Kennesaw State Owls vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 3/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kennesaw State Owls vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Location: Propst Arena in Huntsville, AL

TV: ESPN+

The Kennesaw State Owls (18-13) are on their way to Propst Arena on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (18-13) in the Conference USA Tournament.

The Kennesaw State Owls faced off with New Mexico State and took a loss by a score of 79-76 in their last game. Kennesaw State ended the game having earned a 42.1% FG percentage (24 of 57) and made 10 out of their 28 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Owls converted 18 of 26 attempts for a rate of 69.2%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they earned 28 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 12 dimes in the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. When discussing defense, Kennesaw State allowed the other team to shoot 43.3% from the field on 26 of 60 shooting. New Mexico State dished out 13 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. Additionally, New Mexico State pulled down 39 boards (14 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a block. New Mexico State finished the game shooting 82.8% from the free throw line by knocking down 24 of their 29 shots. They knocked down 3 of their 13 shots from 3-point range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Owls ended up with 20 and New Mexico State totaled 19 personal fouls.

Braedan Lue is one guy who was a contributor for the contest. He walked away from this one shooting 45.5% from the floor and also distributed 1 assist. He saw the court for 30 mins played and snagged 6 rebounds. He racked up 16 points on 5 of 11 shooting.

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Kennesaw State comes into this contest with a record of 18-13 on the campaign. They average 83.5 points per game (32nd in the country) on 44.4% from the field. The Owls are hitting 35.0% on 3-point shots (300 of 856) and 68.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Kennesaw State is pulling in 40.6 boards per game and has tallied 450 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 152nd in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 11.9 times per game and as a team are committing 20.1 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Owls are forcing 12.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.0 personal fouls. They surrender 34.2% on 3-pointers and they rank 244th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (76.3). The Owls defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 40.9% (751 of 1,834) and they surrender 35.2 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 39th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 360 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 92-67 when they played FIU. When talking about how they attacked the glass, Western Kentucky allowed FIU to snag 43 in all (13 on the offensive glass). They finished 40.0% from 3-point land via 8 of 20 and finished the contest at 10 of 14 from the charity stripe (71.4%). The Hilltoppers allowed FIU to knock down 37 out of 70 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 52.9% for the contest. When the final whistle blew, the Hilltoppers went 21 for 57 from the floor which had them at 36.8%. Regarding shooting from distance, Western Kentucky knocked down 7 out of 21 attempts (33.3%). They were able to knock down 18 of the free throw tries for a clip of 62.1%. FIU committed 19 personal fouls for the contest which took the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for 29 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while getting 9 steals for the game. The Hilltoppers were able to pull down 19 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 26 for the game.

Grant Newell pitched in for the Hilltoppers for this game. He accumulated 17 points in his 29 minutes of playing time and added 1 assist for the game. He buried 4 of 10 in this game for a rate of 40.0%, and accounted for 2 rebounds.

Western Kentucky has a record of 18-13 this year. The Hilltoppers commit 19.6 personal fouls per game and they hit 75.8% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 13.4 times per contest (221st in D-1) and they cough up possession 10.3 times per game. Western Kentucky has accounted for 2,450 points for the season (79.0 per contest) and they collect 39.1 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Hilltoppers are shooting 41.2% from the floor, which ranks them 344th in the nation.

The Western Kentucky defense concedes 33.9% on 3-pointers (258 of 762) and their opposition makes 69.3% of their free throw shots. They have given up 14.3 assists and 37.5 boards per game, which is 259th and 336th in those defensive categories. The Hilltoppers on the defensive end are ranked 228th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 75.5. They are able to force 12.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.1% from the floor (105th in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Kentucky

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