The Florida Atlantic Owls (16-1, 6-0 CUSA) will try to overcome one of the nation’s top shooting defenses when they are on the road to face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (11-6, 3-3 CUSA) on Monday. Florida Atlantic defeated the North Texas Mean Green 66-62 at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on Saturday, their 15th straight win.
Johnell Davis led the way with 16 points. The Owls remain first in Conference USA. Western Kentucky won their third in a row on Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena, beating the FIU Panthers 70-59.
Dayvion McKnight tallied 14 points to lead the team in scoring. With 12 points and seven rebounds, Jairus Hamilton also played a part. The Hilltoppers remain fourth in Conference USA.
The teams are meeting for the only time this season. Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky split their matchups last season, taking one apiece.
The Hilltoppers won the last meeting 76-69 at E.A. Diddle Arena in February 2022. Camron Justice led the Hilltoppers with 19 points, while Jamarion Sharp contributed 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks.
Michael Forrest had 20 points in the losing effort. Davis (10.6 ppg), Alijah Martin (10.5), and Vladislav Goldin (10.4) have led the Owls in scoring this season. Goldin also has grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Bryan Greenlee is dishing 2.4 assists per game.
McKnight’s 17.4 points per game have powered the Hilltoppers on offense. McKnight also has tallied 4.2 assists per game. Sharp has collected 7.1 rebounds per game.
Holding opponents to only 39.4% from the field, the Hilltoppers are one of the toughest FG% defenses in the country (26th). In the last 10 games, Florida Atlantic is 10-0 with an average margin of +14.2 (78.1-63.9).
Western Kentucky has split the last 10 (5-5), allowing 71.0 points per game on average while scoring only 70.8 (-0.2 margin). The Hilltoppers are averaging 74.2 ppg for the full season while allowing 67.5.
OWLS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Johnell Davis: 24.0 | 16.4 | +7.6
Jalen Gaffney: 5.6 | 10.4 | -4.8
Points per game:
Johnell Davis: 17.6 | 10.6 | +7.0
Rebounds per game:
Johnell Davis: 5.6 | 4.5 | +1.1
HILLTOPPERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Tyrone Marshall Jr.: 9.6 | 6.4 | +3.2
Points per game:
Emmanuel Akot: 7.6 | 10.6 | -3.0
Rebounds per game:
Jairus Hamilton: 4.2 | 5.8 | -1.6
Assists per game:
Emmanuel Akot: 1.0 | 2.6 | -1.6
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
FAU (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
