Ohio Valley foes will collide when the Eastern Illinois Panthers (7-13) face off against the UT Martin Skyhawks (10-11) at Lantz Arena. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28.
The Panthers enter this game hoping for similar success after edging Austin Peay 87-86 in their last matchup. Trae Anderson was the team’s leading scorer with 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting. The Skyhawks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 68-60 loss against Southeast Missouri State in their last game. UT Martin lost despite the best efforts of Kedar Edwards, who recorded his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Eastern Illinois is a slim one-point favorite at home against UT Martin. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 138 points. The Panthers have gone 7-13 Straight Up (SU) and 8-11 Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, the Skyhawks have records of 7-8 ATS and 10-11 SU.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UT Martin came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. On the other hand, UT Martin holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Over the last five matchups, Eastern Illinois held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times. UT Martin performed this feat once.
Predictions: SU Winner – TN-Mar, ATS Winner – TN-Mar, O/U – Over
Notes
Eastern Illinois is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games.
Eastern Illinois is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Eastern Illinois’s last 5 games when playing Tennessee-Martin.
Eastern Illinois is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Tennessee-Martin.
Eastern Illinois is an even 4-4 against other teams in its conference, while UT Martin is a poor 2-4 against its rivals.
The Eastern Illinois Panthers average 68.5 possessions per game and 1.012 points per possession, while the UT Martin Skyhawks earn fewer possessions (67.9) but more points per possession (1.050).
Eastern Illinois has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.5%. UT Martin is an underachieving 2-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Eastern Illinois attempts an average of 21.0 three pointers per game and UT Martin attempts 23.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Eastern Illinois Panthers have a 6-8 record while the UT Martin Skyhawks have a 6-9 record.
UT Martin has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.4% this season. Eastern Illinois has a subpar 4-7 record when its TO% is 18.4% or higher.
