Little Rock Trojans vs SIU Edwardsville Cougars Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Little Rock Trojans vs SIU Edwardsville Cougars

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: First Community Arena in Edwardsville, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Little Rock Trojans (5-10) are en route to First Community Arena on Thursday where they will meet the SIU Edwardsville Cougars (10-6).

The Little Rock Trojans took the court against Tennessee State and took a loss by a final of 84-79 in their last game. Little Rock finished with a 44.1% FG percentage (26 of 59) and buried 6 of their 18 3-pointers. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Trojans knocked down 21 of 29 attempts for a percentage of 72.4%. In relation to rebounding, they collected a total of 34 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 14 assists in the game while forcing 11 turnovers and having 8 steals. Concerning the defense, Little Rock allowed the other team to shoot 45.6% from the floor on 31 out of 68 shooting. Tennessee State recorded 12 assists and had 10 steals for the contest. In addition, Tennessee State snagged 36 rebounds (10 offensive, 26 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Tennessee State ended up going 81.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of 21 shots. They made 5 of their 17 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When discussing personal fouls, the Trojans finished with 17 while Tennessee State racked up 19 personal fouls.

Johnathan Lawson is a player who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished the game shooting 31.3% from the field and also recorded 4 dimes. He was on the court for 40 minutes and also collected 4 boards. He was able to score 20 points on 5 of 16 shooting.

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Little Rock comes into this matchup with a record of 5-10 so far this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.7 times per game and as a unit are committing 15.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Little Rock is grabbing 32.7 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 213 dimes for the season, which is 204th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Trojans are connecting on 36.3% on shots from beyond the arc (95 of 262) and 62.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 69.9 points per contest (318th in Division 1) on 45.8% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Trojans have forced 13.9 turnovers per game and they draw 15.9 fouls. They are relinquishing 38.0% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 288th in college hoops in points per game allowed (77.7). The Trojans defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 47.0% (417 of 888) and they surrender 35.2 rebounds per contest as a unit. They rank 269th in college in giving up assists with 222 relinquished on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the SIU Edwardsville Cougars walked away with a victory by a final of 66-62 against Lindenwood. When it comes to team rebounding, SIU Edwardsville permitted Lindenwood to collect 35 overall (13 on the offensive glass). They shot 19.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 4 out of 21 and finished the game at 10 out of 15 at the charity stripe (66.7%). The Cougars allowed Lindenwood to knock down 24 of their 66 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 36.4% in this matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Cougars shot 22 out of 52 from the floor which had them at 42.3%. In reference to shooting from 3-point land, SIU Edwardsville made 6 out of their 15 tries (40.0%). They were able to bury 16 of them for a rate of 72.7%. Lindenwood committed 18 fouls for the contest which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 22 attempts. They also turned it over 14 times, while earning 5 steals for the matchup. The Cougars collected 28 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 35 for the matchup.

Darrion Baker ended up being a major contributor for the Cougars for the contest. He earned 20 points in his 34 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in this game. He made 7 out of 10 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 70.0%, and tallied 9 rebounds.

SIU Edwardsville has a mark of 10-6 on the season. The Cougars are committing 16.4 fouls per game and they connect on 68.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.3 times per contest (260th in Division 1) and they turn it over 11.6 times per game. SIU Edwardsville has scored 1,196 pts on the campaign (74.8 per contest) and they pull down 37.9 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Cougars are shooting 44.4% from the field, which ranks them 240th in college hoops.

The SIU Edwardsville defense gives up 30.4% on 3-point shots (115 of 378) and opponents are making 72.8% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 10.4 assists and 34.4 boards per game, which ranks them 18th and 175th in college hoops. The Cougars on defense are ranked 30th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 65.9. They are forcing 14.2 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 39.8% from the field (41st in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Little Rock

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