Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Liberty Arena in Evansville, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-16) are traveling to Liberty Arena on Saturday where they will take on the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (4-15).

The Western Illinois Leathernecks took the court against Morehead State and ended up losing by a score of 71-66 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Leathernecks ended up finishing with 16 and Morehead State accumulated 11 personal fouls. They also converted 3 of 16 attempts from distance. Morehead State finished 50.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 10 of their 20 tries. On top of that, Morehead State snagged 48 rebounds (21 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Morehead State dished out 14 dimes and had 4 steals for the contest. When discussing the defense, Western Illinois allowed the other team to shoot 43.9% from the floor on 29 out of 66 shooting. They also doled out 12 assists for the contest in addition to creating 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When talking about getting rebounds, they compiled 26 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Leathernecks knocked down 6 of their 13 tries for a percentage of 46.2%. Western Illinois ended the contest having earned a 41.0% field goal percentage (25 of 61) and knocked down 10 out of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Lucas Lorenzen is someone who played a role for this game. He finished the contest at 44.4% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. He played for 37 mins and also collected 4 boards. He scored 26 points on 8 out of 18 shooting.

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Western Illinois steps onto the hardwood with a record of 4-16 on the year. They currently have an average of 66.0 pts per contest (350th in D-1) while connecting on 40.8% from the floor. The Leathernecks are shooting 30.0% on shots from beyond the arc (106 of 353) and 67.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Western Illinois is collecting 34.6 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 164 dimes for the year, which is 365th in D-1 in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 12.2 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.7 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end of the court, the Leathernecks are forcing 10.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.4 personal fouls. They are ranked 168th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 256 surrendered for the campaign. The Leathernecks defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 45.7% (525 of 1,150) and they surrender 34.9 boards per contest as a group. They are giving up 35.5% on 3-point attempts and they are 198th in college in PPG allowed (74.0).

When they last played, the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles took a defeat with a final score of 59-51 against Eastern Illinois. The Screaming Eagles earned 29 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 39 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 17 times, while getting 3 steals for the game. Eastern Illinois was called for 21 fouls in this game which took the Screaming Eagles to the free throw line for a total of 27 attempts. They were able to make 19 of the free throw tries for a clip of 70.4%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Southern Indiana converted 4 of 28 attempts (14.3%). Overall, the Screaming Eagles went 14 out of 57 from the field which gave them a rate of 24.6%. The Screaming Eagles permitted Eastern Illinois to convert 20 out of 55 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 36.4% for this contest. They went 16.7% from 3-point land by hitting 2 of 12 and finished the contest at 17 out of 22 from the free throw line (77.3%). With respect to cleaning up the glass, Southern Indiana permitted Eastern Illinois to snag 35 in total (5 offensive).

Amaree Brown ended up being a major contributor for the Screaming Eagles in this matchup. He accumulated 17 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He converted 3 out of 14 for this contest giving him a rate of 21.4%, and accumulated 2 rebounds.

Southern Indiana has a win-loss mark of 4-15 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Screaming Eagles are shooting 38.5% from the floor, which ranks them 364th in Division 1. Southern Indiana has accounted for 1,315 points for the season (69.2 per game) and they pull in 38.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 10.5 times per game (357th in college) and they cough up possession 12.3 times per game. The Screaming Eagles are responsible for committing 17.3 personal fouls every game and they go 64.1% from the charity stripe.

The Screaming Eagles on the defensive end are ranked 193rd in college in points per game surrendered with 73.8. They are able to force 11.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.5% from the floor (167th in Division 1). The Southern Indiana defense gives up 33.0% on shots from 3-point land (108 of 327) and opponents are making 70.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 11.2 dimes and 41.5 boards per game, which is ranked 34th and 363rd in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Illinois

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