Western Kentucky vs Kennesaw State Prediction 1/28/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Kennesaw State Owls meet Wednesday in college basketball action from KSU Convocation Center. Here’s a Western Kentucky vs Kennesaw State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Western Kentucky vs Kennesaw State pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Betting Preview

The Hilltoppers managed to go 7-3 over their first 10 games this year, taking losses to only Vanderbilt, South Florida and Marshall in that time. Western Kentucky hit a 2-3 run from there, losing to Tulsa, Jacksonville State and New Mexico State. Since then it’s been another 2-3 stretch with losses to Kennesaw State, Liberty and Sam Houston. That gives WKU an 11-9 run over 20 games so far.
In the Sam Houston matchup on Saturday, the Hilltoppers entered the second half with a pretty ugly 38-21 deficit. Western Kentucky did get a slight bit better from there on a 37-35 advantage but still lost by a fairly sizable 73-58 margin. LJ Hackman led the team on 14 points with four rebounds and two assists while Grant Newell added 10 points with six rebounds.

Kennesaw State Owls Betting Preview

Over on the Kennesaw State side, they opened up their season with a pretty nice 8-2 run across the first 10 outings. The Owls would then lose to Middle Tennessee, Alabama, Liberty and Delaware before wins over Missouri State, Jacksonville State, FIU and Western Kentucky. Since then it’s been losses to Sam Houston and LA Tech, leaving the Owls with a 12-8 record in the books.

Back on Friday in their road matchup with LA Tech, the Owls were in the locker room sitting on a 45-36 advantage on the scoreboard. Kennesaw State floundered on a 46-31 run the rest of the way, eventually finishing on an 82-76 loss. Frankquon Sherman put up 20 points with seven rebounds, and Trey Simpson added 16 points with seven boards in 38 minutes of action.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers @ Kennesaw State Owls Betting Trends: January 28, 2026

Why the Kennesaw State Owls will win

• Kennesaw State has won each of its last seven night games at VyStar Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Western Kentucky has lost five of its last six road night games against the Conference USA.
• Kennesaw State has won the first half in six of its last seven night games at VyStar Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will win

• Western Kentucky has won the first half in 12 of its last 16 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Western Kentucky vs Kennesaw State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Kennesaw State. The Owls really need a good outing here to stop the bleeding in the loss column, though. On Friday in the LA Tech matchup, Kennesaw State shot 43.4 percent from the field with a 30-26 deficit on the boards and a 32-24 disadvantage on points in the paint—not to mention the 52.7 percent shooting allowed on defense. The Owls have scored 76 or more points in six straight games now, but they’ve given up a combined 175 in the last pair.

These teams last met up back on January 17 in an 81-65 road win for the Owls. In that one Kennesaw State shot a tepid 40.7 percent from the field, but held the Hilltoppers to just 29.4 percent on the other side. The 43-35 rebounding edge helped the Owls as well. This home rematch should provide a good environment to get that shooting percentage up.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Kennesaw State Owls -5.5