Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 1/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds
Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs UTEP Miners
Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024
Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX
TV: ESPN+
The UTEP Miners (9-8) are hosting the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (13-4) at Don Haskins Center on Saturday.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers faced off with Jacksonville State and notched a win by a score of 80-69 in their last contest. Western Kentucky finished having earned a 49.1% field goal percentage (26 of 53) and converted 10 of their 20 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Hilltoppers converted 18 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 72.0%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they earned 35 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 13 dimes in the matchup while creating 13 turnovers and having 6 steals. With regard to defending, Western Kentucky allowed their opponent to shoot 45.6% from the floor on 26 of 57 shooting. Jacksonville State totaled 9 dimes and had 9 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Jacksonville State grabbed 26 rebounds (7 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Jacksonville State shot 57.9% at the charity stripe by converting 11 of 19 tries. They made 6 of their 18 attempts from downtown. In reference to personal fouls, the Hilltoppers ended up finishing with 17 and Jacksonville State totaled 22 personal fouls.
Brandon Newman is a guy who was important in the game. He finished with 25 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 35 mins played and also totaled 4 boards. He went 61.5% from the field and dished out 4 dimes.
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Western Kentucky comes into this one with a record of 13-4 this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.7 times per game and as a group are committing 19.3 fouls every game. As a team, Western Kentucky is pulling in 41.2 boards per game and has tallied 219 dimes so far this year, which ranks 240th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Hilltoppers are hitting 32.7% on shots from beyond the arc (116 of 355) and 68.4% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 79.4 points per game (66th in college hoops) while connecting on 45.0% from the floor.
When they are on the defensive end, the Hilltoppers are forcing 15.0 turnovers per game while drawing 18.1 personal fouls. They concede 28.3% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 232nd in college basketball in opponents points per game (73.3). The Hilltoppers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 41.1% (443 of 1,078) and they concede 38.1 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 199th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 223 conceded so far this season.
In their last game, the UTEP Miners took a loss by a score of 72-68 against FIU. In the matter of rebounding, UTEP permitted FIU to pull down 23 in all (6 on the offensive glass). They shot 41.2% from three-point range by hitting 7 out of 17 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 14 at the charity stripe (78.6%). The Miners permitted FIU to convert 27 of 53 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 50.9% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Miners finished shooting 27 out of 46 from the field which gave them a rate of 58.7%. Pertaining to 3-point attempts, UTEP made 8 out of their 14 attempts (57.1%). They were able to knock down 6 of them for a rate of 66.7%. FIU was called for 12 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Miners to the free throw line for 9 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 23 times, while recording 15 steals in this contest. The Miners were able to collect 19 defensive boards and 2 offensive boards totaling 21 for the matchup.
Tae Hardy ended up being important for the Miners in the matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 13 for the contest giving him a rate of 53.8%, and added 2 rebounds. He accumulated 15 points in his 33 minutes on the court and added 3 dimes in this game.
UTEP has a record of 9-8 for the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Miners are shooting 46.3% from the floor, which is ranked 107th in D-1. UTEP has scored 1,269 pts on the year (74.6 per game) and they average 33.1 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.9 times per contest (151st in college basketball) and they are turning it over 15.2 times per game. The Miners commit 20.5 personal fouls every game and they connect on 68.5% from the free throw line.
The UTEP defense allows 32.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (97 of 303) and opponents are making 73.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 10.5 assists and 33.4 rebounds per contest, which is 25th and 100th in those categories. The Miners on the defensive end are ranked 125th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 69.5. They are able to force 18.8 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 44.1% from the field (237th in college hoops).
Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Kentucky
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Additional Resources:
UTEP Miners - Twitter
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers - Twitter