Florida Atlantic vs Western Kentucky 1/20/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will travel to FAU Arena to take on the Florida Atlantic Owls this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 10-7 on the season after being defeated by the North Texas Mean Green, 65-60, this past Saturday. Western Kentucky struggled offensively against North Texas and could not fight back after the Mean Green took a 53-42 lead with 9:32 left in regulation. Western Kentucky shot 46.9% from the field & 16.7% from beyond the arc while allowing North Texas to shoot 43.4% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hilltoppers was Dayvion McKnight wo had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, & 3 steals.

On the season, Western Kentucky is averaging 76.5 ppg on 47.2% shooting from the field. The Hilltoppers are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 34.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Western Kentucky has been led by Dayvion McKnight (14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 6.5 apg, 2.0 spg), Jairus Hamilton (14.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Camron Justice (13.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg), & Josh Anderson (11.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.3 spg).

Defensively, Western Kentucky is allowing their opponents to average 68.2 ppg on 40.2% shooting from the field. The Hilltoppers have a rebound margin of -0.2 and a turnover margin of 1.9.

The Florida Atlantic Owls snapped their 2-game losing streak and improved to 9-8 on the season after defeating the Charlotte 49ers, 96-67, this past Monday. Florida Atlantic was lights out on the offensive end against Charlotte and had no trouble pulling away in the 2^nd half for the victory after going into halftime with a 49-35 lead. Florida Atlantic shot 61.8% from the field & 76.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Charlotte to shoot 44.0% from the field & 42.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Owls was Alijah Martin who had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Florida Atlantic is averaging 75.2 ppg on 46.0% shooting from the field. The Owls are averaging 9.1 three-pointers per game on 36.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Florida Atlantic has been led by Michael Forrest (14.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg), Alijah Martin (13.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.3 spg), Bryan Greenlee (9.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg), & Everett Winchester (7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg).

Defensively, Florida Atlantic is allowing their opponents to average 68.5 ppg on 44.6% shooting from the field. The Owls have a rebound margin of 5.2 and a turnover margin of 1.1.

The Hilltoppers are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games, however, are just 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games vs. Florida Atlantic. The Owls are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. C-USA opponents & 4-3 ATS in their last 7 home games.

Western Kentucky has been solid on both ends of the court this season and come into this game ranked 79^th in scoring offense, 45^th in FG%, & 60^th in defensive FG%. Florida Atlantic has been led by their offense which ranks t-106^th in scoring offense & 96^th in FG%, however, the Owls have struggled a bit defensively and currently rank just 168^th in scoring defense & 271^st in defensive FG%.

Western Kentucky hasn’t had much success on the road this season, however, the Hilltoppers have played some tough competition (Memphis, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech). Florida Atlantic is solid at home and has a good offense, however, the Owls certainly have some question marks on the defensive end and haven’t played the toughest schedule as they come into this game ranked just 243^rd in strength of schedule. Western Kentucky is the better team in my opinion and as I expect the Hilltoppers offense to have success in this one, I’m taking Western Kentucky to cover this small road spread. Good Luck!