Western Illinois Leathernecks vs SIU Edwardsville Cougars Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs SIU Edwardsville Cougars

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: First Community Arena in Edwardsville, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Western Illinois Leathernecks (5-24) are traveling to First Community Arena on Thursday where they will go up against the SIU Edwardsville Cougars (17-12).

The Western Illinois Leathernecks faced off with Morehead State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-59 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Leathernecks walked away with 18 and Morehead State accumulated 13 personal fouls. They also buried 5 out of their 17 shots from 3-point land. Morehead State ended up going 64.0% at the free throw line by converting 16 of 25 attempts. Furthermore, Morehead State snagged 34 rebounds (14 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Morehead State recorded 15 dimes and had 7 steals in this game. When it comes to defense, Western Illinois let their opponent shoot 51.7% from the floor on 30 out of 58 shooting. They also dished out 11 assists in this game while creating 8 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In terms of pulling down boards, they earned 18 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Leathernecks made 10 of their 15 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. Western Illinois ended with a 45.8% FG percentage (22 of 48) and knocked down 5 of 16 shots from downtown.

Danny Stephens is a guy who was a major factor for this contest. He walked away from this one shooting 62.5% from the floor but had no dimes when the game ended. He was on the court for 31 mins and totaled 2 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 15 points on 5 out of 8 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

Western Illinois comes into this game with a win-loss record of 5-24 on the campaign. They are turning it over 11.8 times per game and as a group are committing 16.4 fouls per game. As a team, Western Illinois is pulling in 32.0 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 241 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 365th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Leathernecks are hitting 31.1% on shots from beyond the arc (166 of 534) and 67.4% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 65.3 points per game (350th in Division 1) while connecting on 40.6% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Leathernecks are forcing 10.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.1 personal fouls. They give up 35.6% on three-point shots while they are 257th in D-1 in points per game allowed (76.7). The Leathernecks are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 47.2% (800 of 1,695) and they concede 36.0 rebounds per contest as a team. They currently rank 269th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 404 surrendered on the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the SIU Edwardsville Cougars took a loss by a final score of 80-53 when they faced Tennessee State. When it comes to how they attacked the glass, SIU Edwardsville allowed Tennessee State to pull down 35 in all (8 on the offensive side). They finished 42.1% from three-point range by shooting 8 out of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 10 of 13 from the charity stripe (76.9%). The Cougars allowed Tennessee State to convert 31 of their 54 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 57.4% for the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Cougars went 21 out of 50 from the field which had them sitting at 42.0%. In relation to shots from beyond the perimeter, SIU Edwardsville knocked down 8 out of 24 tries (33.3%). They were able to bury 3 of them for a rate of 27.3%. Tennessee State was called for 13 fouls for the contest which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 11 attempts. They turned it over 14 times, while getting 7 steals in this game. The Cougars were able to snag 13 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 16 for this contest.

Darrion Baker ended up being a major contributor for the Cougars in this game. He made 6 of 9 for this game for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and had 4 rebounds. He tallied 17 points in his 25 minutes on the hardwood, but finished this game without an assist.

SIU Edwardsville has a mark of 17-12 for the season. The Cougars commit 16.1 personal fouls per game while shooting 67.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 13.0 times per game (254th in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.7 times per game. SIU Edwardsville has totaled 2,056 pts this season (70.9 per game) and they collect 36.4 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars are hitting on 44.3% from the field, which ranks them 237th in college hoops.

The Cougars on defense are ranked 14th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 65.4. They are forcing their opponents into 12.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.5% from the floor (13th in D-1). The SIU Edwardsville defense gives up 30.0% on 3-point attempts (194 of 646) and their opponents are knocking down 71.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 10.3 dimes and 35.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 5th and 242nd in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Illinois

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.