Eastern Illinois Panthers vs Tennessee State Tigers Prediction, 2/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Illinois Panthers vs Tennessee State Tigers

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Location: Gentry Center in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Eastern Illinois Panthers (9-14) are on their way to Gentry Center on Thursday where they will try to defeat the Tennessee State Tigers (14-8).

The Eastern Illinois Panthers played SE Missouri State and took a loss by a final of 77-59 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Panthers ended up with 11 while SE Missouri State totaled 16 fouls. They also knocked down 11 out of their 27 shots from 3-point range. SE Missouri State ended up going 72.7% when shooting free throws by knocking down 8 of 11 shots. Moreover, SE Missouri State grabbed 30 boards (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. SE Missouri State earned 20 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. Regarding defense, Eastern Illinois allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the field on 29 of 58 shooting. They also dished out 9 assists for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 24 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the free throw line, the Panthers converted 11 of their 15 attempts for a percentage of 73.3%. Eastern Illinois ended the contest having earned a 39.2% field goal percentage (20 out of 51) and made 8 out of their 17 three-point attempts.

Markus Blackwell is a player who came through in this game. He ended up with 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting. He played 25 minutes and also collected 1 rebound. He finished the contest at 71.4% from the field and also earned 1 assist.

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Eastern Illinois heads into this game with a mark of 9-14 on the season. They turn it over 13.0 times per contest and as a group they commit 16.3 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Eastern Illinois is grabbing 32.7 rebounds per game and is sitting with 292 assists on the campaign, which ranks 255th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Panthers are hitting 32.3% from downtown (130 of 403) and 73.8% from the free throw line. They average 66.9 pts per game (343rd in the country) while connecting on 42.7% from the floor.

On defense, the Panthers are able to force 13.7 turnovers every game while drawing 15.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 270th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 327 conceded so far this season. The Panthers are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.1% (562 of 1,304) and they relinquish 35.7 rebounds per game as a team. They concede 30.1% from beyond the arc and they rank 82nd in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (70.2).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Tennessee State Tigers went home defeated by a final of 90-85 against Tennessee Tech. The Tigers earned 20 defensive boards and 17 offensive boards totaling 37 in the matchup. They also gave up possession 8 times, while earning 7 steals for the matchup. Tennessee Tech committed 14 fouls in the matchup which got the Tigers to the free throw line for a total of 17 shots. They were able to convert 13 of the free throw tries for a clip of 76.5%. With regard to shots from distance, Tennessee State made 6 of 24 tries (25.0%). When the game finished, the Tigers walked away from this one shooting 33 out of 71 from the floor which gave them a rate of 46.5%. The Tigers permitted Tennessee Tech to make 28 of 53 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.8% for the game. They finished the game shooting 62.5% from three-point range by connecting on 15 of 24 and finished the game at 19 out of 25 from the free throw line (76.0%). With respect to team rebounding, Tennessee State permitted Tennessee Tech to snag 24 overall (5 offensive).

Aaron Nkrumah ended up being important for the Tigers for this contest. He knocked down 7 of 17 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 41.2%, and had 7 rebounds. He had 21 points in his 26 mins on the court, but left the arena with no assists.

Tennessee State has a win-loss record of 14-8 on the campaign. The Tigers have committed 18.5 fouls every game and they connect on 73.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 13.8 times per contest (209th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 12.7 times per contest. Tennessee State has accounted for 1,782 pts this season (81.0 per game) and they pull in 38.4 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Tigers are hitting on 46.1% from the floor, which ranks 139th in D-1.

The Tennessee State defense allows 33.5% from downtown (160 of 477) and opponents are knocking down 73.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 14.0 assists and 35.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 236th and 220th in those categories on the defensive end. The Tigers on defense are ranked 263rd in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 76.8. They are forcing 14.7 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.1% from the field (245th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Tennessee State

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