Marshall Thundering Herd vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Marshall vs Western Kentucky NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Bowling Green.

Marshall vs Western Kentucky Prediction

Betting on today's Thundering Herd and Hilltoppers game? Catch the action at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY, as the Hilltoppers hosts this showdown at 8:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 152.5 points, and Western Kentucky is favored by -7 at home against Marshall.

Marshall vs. Western Kentucky Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Marshall Thundering Herd at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Where: Bowling Green at E. A. Diddle Arena
Date: Saturday, November 30th
Betting Odds WKENT -7, MARSH +215 | WKENT -266 O/U 152.5

Thundering Herd Preview: Will the Marshall Defense Show Up on the Road?

Marshall improved to 4-1 on the season with an 82-53 win over South Carolina State on Wednesday. The Thundering Herd, who were -10.5 favorites, covered the spread with the win.

Marshall jumped out to a 46-21 lead at halftime, but the 2nd half was more competitive, as they scored 36 points and allowed 32. The game’s total points of 135 fell under the O/U line of 147.5.

Thundering Herd Offense Breakdown

Marshall put up 82 points in their last game, shooting 43.3% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 53.3%, thanks in part to hitting 11 of 32 from three-point range (34.4%) and connecting on 53.6% of their two-point attempts.

The Thundering Herd also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and dished out 19 assists. Mikal Dawson led the team with 18 points in just 17 minutes, shooting 46.2% from beyond the arc.

Thundering Herd Team Defense

Marshall's defense held their opponent to 53 points, even though they shot 43% from the field, hitting 26 of 60 attempts. Inside the arc, the opponent connected on 15 of 28 shots, good for 53% shooting.

From three-point range, Marshall's opponent went 11 for 32, shooting 34%. At the free-throw line, they made 19 of 27 attempts, a 70% success rate. Marshall also gave up 16 offensive rebounds.

Hilltoppers Preview: Can the Hilltoppers Grab a Win at Home?

Western Kentucky fell to Kentucky 87-68 on Tuesday, dropping their record to 1-4 for the season. The Hilltoppers were +24.5 point underdogs going into the game, but they managed to cover the spread.

WKU trailed 45-33 at halftime and were outscored 42-35 in the second half. The game’s total points (155) came in under the O/U line of 165.5.

Hilltoppers Offense Breakdown

Western Kentucky struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 31.8% from the field and 15.4% from beyond the arc, hitting only 4 of 26 three-point attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 34.8%, though they did manage to connect on 75.9% of their free throws, going 22 of 29 from the line.

Andrew Carr, Otega Oweh, and Julius Thedford each contributed 18 points, with Carr shooting 75% from the field and adding 10 rebounds and 3 assists. The Hilltoppers finished with just 7 assists as a team, while grabbing 12 offensive rebounds.

Hilltoppers Team Defense

Western Kentucky gave up 87 points in their last game, allowing the opponent to shoot 40% from the field. They struggled to contain two-point shots, with the other team hitting 51% of their attempts inside the arc.

From three-point range, the Hilltoppers held their opponent to 27% shooting, but they sent them to the free-throw line 42 times, where they converted 69% of their attempts. Western Kentucky also allowed 16 offensive rebounds.

Thundering Herd vs Hilltoppers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three games away from home, the Thundering Herd have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 65 points per game in these contests.
Western Kentucky has a 0-3 record in their last three home games. In this stretch, they averaged 69 points per game while allowing 82. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
Going back to their last three games as the underdog, the Thundering Herd have a straight up record of 0-3. But, their mark vs the spread was just 0-3.
In their last three contests as the favorite, Western Kentucky has a poor record vs the spread going 1-1-1. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 2-1.