Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Prediction, 2/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Location: Hooper Eblen Center in Cookeville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (9-14) will take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-19) at Hooper Eblen Center on Thursday.

The Western Illinois Leathernecks took the court against UT Martin and ended up losing by a score of 84-44 in their last game. In regard to personal fouls, the Leathernecks ended up with 13 and UT Martin finished the game with 15 personal fouls. They made 9 out of their 27 tries from 3-point land. UT Martin finished the contest at 76.5% when shooting free throws by making 13 of their 17 attempts. Additionally, UT Martin collected 41 rebounds (13 offensive, 28 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UT Martin recorded 22 dimes and had 13 steals in the game. When it comes to defense, Western Illinois allowed 51.7% from the floor on 31 of 60 shooting. They also recorded 7 assists for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and having 4 steals. In reference to rebounding, they compiled a total of 20 with 6 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Leathernecks made 12 of their 18 shots for a rate of 66.7%. Western Illinois ended the game having earned a 26.5% FG percentage (13 out of 49) and made 6 of their 24 three-point shots.

Lucas Lorenzen is one guy who was a factor in this contest. He scored 8 points on 2 of 8 shooting. He played 24 minutes played but did not grab any rebounds. He finished the game at 25.0% from the floor but had no assists when the time ran out.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

Western Illinois will play this contest with a mark of 4-19 on the season. They are averaging 65.3 pts per contest (352nd in Division 1) while connecting on 40.0% from the field. The Leathernecks are shooting 30.0% on shots from beyond the arc (125 of 417) and 67.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Western Illinois is snagging 33.3 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 183 dimes on the campaign, which is 365th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 11.9 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.6 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Leathernecks are able to force 11.0 turnovers per game and they draw 17.4 personal fouls. They surrender 35.7% on three-point shots and they are 230th in D-1 in opponents points per game (75.6). The Leathernecks defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 46.6% (616 of 1,323) and they relinquish 35.6 rebounds per contest as a squad. They rank 227th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 311 surrendered for the campaign.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles walked away with a victory by a final of 90-85 when they played Tennessee State. When it comes to rebounding, Tennessee Tech permitted Tennessee State to collect 37 in total (17 on the offensive glass). They finished 25.0% from downtown by going 6 of 24 and finished the game at 13 out of 17 from the free throw line (76.5%). The Golden Eagles permitted Tennessee State to knock down 33 out of 71 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.5% for the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Golden Eagles finished 28 for 53 from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.8%. With regard to shots from beyond the arc, Tennessee Tech buried 15 of 24 tries (62.5%). They were able to bury 19 of those for a clip of 76.0%. Tennessee State committed 18 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Golden Eagles to the free throw line for 25 attempts. They also turned it over 11 times, while earning 7 steals for this contest. The Golden Eagles recorded 19 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards totaling 24 for the contest.

Mekhi Cameron was important for the Golden Eagles in this contest. He converted 7 of 12 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and earned 9 rebounds. He tallied 23 points in his 34 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes in this matchup.

Tennessee Tech has a record of 9-14 on the year. As an offense, the Golden Eagles are connecting on 44.7% from the field, which is ranked 220th in the country. Tennessee Tech has accounted for 1,717 points so far this year (74.7 per contest) and they pull down 36.3 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 12.9 times per game (273rd in the country) and they are giving up possession 14.0 times per contest. The Golden Eagles commit 17.0 fouls every game and they connect on 73.8% from the free throw line.

The Tennessee Tech defense allows 35.0% on shots from beyond the arc (187 of 535) and their opposition makes 72.6% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 15.0 dimes and 35.3 total boards per game, which is 291st and 236th in those categories. The Golden Eagles on the defensive end are ranked 264th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 76.8. They have forced 11.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (213th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tennessee Tech

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.