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The UTEP Miners (18-15) and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (21-11) meet in the Conference USA Tournament Championship Game Saturday at the Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET (CBSSN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the UTEP vs. Western Kentucky odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The 5th-seeded Miners have won 5 in a row, tying a season. UTEP also won 5 straight to opener the season from Nov. 6-21. The Miners have covered 4 of those games, including tournament wins against Liberty and top-seeded Sam Houston State.
The 3rd-seeded Hilltoppers have crushed all comers in the CUSA Tournament, beating New Mexico State by 20 Thursday, and topping Middle Tennessee Friday by 31 points. Western Kentucky has covered 3 in a row, and it is 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in the past 10 games.
Western Kentucky has won 8 of the past 9 meetings, although the teams split the regular-season series this year. UTEP won 93-87 in El Paso as a 1.5-point favorite on Jan. 20, while Western Kentucky won 90-80 as a 7-point favorite on Feb. 15. The Over cashed in each regular-season meeting, and the total has gone high in 5 straight in the series.
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UTEP vs. Western Kentucky odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:40 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): UTEP +134 (bet $100 to win $134) | Western Kentucky -162 (bet $162 to win $100)
- Against the spread: UTEP +2.5 (-102) | Western Kentucky -2.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 145.5 (O: -106 | U: -114)
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UTEP vs. Western Kentucky picks and predictions
Prediction
Western Kentucky 87, UTEP 80
Moneyline
WESTERN KENTUCKY (-162) isn’t priced out of line as a moderate favorite, if you just want to pick a winner in this Conference USA title bout, and you don’t want to fiddle around with the points.
The Hilltoppers won the most recent meeting by 10 points, and they’ve taken 8 of the past 9 in the series, too.
Against the spread
WESTERN KENTUCKY -2.5 (-120) is a decent play laying the points. The Hilltoppers are on a 7-3 ATS run, including the most recent meeting with UTEP +2.5 (-102).
The Miners are looking to get back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2010, but they’ll have to wait a little while longer.
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Over/Under
OVER 145.5 (-106) is a strong play in this title game.
In the 2 regular-season meetings, Western Kentucky averaged 88.5 PPG against the Miners, while UTEP was good for 86.5 PPG in the 2 meetings with the ‘Toppers. The Over has cashed in 5 straight in the series, too.
While UTEP has hit the Under in the 2 tourney games in Huntsville, WKU has cashed the Over in 4 of the past 5 games, while going for 83 or more points in 4 of those outings, too. Go high, and feel confidently in doing so.
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