Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs Western Illinois Leathernecks Prediction, 1/10/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs Western Illinois Leathernecks

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026

Location: Western Hall in Macomb, IL

TV: ESPN+

Western Hall is where the Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-11) will compete against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (6-9) on Saturday.

The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles faced off with Little Rock and ended up losing by a score of 77-58 in their last game. Tennessee Tech ended with a 27.7% field goal percentage (18 out of 65) and converted 8 out of their 34 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles made 14 of their 17 tries for a rate of 82.4%. In reference to hauling in boards, they earned 41 with 19 of them being offensive. They also doled out 7 assists in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and having 6 steals. When discussing defense, Tennessee Tech allowed the other team to go 52.8% from the floor on 28 of 53 shooting. Little Rock distributed 14 assists and had 11 steals in this game. Additionally, Little Rock collected 32 rebounds (7 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Little Rock shot 68.2% at the charity stripe by making 15 of their 22 tries. They buried 6 of their 20 attempts from distance. In regard to fouls, the Golden Eagles walked away with 18 while Little Rock finished the game with 14 fouls.

Brandon Muntu is someone who came through for this game. He finished the game at 33.3% from the field but didn't record a dime. He was on the court for 25 minutes played and collected 3 rebounds. He recorded 15 points on 5 of 15 shooting.

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Tennessee Tech will enter this contest with a record of 6-9 for the campaign. They are turning it over 14.7 times per game and as a group are committing 17.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Tennessee Tech is pulling down 37.4 boards per game and has 220 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 187th in the country in terms of passing. The Golden Eagles are shooting 31.7% on three-point attempts (114 of 360) and 74.0% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 78.0 points per outing (165th in college) while hitting 45.9% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Golden Eagles are forcing 12.9 turnovers every game and they draw 16.8 fouls. They are 332nd in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 254 surrendered this season. The Golden Eagles defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 43.9% (414 of 942) and they concede 35.6 boards per contest as a unit. They are giving up 36.3% from beyond the arc while they are 305th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (78.8).

The last time they took the court, the Western Illinois Leathernecks walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 73-50 against SE Missouri State. The Leathernecks were able to corral 16 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 22 in the game. They turned it over 13 times, while getting 3 steals for the game. SE Missouri State committed 23 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Leathernecks to the charity stripe for 26 attempts. They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw tries for a clip of 73.1%. With regard to 3-point attempts, Western Illinois converted 3 out of 16 attempts (18.8%). Overall, the Leathernecks shot 14 for 43 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 32.6%. The Leathernecks permitted SE Missouri State to make 28 out of 52 attempts from the field which had them at 53.8% for this contest. They finished 30.8% from 3-point land by going 4 out of 13 and ended up going 13 out of 19 from the free throw line (68.4%). In relation to rebounding, Western Illinois permitted SE Missouri State to grab 30 overall (8 on the offensive glass).

Lucas Lorenzen was important for the Leathernecks for the matchup. He made 3 out of 10 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 30.0%, and tallied 6 rebounds. He had 16 points in his 37 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 1 assist for the contest.

Western Illinois has a record of 4-11 this season. The Leathernecks have committed 17.1 fouls per game and they shoot 67.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 8.5 times per contest (365th in D-1) and they turn it over 12.6 times per game. Western Illinois has scored 997 pts this season (66.5 per contest) and they collect 34.1 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Leathernecks are hitting on 41.3% from the floor, which ranks 334th in D-1.

The Western Illinois defense allows 36.4% on 3-point shots (125 of 343) and opponents are connecting on 71.3% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 13.0 assists and 34.1 total rebounds per game, ranking them 164th and 155th in college. The Leathernecks are ranked 214th in college in points per game surrendered with 74.5. They are able to force 11.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.7% from the floor (295th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Tennessee Tech

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