Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs Eastern Illinois Panthers Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs Eastern Illinois Panthers

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Groniger Arena in Charleston, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Eastern Illinois Panthers (4-10) will try to beat the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (6-9) at Groniger Arena on Thursday.

The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles faced Little Rock and took a loss by a final of 77-58 in their last contest. Tennessee Tech ended the game having earned a 27.7% FG percentage (18 of 65) and converted 8 out of their 34 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles knocked down 14 of 17 attempts for a rate of 82.4%. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 41 with 19 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 7 assists in this contest as well as forcing 11 turnovers and having 6 steals. In terms of defending, Tennessee Tech let their opponent shoot 52.8% from the floor on 28 out of 53 shooting. Little Rock earned 14 assists and had 11 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, Little Rock pulled down 32 boards (7 offensive, 25 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Little Rock ended up shooting 68.2% when shooting free throws by converting 15 of their 22 shots. They knocked down 6 out of their 20 attempts from 3-point range. Regarding personal fouls, the Golden Eagles ended up finishing with 18 while Little Rock recorded 14 personal fouls.

Brandon Muntu is one player who was a factor for the game. He finished the game at 33.3% from the floor but had no assists when the time ran out. He saw the court for 25 minutes played and snagged 3 rebounds. He notched 15 points on 5 out of 15 shooting.

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Tennessee Tech enters this one with a mark of 6-9 on the year. They lose possession via turnover 14.7 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Tennessee Tech is collecting 37.4 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 220 assists for the campaign, which is 171st in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Golden Eagles are shooting 31.7% on shots beyond the perimeter (114 of 360) and 74.0% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 78.0 points per game (167th in Division 1) on 45.9% from the floor.

On defense, the Golden Eagles are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game and they draw 16.8 fouls. They are 337th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 254 surrendered for the season. The Golden Eagles defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 43.9% (414 of 942) and they surrender 35.6 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 36.3% on 3-pointers and they are 308th in D-1 in opponents points per game (78.8).

In their last game, the Eastern Illinois Panthers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 65-61 when they played UT Martin. The Panthers were able to snag 21 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for the contest. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 14 steals in this matchup. UT Martin committed 16 personal fouls in this contest which took the Panthers to the free throw line for a total of 23 tries. They were able to bury 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 65.2%. With respect to three-point attempts, Eastern Illinois buried 6 of their 24 attempts (25.0%). Overall, the Panthers went 20 out of 57 from the field which gave them a rate of 35.1%. The Panthers permitted UT Martin to convert 18 out of 48 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 37.5% in this contest. They finished shooting 24.1% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 7 out of 29 and finished the contest at 22 out of 26 from the free throw line (84.6%). When discussing rebounding, Eastern Illinois allowed UT Martin to grab 41 overall (11 offensive).

Zion Fruster ended up being a factor for the Panthers in the game. He buried 7 out of 15 for the matchup for a rate of 46.7%, and had 3 rebounds. He scored 17 points in his 30 mins on the court and tallied 4 dimes in the game.

Eastern Illinois has a win-loss mark of 4-10 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers are hitting on 41.9% from the floor, which ranks 320th in the nation. Eastern Illinois has totaled 915 points this year (65.4 per contest) and they grab 32.5 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.5 times per game (305th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 13.8 times per contest. The Panthers are committing 16.4 fouls every game and they shoot 73.5% from the charity stripe.

The Panthers on the defensive end are ranked 186th in college in PPG allowed with 73.5. They have forced 12.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the field (239th in the country). The Eastern Illinois defense gives up 29.5% on three-point shots (107 of 363) and their opponents are connecting on 71.6% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 15.0 dimes and 36.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 285th and 282nd in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Eastern Illinois

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