Hilltoppers Look to Take Down Another High Seed in NIT Quarterfinals
The NIT Quarterfinals are under way. The 4th-seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the 2nd-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys meet on Wednesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tip-off is set for 9 pm EST. ESPN2 will have the coverage.
Oddsmakers opened the Cowboys as -5.5-point favorites versus the Hilltoppers, while the game’s total opened at 147.5. The line now is Oklahoma State -6.5 and the total has risen to 149.5.
The Cowboys dropped 14 games this season. That number is misleading as 12 were against NCAA Tournament qualifiers. They come into Wednesday night having won five of six and playing well.
Jeffrey Carroll scored 26 points against Stanford to advance. He had a career-high five threes as well. The score was 71-65 on Monday. Just two players average in double-figures for the Cowboys. They make up for it in depth. The team has six average at least 8.2 points. Five players are 6-foot-6 or taller.
The Cowboys have exceeded oddsmakers’ expectations; they’re on a 6-2 ATS run.
NIT Quarterfinals Have a Underrated WKU Team
WKU was even more impressive in its quarterfinals win. Justin Johnson scored 23 points in the Hilltoppers’ 79-75 win at USC. The Hilltoppers went 4-2 against NCAA Tournament teams this season. Those wins include a four-point win over 2-seed Purdue.
Their RPI of 39 was the fifth-best among teams that didn’t get invited to the Big Dance.
Western Kentucky has been one of the nation’s most reliable teams against the spread. They have done 22-12 this season. It’s been an underdog just seven times all season. They are 6-1 ATS in those games.
Recent Form
| Name | Record | ATS | Offense | Defense | Diff | ATS Home | ATS Away | OU Record | OU Home | OU Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | 26-10 | 22-12 | 78.42 | 69.97 | 8.45 | 9-6 | 8-5 | 16-16-2 | 5-8-2 | 9-4 |
| Oklahoma State | 21-14 | 17-16 | 76.37 | 72.71 | 3.66 | 9-9 | 6-4 | 11-21-1 | 5-13 | 6-4 |
| Assists Turnovers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Assists | Turnovers | Ratio | |
| W.KEN | 13.56 | 11.81 | 1.15 | |
| OKST | 14.11 | 13.14 | 1.07 | |
| Rebounding | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Offense | Defense | Total | |
| W.KEN | 9.58 | 26.00 | 35.58 | |
| OKST | 12.71 | 24.74 | 37.45 | |
| ShootingPercentage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential | |
| W.KEN | 49.61 | 42.92 | 6.69 | |
| OKST | 43.26 | 43.48 | -0.22 | |
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 26-10 | 16-4 | 10-6 | 22-12 | 11-7 | 11-5 | 78.42 | 69.97 | 8.45 |
| Last 10 | 7-3 | 4-1 | 3-2 | 7-3 | 4-1 | 3-2 | 78.20 | 69.30 | 8.90 |
| vs Conf | 16-5 | 9-2 | 7-3 | 12-9 | 6-5 | 6-4 | 78.76 | 70.67 | 8.09 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 21-14 | 16-6 | 5-8 | 16-16 | 9-10 | 7-6 | 76.37 | 72.71 | 3.66 |
| Last 10 | 6-4 | 5-1 | 1-3 | 6-4 | 4-2 | 2-2 | 73.70 | 71.80 | 1.90 |
| vs Conf | 9-11 | 6-4 | 3-7 | 10-10 | 5-5 | 5-5 | 75.20 | 77.90 | -2.70 |
NIT Quarterfinals Supergrid
| Title | Stat | Rank | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense | 78.42 | 52 | 72.71 | 144 |
| Away Team Away Scoring vs Home Team Home Defense | 75.75 | 50 | 69.27 | 128 |
| Away Team Road Rebounds vs Home Team Home Rebounds Allowed | 34.31 | 127 | 36.86 | 225 |
| Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense | 76.37 | 74 | 69.97 | 87 |
| Home Team Home Scoring vs Away Team Road Defense | 77.68 | 117 | 73.06 | 86 |
| Home Team Home Rebounds vs Away Team Road Rebounds Allowed | 37.77 | 77 | 33.25 | 48 |
Head To Head Summary
| Team | record | ATS | O/U | AVG | AVG ½ | FG% | REB | 3PT | steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | — | — | — | ||||||
| Oklahoma State | — | — | — |
Head To Head Detail
| Date |
|---|
| Date | Away | away score | Home | home score | line | ATS | Total | O/U | FG% Edge | Reb Edge | 3PT Edge | Away Half Score | Home Half Score | Away FG% | Home FG% | Away Rebounds | Home Rebounds | Away Three Pointers | Home Three Pointers | Away Steals | Home Steals |
|---|
NIT Quarterfinals Betting Trends
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games | ||
| Western Kentucky is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 8 of Western Kentucky’s last 12 games | ||
| Western Kentucky is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games on the road | ||
| Western Kentucky is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games on the road | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of Western Kentucky’s last 6 games on the road | ||
Oklahoma State Cowboys | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games | ||
| Oklahoma State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma State’s last 7 games | ||
| Oklahoma State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home | ||
| Oklahoma State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma State’s last 5 games at home | ||
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | Total | ATS Result | field goal percentage | free throw percentage | three pointers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2018 | USC | 79-75 | W | 4.5 | 150 | W/O | 53.57 | 94.12 | 3 | A |
| Mar 13, 2018 | BC | 79-62 | W | -4 | 159.5 | W/U | 55.36 | 68.75 | 6 | H |
| Mar 10, 2018 | MARSH | 66-67 | L | -5.5 | 159.5 | L/U | 35.48 | 80.95 | 5 | H |
| Mar 9, 2018 | OLDDO | 57-49 | W | -1.5 | 136.5 | W/U | 36.73 | 69.23 | 3 | A |
| Mar 8, 2018 | UAB | 98-70 | W | -5.5 | 148 | W/O | 59.68 | 86.36 | 5 | H |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | Total | ATS Result | field goal percentage | free throw percentage | three pointers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2018 | STANF | 71-65 | W | -8 | 154.5 | L/U | 35.71 | 52.17 | 9 | H |
| Mar 13, 2018 | FLAGC | 80-68 | W | -11 | 160 | W/U | 35.59 | 78.05 | 6 | H |
| Mar 8, 2018 | KANSA | 68-82 | L | 6 | 150 | L/P | 40.91 | 69.23 | 5 | A |
| Mar 7, 2018 | OKLA | 71-60 | W | 1.5 | 159.5 | W/U | 39.06 | 90.91 | 11 | H |
| Mar 3, 2018 | KANSA | 82-64 | W | 3 | 152.5 | W/U | 50.00 | 78.26 | 10 | H |
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