College hoops betting interest focuses on the Western Kentucky vs Louisiana-Monroe battle Thursday at EA Diddle Arena as the Hilltoppers look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.

Western Kentucky battles the Warhawks, currently sitting with a 4-18 mark (10-10 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 7-14-1 for the Hilltoppers and 13-5 for the Warhawks.



View Louisiana-Monroe vs Western Kentucky Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Hilltoppers were listed as 14.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark earlier in the day. It opened first at Sportsbook, where the total was expected shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 340-rated Louisiana-Monroe taking on the No. 146-rated Hilltoppers in this contest. The scores prediction computer here indicates a possible 66-55 win for the Hilltoppers on Thursday.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Warhawks is ranked No. 336 in NCAA hoops at 29.4 per game. Contrast that with Western Kentucky’s No. 89 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Western Kentucky is the No. 166-ranked team in the country at 6.1 per game, while Louisiana-Monroe rates No. 177 at 6 per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Louisiana-Monroe owns the country's No. 267-rated mark, allowing 73.6 points per game on the highway. Western Kentucky, on the other hand, rates No. 234 in scoring at home.

Louisiana-Monroe was an 87-54 loser in their most recent outing at home against Arkansas State. They failed to cover the 10.5-point spread as underdogs. Louisiana-Monroe was crushed on Saturday, getting blown out by Arkansas State and falling by an 87-54 score at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Last time out for Western Kentucky, they were an 87-82 loser as they battled Florida International on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 2-point underdog. Western Kentucky suffered an 87-82 loss against Florida International on Saturday, getting 22 points from T.J. Price in a losing effort at U.S. Century Bank Arena.


Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Middle Tennessee are 4-5
After playing Arkansas State are 0-10
After a loss are 2-8

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Louisiana-Lafayette are 8-2
After playing Florida International are 7-3
After a loss are 3-7

A few Warhawks at Hilltoppers trends to consider:
Louisiana-Monroe is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Louisiana-Monroe is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Western Kentucky is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Louisiana-Monroe
Western Kentucky is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Western Kentucky's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Western Kentucky's last 10 games


Next up:
Louisiana-Monroe at Middle Tennessee, Saturday, February 23
Western Kentucky at Louisiana-Lafayette, Saturday, February 23