Western Illinois Leathernecks vs UT Martin Skyhawks Prediction, 1/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs UT Martin Skyhawks

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Kathleen and Tom Elam Center in Martin, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-9) are on their way to Kathleen and Tom Elam Center on Thursday where they will go up against the UT Martin Skyhawks (9-4).

The Western Illinois Leathernecks played SIU Edwardsville and took a loss by a final of 66-61 in their last game. Western Illinois walked away from the game having earned a 42.0% field goal percentage (21 out of 50) and knocked down 4 of their 13 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Leathernecks converted 15 of their 22 shots for a percentage of 68.2%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 22 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 8 assists in this game as well as forcing 13 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When it comes to defense, Western Illinois allowed the other team to go 39.2% from the field on 20 out of 51 shooting. SIU Edwardsville recorded 8 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. In addition, SIU Edwardsville totaled 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a block. SIU Edwardsville finished 78.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 18 of their 23 attempts. They also converted 8 out of their 20 shots from 3-point land. In the matter of fouls, the Leathernecks ended up finishing with 18 and SIU Edwardsville accumulated 18 fouls.

Lucas Lorenzen is one player who was a contributor in this game. He finished the game at 42.9% from the floor and distributed 1 assist. He played 37 mins and also collected 5 rebounds. He accounted for 19 points on 6 of 14 shooting.

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Western Illinois enters this one with a win-loss mark of 4-9 so far this season. They currently have an average of 68.2 pts per contest (334th in the nation) on 42.5% from the floor. The Leathernecks are shooting 31.1% from downtown (70 of 225) and 66.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Western Illinois is pulling in 34.3 rebounds per game and has earned 105 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 363rd in the nation in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.2 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 17.1 fouls per game.

Defensively, the Leathernecks are forcing their opponents into 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 17.0 fouls. They currently rank 225th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 175 surrendered for the campaign. The Leathernecks are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.6% (339 of 743) and they concede 33.8 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 36.8% on shots from downtown while they are 230th in college hoops in opponents PPG (75.2).

In their last game, the UT Martin Skyhawks took home the win by a final score of 86-62 when they faced Tennessee Tech. With respect to team rebounding, UT Martin permitted Tennessee Tech to collect 23 in all (8 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 31.0% from downtown by going 9 out of 29 and ended up shooting 9 of 12 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Skyhawks permitted Tennessee Tech to convert 22 of their 52 tries from the field which had them sitting at 42.3% in this matchup. When the game finished, the Skyhawks finished the game shooting 31 out of 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 53.4%. Concerning shots from beyond the perimeter, UT Martin converted 13 of 29 attempts (44.8%). They were able to make 11 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 84.6%. Tennessee Tech earned 14 fouls for the game which got the Skyhawks to the free throw line for a total of 13 attempts. They also turned the ball over 7 times, while recording 9 steals in the matchup. The Skyhawks pulled down 23 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 30 for this contest.

Andrija Bukumirovic ended up being a major contributor for the Skyhawks in the matchup. He earned 28 points in his 30 minutes on the court, but went home with no dimes. He converted 12 of 15 in this game for a field goal rate of 80.0%, and had 4 rebounds.

UT Martin has a record of 9-4 so far this year. When it comes to offense, the Skyhawks are connecting on 44.4% from the floor, which ranks 247th in the nation. UT Martin has tallied 992 pts for the year (76.3 per contest) and they snag 42.0 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 15.4 times per game (137th in college) and they are giving up possession 15.5 times per contest. The Skyhawks are committing 17.3 fouls every game while shooting 66.4% from the charity stripe.

The UT Martin defense gives up 27.8% on 3-point attempts (84 of 302) and their opponents are making 71.3% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 12.5 assists and 32.2 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 117th and 78th in the nation. The Skyhawks on the defensive end are ranked 38th in the nation in points allowed per contest with 66.2. They are forcing 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.0% from the floor (50th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Illinois

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