Men’s Basketball Central: Charlotte of WKU

Bowling Green, Kentucky — The Charlotte 49ers basketball team (12-7, 3-5 C-USA) will load in a game against WKU (11-8, 3-5 C-USA) at EA Diddle Arena on Saturday night (January 21). keep swinging. The tips are scheduled for 7pm ET and can be watched live on ESPN+.

Fans can join the Conference USA contest on Saturday on ESPN + HERE, ESPN 730 The Game, hear Matt Swierad here, or follow the live stats here.

layup line

– Saturday’s matchup will be the 37th ever matchup between Charlotte and WKU, dating back to the 49ers’ 1984 victory.
– The 49ers are in the midst of a three-game road swing with stops at Middle Tennessee, WKU and Rice. Charlotte failed to start the road trip with her right foot, losing to the Blue Raiders 62-58 on Thursday night.
– CLT recorded the first home loss for the Niners of the 2022-23 season after falling 60-58 to UTEP inside Halton Arena following a home split between UTSA and UTEP.
– Saturday’s victory was Charlotte’s third true road win of the season and fifth overall away from Halton Arena. The Niners finished last season with six away wins, the most in a program since his six in 2015-16.
– The 49ers enter Saturday’s game with 894 all-time wins as a program. Just six wins in 2022-23 and his 18 wins overall are needed to reach the program’s historic 900th win. The earliest the Niners can accomplish the feat is on February 11th in Denton against North Texas.

hilltopper scout

– WKU will return home on Saturday after losing 85-74 to Louisiana Tech in extra time on Thursday. The Hilltoppers saw him take the lead in the second half, though he led by as many as twelve. Overtime was something to forget for WKU.
– The Hilltoppers have three players averaging double figures, led by junior Dayvion McKnight’s 17.0 PPG. Emmanuel Acott is averaging 10.8, Jayrus Hamilton is a close second to his 10.3 and his 50% shooting percentage from the floor. Jamarion Sharp cleaned his WKU grass, averaging 7.1 rebounds per game.
– On the bench, WKU is led by 7th year head coach Rick Stansbury. After leading Mississippi State for his 14th season, he is entering his 21st season as head coach. Stansbury enjoyed success at Starkville, leading the Bulldogs to his three SEC titles and his six NCAA Tournament appearances. As his boss on the Hilltoppers bench, he led his WKU to 20 wins in his four seasons in his first six seasons at the helm.

Series history

– Saturday’s contest will be the 37th-ever match-up between the C-USA programs and the 18th-ever Tilt at Commonwealth. Charlotte said Diddle had a 2-15 win percentage when he played against the Hilltoppers in his arena, and the last time he won on the road was on February 22, 2020, with Jordan at Shepard’s buzzer-beater. He went 2-72-70.
– WKU won both matches last season, beating Charlotte by 19 at Queen City and 10 at Bowling Green.
– The CLT’s last victory over the Hilltoppers came on Day 2 of the 2021 calendar year when the 49ers took a 75-71 overtime win at Halton Arena.

Niners stumbling in Middle Tennessee, 62-58

– The CLT suffered a 62-58 loss in Middle Tennessee on Thursday night, its fourth straight home away loss.
– Turnovers played a big role in both sides of the game, taking the team to 38 combined in the contest. He was a turnover for Charlotte 21 of the 38. This is the CLT’s most ball turnovers all season.
– Monterey Gipson They led the 49ers by 17 points and dropped 15 before the break. lucy paterson I joined him at 13 and double digits. Ali Khalifa He had eight rebounds in four straight games on at least seven boards, led the CLT on grass, and set the pace for Green and White with four assists.

deadlock in league standings

– As the 2022-23 conference slate nears its midpoint, Charlotte has just one of the top four finishes despite being 3-5 in conference play.
– Only the FAU lost in less than three games, as North Texas lost to Rice on Thursday. Boca’s 24th-ranked Owls are on a 17-game winning streak with a perfect 8-0 in the league. North Texas, on the other hand, are 6-3 against C-USA, with the Owls losing 3 straight (2 against FAU, 1 against Rice).
– Heading into the weekend, only two games will separate the seven teams ranked 3rd through 9th in the C-USA standings.
– Charlotte’s three league wins combined for 35 points, four conference losses for a combined 20 points, all five games in single digits, and two groups just two points behind.
– Preseason league favorites UAB dropped to 4-4 with a loss to Middle Tennessee on Monday, losing four of the Blazers’ final five games.

stingy

– The Charlotte 49ers finished 20th in the nation after losing just 60.89 points per game across 18 contests this season.
– In the CLT’s 11 non-conference tilts, the 49ers gave up just 58.1 points per contest, holding four teams under 50 points and five teams under 60 during non-league action.
– In league play, Charlotte continues to be efficient on the defensive end, allowing just 64.8 points per tilt, tied for third in C-USA, and allowing 70+ just twice in seven games.
– While the Niners are in the middle of the pack in defensive field goal and 3-point field goal percentages, Charlotte is having incredible success on the defensive grass. 76.8% chance.

ALY-OOP

– Stud Sophomore Center in Charlotte, Ali Khalifa He has continued to improve steadily during his time in Conference USA, posting 11.9 points per game in eight C-USA tilts and ranking 21st in the league.
– The Egyptian native Alexandria has shown her ability to score at all three levels during conference play, making four 3s for UAB and keeping her midrange feel as she faces MTSU stud Deandre Dishman in the paint. used to It was tight at FIU, dominated around the glass and rims at FAU, home vs UTSA, and on the road at MTSU.
– Khalifa has made at least six field goals in five of the CLT’s eight games for C-USA and has a total of eight 3-pointers in conference action for the Niners. In Grass, Khalifa also ranked him 8th in the league, and two weeks ago in Boca Raton he ripped a 7.0 board every outing, including a 10 where the CLT helped him play against the FAU. bottom. Khalifa, who scored 8 in MTSU on Thursday, is at least 7 down in each of his last four games.
– Khalifa, who is also an effective distributor, is second on the team this season, averaging 3.2 helpers per match.

Victory is…

– Give Charlotte their third away win in WKU history.
– Continue to lead the Niners over the Hilltoppers in the C-USA standings.
– Charlotte’s first true road win in conference play and a 3rd overall finish in 2022-23.
– Snap a four game-losing stretch away from the friendly boundaries of Halton Arena.

next

Charlotte ends her road trip at Rice in Houston on Thursday (January 26th). Tips at Tudor Fieldhouse are scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPN+.