Tennessee State Tigers vs Western Illinois Leathernecks Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tennessee State Tigers vs Western Illinois Leathernecks

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Western Hall in Macomb, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-11) are hosting the Tennessee State Tigers (9-5) at Western Hall on Thursday.

The Tennessee State Tigers faced Little Rock and notched a win by a score of 84-79 in their last contest. Tennessee State finished the contest having earned a 45.6% field goal percentage (31 out of 68) and knocked down 5 of their 17 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Tigers buried 17 of 21 attempts for a percentage of 81.0%. When discussing rebounding, they collected a total of 36 with 10 of them being offensive. They also doled out 12 assists for the matchup while forcing 14 turnovers and earning 10 steals. In terms of defense, Tennessee State allowed 44.1% from the floor on 26 out of 59 shooting. Little Rock earned 14 dimes and had 8 steals for the game. In addition, Little Rock snagged 34 boards (12 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Little Rock went 72.4% at the free throw line by converting 21 of their 29 attempts. They also converted 6 of 18 shots from downtown. In reference to personal fouls, the Tigers ended up with 19 and Little Rock totaled 17 personal fouls.

Aaron Nkrumah is one guy who played a role for this contest. He finished the contest at 47.1% from the field and recorded 5 assists. He played for 38 mins and collected 2 boards. He accounted for 22 points on 8 of 17 shooting.

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Tennessee State steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 9-5 for the year. They turn it over 14.0 times per game and as a unit they are committing 19.1 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Tennessee State is pulling down 39.5 boards per game and has accounted for 189 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 298th in the nation in terms of passing. The Tigers are connecting on 30.1% from downtown (85 of 282) and 75.0% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 80.5 points per game (118th in college) while going 44.6% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Tigers are forcing their opponents into 16.2 turnovers per game while drawing 17.4 personal fouls. They currently rank 149th in Division 1 in allowing assists with 193 conceded on the season. The Tigers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 45.4% (368 of 810) and they surrender 35.2 boards per contest as a squad. They are conceding 30.4% on three-point shots while they are 253rd in the nation in opponents points per game (76.3).

The last time they took the court, the Western Illinois Leathernecks took a loss by a final score of 73-50 against SE Missouri State. In the matter of rebounding, Western Illinois allowed SE Missouri State to collect 30 in total (8 offensive). They went 30.8% from downtown by going 4 out of 13 and walked away from this one shooting 13 of 19 at the free throw line (68.4%). The Leathernecks permitted SE Missouri State to knock down 28 out of their 52 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 53.8% for this game. When the final whistle blew, the Leathernecks went 14 for 43 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 32.6%. When discussing three-point shots, Western Illinois knocked down 3 out of 16 tries (18.8%). They were able to bury 19 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 73.1%. SE Missouri State committed 23 fouls for this game which got the Leathernecks to the free throw line for a total of 26 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 13 times, while recording 3 steals for this contest. The Leathernecks were able to corral 16 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 22 in the matchup.

Lucas Lorenzen was important for the Leathernecks for the game. He made 3 of 10 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 30.0%, and accumulated 6 rebounds. He totaled 16 points in his 37 minutes on the court and totaled 1 assist for the game.

Western Illinois has a record of 4-11 for the campaign. The Leathernecks commit 17.1 fouls every game and they shoot 67.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 8.5 times per contest (365th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 12.6 times per game. Western Illinois has totaled 997 points so far this season (66.5 per contest) and they average 34.1 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Leathernecks are shooting 41.3% from the field, which is 333rd in the country.

The Leathernecks on the defensive end are ranked 214th in college in PPG given up with 74.5. They have forced 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.7% from the field (294th in college hoops). The Western Illinois defense surrenders 36.4% on shots from beyond the arc (125 of 343) and their opponents are connecting on 71.3% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 13.0 assists and 34.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 163rd and 153rd in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tennessee State

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