Who's Playing
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers @ FIU Panthers
Current Records: Western Kentucky 19-9, FIU 9-19
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 6 p.m. ET
- Where: Ocean Bank Convocation Center -- Miami, Florida
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $21.00
What to Know
We've got another exciting Conference USA matchup on schedule as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the FIU Panthers are set to tip at 6:00 p.m. ET on March 2nd at Ocean Bank Convocation Center. FIU does have the home-court advantage, but Western Kentucky is expected to win by 3.5 points.
Western Kentucky pushed their score all the way to 84 on Wednesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 90-84 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bulldogs. Western Kentucky has been going strong on the season, but this is now their second loss in a row.
Meanwhile, it's hard to win when you're outrebounded 16 to 4 on offense, a fact FIU found out the hard way on Saturday. They fell just short of the Gamecocks by a score of 77-75. FIU has struggled against the Gamecocks recently, as their match on Saturday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
The Hilltoppers' loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 19-9. As for the Panthers, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost eight of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-19 record this season.
Saturday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Western Kentucky have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 40 rebounds per game. It's a different story for FIU, though, as they've been averaging only 32.2 rebounds per game. Given Western Kentucky's sizable advantage in that area, the Panthers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Western Kentucky was able to grind out a solid victory over the Panthers in their previous meeting back in January, winning 105-91. The rematch might be a little tougher for Western Kentucky since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
Western Kentucky is a 3.5-point favorite against FIU, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Hilltoppers as a 4.5-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 160 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Western Kentucky has won 6 out of their last 10 games against FIU.
- Jan 25, 2024 - Western Kentucky 105 vs. FIU 91
- Jan 26, 2023 - FIU 78 vs. Western Kentucky 69
- Jan 14, 2023 - Western Kentucky 70 vs. FIU 59
- Jan 22, 2022 - FIU 86 vs. Western Kentucky 83
- Jan 08, 2022 - Western Kentucky 84 vs. FIU 71
- Mar 01, 2021 - Western Kentucky 71 vs. FIU 59
- Feb 28, 2021 - Western Kentucky 91 vs. FIU 58
- Mar 07, 2020 - Western Kentucky 91 vs. FIU 85
- Feb 01, 2020 - FIU 81 vs. Western Kentucky 76
- Jan 17, 2019 - FIU 77 vs. Western Kentucky 76