Eastern Illinois Panthers vs Western Illinois Leathernecks Prediction, 2/10/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Illinois Panthers vs Western Illinois Leathernecks

Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Location: Western Hall in Macomb, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Eastern Illinois Panthers (10-15) are on their way to Western Hall on Tuesday where they will attempt to defeat the Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-21).

The Eastern Illinois Panthers played Tennessee Tech and earned the victory with a final of 60-54 in their last contest. Eastern Illinois wrapped up the game having earned a 38.9% field goal percentage (21 of 54) and buried 5 of 13 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Panthers converted 13 of 16 shots for a rate of 81.3%. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 25 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 9 dimes in this game as well as forcing 20 turnovers and earning 10 steals. With respect to defense, Eastern Illinois allowed 37.0% from the field on 17 out of 46 shooting. Tennessee Tech doled out 8 dimes and had 2 steals for the game. Additionally, Tennessee Tech pulled down 35 rebounds (11 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Tennessee Tech ended up going 85.0% from the charity stripe by converting 17 of their 20 shots. They also converted 3 out of their 20 tries from distance. With respect to fouls, the Panthers ended up with 16 and Tennessee Tech totaled 17 fouls.

Zion Fruster is someone who had an impact for this game. He finished the game at 50.0% from the field and totaled 1 assist. He was on the court for 34 minutes played and totaled 3 rebounds. He accounted for 20 points on 7 out of 14 shooting.

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Eastern Illinois comes into this game with a mark of 10-15 so far this year. They average 66.7 pts per contest (345th in the country) while hitting 42.8% from the floor. The Panthers are shooting 32.6% on 3-pointers (141 of 433) and 73.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Eastern Illinois is pulling in 32.4 rebounds per game and is sitting with 310 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 258th in college in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a team they commit 16.4 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Panthers are forcing 13.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.9 fouls. They relinquish 29.4% from 3-point land and they are 77th in college hoops in opponents points per game (69.8). The Panthers defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.0% (605 of 1,406) and they relinquish 35.4 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 264th in college hoops in giving up assists with 350 conceded for the year.

In their last game, the Western Illinois Leathernecks walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 83-56 when they faced Tennessee State. When discussing cleaning the glass, Western Illinois permitted Tennessee State to snag 38 overall (10 offensive). They shot 21.1% from distance by shooting 4 of 19 and finished the game at 11 of 12 at the free throw line (91.7%). The Leathernecks permitted Tennessee State to bury 34 of 66 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.5% for this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Leathernecks went 18 out of 54 from the floor which gave them a rate of 33.3%. In regard to three-point attempts, Western Illinois knocked down 4 of their 20 tries (20.0%). They were able to bury 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 72.7%. Tennessee State earned 18 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Leathernecks to the free throw line for 22 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while earning 4 steals in the matchup. The Leathernecks were able to collect 18 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 28 in the game.

Lucas Lorenzen ended up having an impact for the Leathernecks in this matchup. He buried 8 out of 18 for this contest for a field goal rate of 44.4%, and accounted for 6 rebounds. He recorded 24 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 1 assist for the game.

Western Illinois has a win-loss record of 4-21 on the campaign. The Leathernecks are committing 16.4 fouls every game and they go 68.1% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 8.0 times per contest (365th in D-1) and they are turning it over 11.8 times per game. Western Illinois has accumulated 1,629 pts this year (65.2 per contest) and they snag 32.8 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Leathernecks are connecting on 40.0% from the field, which ranks 356th in college.

The Leathernecks are ranked 260th in college in points per game surrendered with 76.7. They are able to force 10.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.3% from the floor (334th in college). The Western Illinois defense surrenders 36.4% on 3-point shots (198 of 544) and opponents are converting on 71.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 13.9 dimes and 35.6 total boards per game, which has them ranked 220th and 254th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Illinois

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