Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Jax. State Gamecocks: How to watch live stream, TV channel, NCAA Basketball start time

How to watch Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State basketball game

By Scout Staff

Jan 9, 2025 at 8:50 pm ET • 3 min read

Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Western Kentucky looks much better today on their home court. A win is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Western Kentucky is up 27-24 over Jax. State.

If Western Kentucky keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 11-5 in no time. On the other hand, Jax. State will have to make due with an 8-7 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Jax. State Gamecocks @ Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Current Records: Jax. State 8-6, Western Kentucky 10-5

How To Watch

When: Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: E.A. Diddle Arena -- Bowling Green, Kentucky
TV: ESPN Plus
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $5.00

What to Know

Jax. State is 0-3 against Western Kentucky since November of 2016 but things could change on Thursday. Both will face off in a Conference USA battle at 8:00 p.m. ET at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Gamecocks are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 80.8 points per game this season.

Jax. State will face Western Kentucky after dropping another heartbreaker against Kennesaw State on Saturday, which marked the second time in a row the team's come within 3.1 of beating them. Jax. State opened the new year with a less-than-successful 83-71 loss to Kennesaw State. The over/under was set at 154.5 points, so nice work oddsmakers; you were right on the money.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Marcellus Brigham Jr., who scored 15 points along with six rebounds. Jaron Pierre Jr. was another key player, earning 20 points.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Western Kentucky last Saturday, but the final result did not. Things couldn't have gone much worse for them as they lost 85-66 to FIU. The Hilltoppers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 52-29.

Despite the defeat, Western Kentucky had strong showings from Julius Thedford, who went 7 for 12 en route to 18 points plus two steals, and Jalen Jackson, who earned six points plus six steals. Jackson had some trouble finding his footing against Liberty on Thursday, so this was a step in the right direction.

Jax. State's loss dropped their record down to 8-6. As for Western Kentucky, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-5.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Jax. State has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 40.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Western Kentucky struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38.1. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Jax. State is hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. Be careful betting them against the spread as while they're 8-4 ATS overall, they're only 0-2 against Western Kentucky in their most recent matchups.