The UT Martin Skyhawks (8-7) will attempt to extend a six-game winning streak when they compete against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (10-6) at McBrayer Arena. Action starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Colonels were victorious over Austin Peay 79-70 the last time they played. Jarelle Reischel fueled the Colonels with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. The Skyhawks are coming off a 122-60 win against Boyce in their last game. Jalen Variste played well for UT Martin, posting six points, 11 assists, and six steals.
Eastern Kentucky is a five-point favorite against UT Martin and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 152 points. The Colonels enter the game with records of 10-6 Straight Up (SU) and 7-3-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (6-2-1). The Colonels come into the game with the 28th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 83.0 points per game. Eastern Kentucky is excellent from the perimeter with 141 three-pointers made (8.0 per game), the 27th-most in the country. Eastern Kentucky is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 16.6 assists per game.
As for their opponent, the Skyhawks have 8-7 SU and 4-5 ATS records. One advantage for the Skyhawks could be Eastern Kentucky’s high fouls per game average of 22.2.
These conference rivals will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UT Martin came out on top, but Eastern Kentucky still leads the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over their most recent matchups. On the other hand, UT Martin holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – EastKy, ATS Winner – EastKy, O/U – Over
Notes
Eastern Kentucky is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 7 games.
Eastern Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Tennessee-Martin.
Eastern Kentucky is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tennessee-Martin.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 5 games when playing at home against Tennessee-Martin.
Eastern Kentucky is one of the top-scoring teams at home, averaging 94.1 points per game (ranked fourth). UT Martin, on the other hand, allows 71.3 points per away game (ranked 102nd).
Ranked 50th, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels have an offensive rating of 113.1. The UT Martin Skyhawks rank 159th with a defensive rating of just 100.7.
Eastern Kentucky has the 12th-ranked average field goal percentage at 49.9%. UT Martin has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-2).
Eastern Kentucky attempts an average of 21.0 three pointers per game and UT Martin attempts 24.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels have a winning 8-3 record while the UT Martin Skyhawks have a 5-6 record.
UT Martin makes 6.3 steals per game. When Eastern Kentucky allows 6 or more steals, the team has an even 4-4 record.
