There were a lot of expectations on the shoulders of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the start of the season, because they had Conference USA's best prospect, who promised to be one of the top freshmen in the country. They've had a rocky time of it, showing what they can do in non-conference action but stumbling a bit at the start of the C-USA schedule. But now they get to fulfill these expectations as they hook up with the Old Dominion Monarchs in the C-USA championship game, scheduled for 8:30 PM ET at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX.

It's going to be televised live by the CBS Sports Network, and BetAnySports customers can get reduced juice before the game starts, so they can find more value in the numbers, and then access Live Betting Ultra for real-time wagering, even after the contest starts.

Last year the Western Kentucky faithful were disappointed when Mitchell Robinson (now with the New York Knicks) decided to sit out a year rather than go to college. But they struck gold this year, signing the highly-touted Charles Bassey, a 6-11 center who has paid dividends, averaging 15 points, almost ten rebounds and 2.4 blocks. He was named freshman of the year and defensive player of the year in the conference, and helped the team to wins over Wisconsin, Saint Mary's and West Virginia before C-USA play began.WKU lost three of its first four in the league, but then came on strong. Coach Rick Stansbury went through back surgery, and DeSean Murray, a talented grad transfer from Auburn, left the team. So they've been through a lot.

The interesting things about Western Kentucky is that they are not all that interested in shooting three-pointers, but they aren't necessarily as good as you might think when shooting inside the arc either (only about 50%), yet they are still 21-12 against the spread, which is something you wouldn't expect from a team that had high expectations, having been voted as the conference favorites by the C-USA coaches before the season.

In the college basketball betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Hilltoppers are the slight favorites:

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers -1.5
Old Dominion Monarchs +1.5

Over 123.5 points -110
Under 123.5 points -110

Old Dominion won the regular season title, which means that whatever happens, they are guaranteed at least an NIT bid. They are, on balance, probably the best defensive team in Conference USA, and indeed they rank sixth in the country when it comes to defending two-point shooting.

They got a little lucky in their semi-final matchup against UAB, as they shot a lot better than they usually do from the free throw line (making 11 of 12 in the 61-59 victory), and if their performance against the pointspread is any indication, they aren't in real good form. ODU has dropped its last six games to the number, bringing their conference ATS record to 4-16. They are going to shoot triples excessively, but this is not a real good shooting team by nature.

We'll expect that the Monarchs can slow down what WKU wants to do on the inside, and ODU has demonstrated the ability to get second-shot opportunities, as they have pulled down 32 offensive rebounds in two meetings with the Hilltoppers. But we wonder at this point whether these teams aren't going in slightly different directions. Against teams with strong inside defense it helps to have the best big man on the floor, and that is what WKU has. ODU's free throw shooting woes always present a potential problem as well, as the 11-for-12 vs. UAB is an aberration. So we'll take the Hilltoppers in this near-pick'em affair.

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