WKU, Middle Tenn. meet in conference play

Western Kentucky (11-4, 4-2) vs. Middle Tennessee (3-7, 1-3)

Murphy Athletic Center, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Kentucky pays visit to Middle Tennessee in a CUSA matchup. Western Kentucky snuck past Marshall by two points on Sunday. Middle Tennessee lost 64-59 to Southern Miss on Saturday.

VETERAN PRESENCE: Senior leadership has been on display for both teams this year. Jordan Davis, Jo’Vontae Millner-Criss, DeAndre Dishman, Donovan Sims and Jalen Jordan have collectively accounted for 65 percent of Middle Tennessee’s scoring this season. For Western Kentucky, Charles Bassey, Taveion Hollingsworth, Josh Anderson, Dayvion McKnight and Carson Williams have combined to account for 72 percent of all Western Kentucky scoring, including 91 percent of the team’s points over its last five games.

CLAMPING DOWN: The Hilltoppers have allowed just 67.5 points per game across six conference games, an improvement from the 73.1 per game they gave up against non-conference opponents.CLUTCH CHARLES: Bassey has connected on 28.6 percent of the 28 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 5 of 12 over the last three games. He’s also made 73.7 percent of his foul shots this season.

SLIPPING AT 64: Middle Tennessee is 0-5 this year when it allows 64 points or more and 3-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 64.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Hilltoppers have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee has an assist on 22 of 63 field goals (34.9 percent) across its past three matchups while Western Kentucky has assists on 31 of 72 field goals (43.1 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Western Kentucky has attempted the second-most free throws among all CUSA teams. The Hilltoppers have averaged 20.5 free throws per game.

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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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