.3 PPG on 47.1% shooting from the field, 34.6% from three and 71.2% from the foul line while allowing 70.7 PPG on 41.7% shooting from the field and 34.7% from three this year.

The Charlotte 49ers will hope to bounce back from a 68-52 loss at the hands of Old Dominion last time out. Jahmir Young leads the 49ers in scoring and assists with 18.8 PPG and 3.8 APG as well as logging 5.4 RPG on the year while Austin Butler has 11.9 PPG with 6.1 RPG to cap off the pair of double-digit scorers for Charlotte up to this point in the season as the 49ers’ top rebounder. Clyde Trapp has 9.3 PPG with 5.8 RPG while Robert Braswell has 8.6 PPG this season. As a team, Charlotte is averaging 69.1 PPG on 46% shooting from the field, 35.6% from three and 76.4% from the foul line while allowing 71.2 PPG on 45.7% shooting from the field and 36.6% from three this season.

Western Kentucky is 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning record and 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games following a loss while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 road games. Charlotte is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against a team with a losing record while the over is 7-3 in their last 10 home games.

I get why you could make a case for WKU here as this is a better team than their record would indicate. However, I’m not laying a bucket on the road simply because the Hilltoppers are due and they should get a win here. Charlotte’s been solid as of late, and the 49ers have a tendency to do their best work at home this season. I’ll take my chances with Charlotte and the free points here.