St. Mary's, WKU meet in NIT first round

Published Mar. 16, 2021 7:30 a.m. ET

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No. 3 seed Western Kentucky (20-7) vs. No. 2 seed Saint Mary's (14-9)

NIT First Round, Comerica Center, Frisco, Texas; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Western Kentucky and Saint Mary's will meet in the first round of the NIT. Saint Mary's lost 78-55 to Gonzaga on March 8, while Western Kentucky fell 61-57 in overtime against North Texas on Saturday.

SAVVY SENIORS: Western Kentucky's Taveion Hollingsworth, Josh Anderson and Carson Williams have collectively scored 41 percent of the team's points this season and have accounted for 54 percent of all Hilltoppers scoring over the last five games.CLUTCH CHARLES: Charles Bassey has connected on 31.5 percent of the 54 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 5 of 15 over the last three games. He's also made 77.6 percent of his free throws this season.

PERFECT WHEN: Saint Mary's is a perfect 5-0 when the team blocks at least five opposing shots. The Gaels are 9-9 this season when they block fewer than five shots.

ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Hilltoppers have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Gaels. Saint Mary's has an assist on 20 of 58 field goals (34.5 percent) over its previous three outings while Western Kentucky has assists on 42 of 64 field goals (65.6 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Western Kentucky has attempted more free throws per game than any other CUSA team. The Hilltoppers have averaged 20.3 free throws per game and 23.6 per game over their last five games.

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Taveion Hollingsworth

Charles Bassey

Saint Mary's Gaels

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers