College basketball wagering interest will be high on Thursday when the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette hit the hard court against the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky.

Western Kentucky will face the 7-12 Ragin Cajuns, who own a 7-7 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Hilltoppers are 5-8 favoring the UNDER so far this season while the Ragin Cajuns are 7-3 favoring the OVER.



View Louisiana-Lafayette vs Western Kentucky Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Hilltoppers as 7.5-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest. It may have moved, check for updates.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game puts the Hilltoppers, most recently No. 126 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Ragin Cajuns, who rate No. 213 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and computer-based handicapping simulations run on this game predict a potential 71-67 victory for the Hilltoppers.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Western Kentucky's No. 194 nationally ranked offense (67.2 points per game) against a Ragin Cajuns defense that sits as the No. 309 at 73.3 PPG. The Hilltoppers have been averaging 42.7% from the field, less than the Ragin Cajuns have managed so far this season (43.2% on average).

Defensively, Louisiana-Lafayette features the nation's No. 276-rated defense on the road, allowing 75.4 points per game. Western Kentucky, meanwhile, comes in at No. 202 nationally in scoring at home.

In their last action, Louisiana-Lafayette was a 61-56 Sportsbook at home against Arkansas State. They covered the 2.5-point spread as underdogs. Shawn Long scored 17 points leading the Ragin Cajuns to a 61-56 victory over Arkansas State at Cajundome on Saturday.

Last time out for Western Kentucky, they were a 65-62 loser as they battled Florida Atlantic at home. They failed to cover in the match as an 8-point favorite. T.J. Price scored 20 points in a futile effort to lead the Hilltoppers to a win (they lost 65-62 to Florida Atlantic at EA Diddle Arena on Saturday).


Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Middle Tennessee are 5-5
After playing Arkansas State are 7-3
After a win are 1-9

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Arkansas-Little Rock are 8-2
After playing Florida Atlantic are 8-2
After a loss are 5-5

A few Ragin Cajuns at Hilltoppers trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Louisiana-Lafayette's last 5 games when playing on the road against Western Kentucky
Louisiana-Lafayette is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Western Kentucky
Louisiana-Lafayette is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Western Kentucky's last 5 games when playing at home against Louisiana-Lafayette
Western Kentucky is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games at home
Western Kentucky is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Louisiana-Lafayette
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Western Kentucky's last 5 games when playing Louisiana-Lafayette


Next up:
Louisiana-Lafayette at Middle Tennessee, Saturday, January 19
Western Kentucky home to Arkansas-Little Rock, Saturday, January 19