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
Power Stats
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
Team Records
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
