Western Kentucky vs Grand Canyon Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/9/24

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Grand Canyon Antelopes meet Saturday in college basketball action from GCU Arena. Here’s a Western Kentucky vs Grand Canyon prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Western Kentucky vs Grand Canyon pick. We will examine:

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers’ recent form and player performance

The Grand Canyon Antelopes’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Grand Canyon Antelopes

Recent betting trends in games played between Western Kentucky and Grand Canyon

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Western Kentucky vs Grand Canyon game

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Betting Preview

Last year the Hilltoppers were pretty good, posting a 22-12 overall record with an 8-8 run in Conference USA matchups. WKU eventually powered out a CUSA Tournament championship but would lose in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament to Marquette 87-69.

In their first game of the 2024-25 campaign, the Hilltoppers had a tricky matchup versus Wichita State. WKU was down by five at the break and didn’t end up getting closer in a 91-84 loss. Babacar Faye topped the team with 28 points and eight rebounds.

Grand Canyon Antelopes Betting Preview

Over on the Grand Canyon side, they powered out a 30-5 overall run last year and a 17-3 WAC record. The Antelopes took the regular-season and tournament championships with that run. They’d eventually make it to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Alabama.

Matched up against CSU Fullerton on Monday, the Antelopes held a slim two-point lead at the break. Grand Canyon finished strong with 42 points however and won 89-79. JaKobe Coles led the team with 26 points with 13 boards, while Rayshon Harrison added 21 points. Grand Canyon will meet Arizona State, UC Davis, and Norfolk State after this game.

Why the Grand Canyon Antelopes will win

• Grand Canyon has won each of its last 16 night games at Global Credit Union Arena at GCU.
• Western Kentucky has lost six of its last eight road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will win

• Western Kentucky has won six of its last seven night games against non-conference opponents.

Western Kentucky vs Grand Canyon Prediction

I’ll probably just stay with Grand Canyon. The Lopes shot a nice 47.5 percent from the field with a 36-25 rebounding edge (16-8 offensive) in their opener win over CSU Fullerton. The 17 turnovers need some cleanup, but overall it was a solid first game for Grand Canyon.

As for Western Kentucky, they stood tall on the boards versus Wichita State with a 43-42 advantage (14-10 offensive). The Hilltoppers didn’t shoot all that well though, notching 39.7 percent from the field and 24 percent (6-of-25) from 3-point range. I like a slightly better shooting performance here in a high-scoring finish, with the Antelopes ultimately covering.