*10* SURE SHOT on Southern Miss

The Southern Miss Eagles will meet the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament Thursday, and the Hilltoppers are a double-digit favorite. I think the spread for this neutral site game looks a little inflated, and my money is on the Eagles plus the points.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - Both these teams finished near the bottom of the C-USA standings, and Western Kentucky had just one more win that Southern Miss. None of the Hilltoppers six wins in conference play came by double-digits.

2. Kourtlin Jackson - The Eagles leading scorer went off for 27 points on 6-of-13 shooting in the win over North Texas on Saturday, and he hit five three-pointers in the victory.

3. X-Factor - While the Golden Eagles have lost seven of their last 10 games, they covered the spread in seven of those contests.

Selection: This is a play on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (10*)