Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Morehead State Eagles Prediction, 1/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Morehead State Eagles

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Location: Ellis T. Johnson Arena in Morehead, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Morehead State Eagles (9-10) host the Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-15) at Ellis T. Johnson Arena on Thursday.

The Western Illinois Leathernecks stepped onto the hardwood against Little Rock and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 86-79 in their last game. When talking about personal fouls, the Leathernecks finished with 16 and Little Rock recorded 18 personal fouls. They made 11 out of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter. Little Rock walked away from this one shooting 100.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 15 of 15 attempts. Additionally, Little Rock snagged 29 rebounds (8 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Little Rock recorded 21 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. Concerning defending, Western Illinois allowed 47.6% from the field on 30 of 63 shooting. They also dished out 8 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they collected 34 with 12 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Leathernecks buried 15 of their 23 shots for a percentage of 65.2%. Western Illinois walked away from the contest having earned a 43.9% FG percentage (29 of 66) and made 6 of 22 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Isaiah Griffin is one guy who was important in the game. He accumulated 28 points on 9 of 21 shooting. He played 36 mins and pulled down 4 rebounds. He finished the contest at 42.9% from the floor but finished the game without an assist.

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Western Illinois steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 4-15 on the season. They are averaging 65.9 points per game (349th in the country) while hitting 40.8% from the field. The Leathernecks are hitting 29.2% on three-point attempts (96 of 329) and 67.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, Western Illinois is grabbing 34.7 rebounds per contest and has 152 dimes for the campaign, which is 365th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 12.4 times per game and as a squad they commit 16.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Leathernecks are able to force 10.9 turnovers per game while drawing 17.7 personal fouls. They concede 36.2% from 3-point land and they are ranked 201st in D-1 in points per game allowed (74.2). The Leathernecks defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 45.8% (496 of 1,084) and they relinquish 34.1 boards per game as a team. They rank 170th in college hoops in giving up assists with 242 surrendered on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Morehead State Eagles got the win with a final of 76-70 when they played Tennessee Tech. The Eagles recorded 21 defensive boards and 16 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 in this matchup. They also coughed up the ball 6 times, while earning 3 steals in this contest. Tennessee Tech earned 18 fouls for the game which took the Eagles to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throws for a clip of 77.8%. In the matter of shots from beyond the perimeter, Morehead State knocked down 8 of their 21 attempts (38.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Eagles walked away from this one shooting 27 for 65 from the floor which had them sitting at 41.5%. The Eagles permitted Tennessee Tech to convert 26 of 57 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.6% for the contest. They finished shooting 25.0% from distance via 3 out of 12 and ended up shooting 15 out of 22 at the charity stripe (68.2%). In reference to rebounds, Morehead State allowed Tennessee Tech to get 29 in total (10 on the offensive side).

George Marshall was important for the Eagles for this game. He totaled 16 points in his 30 minutes on the court and had 4 dimes in this matchup. He converted 4 out of 9 for the matchup for a rate of 44.4%, and earned 2 rebounds.

Morehead State has a record of 9-10 for the year. The Eagles commit 17.9 fouls every game while shooting 71.9% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.8 times per contest (144th in college hoops) and they turn it over 12.4 times per contest. Morehead State has 1,470 points for the year (77.4 per contest) and they pull down 36.7 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Eagles are connecting on 46.2% from the floor, which is 136th in the nation.

The Morehead State defense concedes 34.8% on three-point shots (161 of 463) and opponents are knocking down 69.2% of their free throw shots. They give up 16.3 dimes and 34.3 boards per contest, which is ranked 332nd and 172nd in D-1. The Eagles on defense are ranked 296th in the nation in PPG allowed with 78.1. They are able to force 11.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.4% from the field (272nd in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Morehead State

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