The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the FIU Panthers meet in college basketball action from the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Thursday. Let’s dive into the odds, injuries, matchup history and make a prediction for this game.
Odds
Western Kentucky is listed as a 1.5-point road favorite with a ML price of -125. The total for this game is set at 143.5 points.
Injuries
For Western Kentucky, Luke Frampton is out for the season with a knee injury while Jamarion Sharp is questionable with a knee injury of his own while Austin Williams remains out for FIU with an undisclosed injury.
Matchup History
Western Kentucky’s 70-59 win over FIU back on January 14th, 2023, made it 4 wins in the last 5 for the Hilltoppers and 5 straight wins for the home team in this head-to-head matchup.
Trends
Western Kentucky is 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a loss and 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS loss while the over is 5-1 in their last 6 games against a team with a losing record. FIU is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games against a team with a winning road record while the over is 8-2 in their last 10 games against a team with a winning record.
Pick
I’m leaning towards the over here. Not a game I think I’m overly eager to bet, but both teams can score and both have been giving up well into the 70s on the defensive end more often than not this season. The case could be made for either side in this game so give me the over as the more definitive play here.