MTSU Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 2/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026

Location: E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (13-11) welcome the MTSU Blue Raiders (11-12) at E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday.

The MTSU Blue Raiders played Delaware and ended up losing by a score of 89-88 in their last game. MTSU finished the contest with a 49.2% field goal percentage (32 of 65) and converted 11 out of their 33 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Blue Raiders made 13 of their 19 shots for a percentage of 68.4%. Regarding grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 29 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 20 assists in this game as well as forcing 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. With regard to the defense, MTSU let their opponent shoot 54.9% from the field on 28 of 51 shooting. Delaware distributed 13 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. Additionally, Delaware collected 24 boards (5 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Delaware finished the game at 90.5% when shooting free throws by knocking down 19 of their 21 attempts. They knocked down 14 out of their 28 attempts from distance. Regarding fouls, the Blue Raiders walked away with 15 and Delaware had 17 fouls.

Kamari Lands is one guy who was a contributor in the matchup. He recorded 21 points on 8 of 18 shooting. He saw the court for 42 mins and also snagged 4 rebounds. He shot 44.4% from the floor and also recorded 4 dimes.

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MTSU comes into this matchup with a mark of 11-12 on the campaign. They turn it over 11.4 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, MTSU is grabbing 36.8 rebounds per game and has accounted for 333 dimes for the year, which is 228th in the nation in terms of passing. The Blue Raiders are connecting on 34.5% on shots from beyond the arc (223 of 646) and 67.5% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 74.6 pts per contest (229th in college) while connecting on 43.9% from the field.

On defense, the Blue Raiders are forcing 11.2 turnovers per game and they draw 15.4 fouls. They currently rank 39th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 271 conceded this season. The Blue Raiders defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 43.5% (582 of 1,339) and they relinquish 35.1 rebounds per game as a squad. They are relinquishing 32.3% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 126th in D-1 in opponents PPG (71.9).

The last time they took the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers went home victorious with a score of 80-70 against FIU. The Hilltoppers were able to collect 22 defensive boards and 16 offensive boards totaling 38 in this game. They coughed up the ball 7 times, while recording 7 steals in this contest. FIU was called for 12 personal fouls for the contest which got the Hilltoppers to the charity stripe for a total of 13 shots. They were able to knock down 11 of them for a clip of 84.6%. With regard to three-point shots, Western Kentucky buried 13 of 37 attempts (35.1%). Overall, the Hilltoppers shot 28 for 76 from the field which gave them a rate of 36.8%. The Hilltoppers permitted FIU to convert 24 of 56 tries from the field which had them shooting 42.9% in this game. They finished 41.2% from distance by shooting 7 out of 17 and ended up going 15 out of 19 from the free throw line (78.9%). In regard to rebounding, Western Kentucky allowed FIU to get 32 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

Grant Newell was important for the Hilltoppers for the matchup. He earned 23 points in his 30 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to tally an assist. He converted 8 out of 15 in this contest for a field goal rate of 53.3%, and had 2 rebounds.

Western Kentucky has a mark of 13-11 this season. The Hilltoppers commit 19.7 fouls every game and they connect on 75.0% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 12.9 times per contest (271st in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.4 times per game. Western Kentucky has totaled 1,855 points for the campaign (77.3 per contest) and they snag 40.9 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Hilltoppers are shooting 39.4% from the field, which is 362nd in the country.

The Western Kentucky defense allows 34.7% from downtown (206 of 593) and opponents are converting on 69.0% of their foul shots. They relinquish 14.5 assists and 38.7 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 263rd and 346th in college hoops. The Hilltoppers on the defensive side of the court are 206th in college in points allowed per contest with 74.4. They are forcing 13.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.0% from the field (75th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take MTSU

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