Who’s Playing
UT Martin Skyhawks @ Western Illinois Leathernecks
Current Records: UT Martin 6-9, Western Illinois 8-7
How To Watch
What to Know
UT Martin and Western Illinois are an even 3-3 against one another since November of 2018, but not for long. Both will face off in an Ohio Valley battle at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Western Hall. The Leathernecks have the home-court advantage, but the Skyhawks are expected to win by 1.5 points.
UT Martin is headed into the match having just posted their closest win since November 4, 2024 on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past SE Missouri State 66-63. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest win the Skyhawks have posted against the Redhawks since January 26, 2021.
Meanwhile, Western Illinois earned a 75-67 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
Western Illinois was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. The team’s really been improving in that area: they’ve now improved their assist total in four consecutive contests.
UT Martin’s win bumped their record up to 6-9. As for Western Illinois, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-7.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday’s game: UT Martin has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 9.7 threes per game. However, it’s not like Western Illinois struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 8.7. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
UT Martin came out on top in a nail-biter against Western Illinois in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, sneaking past 62-59. Will UT Martin repeat their success, or does Western Illinois have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
UT Martin is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Western Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 135 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Western Illinois and UT Martin both have 3 wins in their last 6 games.
- Feb 10, 2024 – UT Martin 62 vs. Western Illinois 59
- Jan 11, 2024 – Western Illinois 73 vs. UT Martin 64
- Dec 04, 2021 – Western Illinois 81 vs. UT Martin 64
- Dec 20, 2020 – Western Illinois 81 vs. UT Martin 63
- Nov 13, 2019 – UT Martin 98 vs. Western Illinois 91
- Nov 21, 2018 – UT Martin 92 vs. Western Illinois 90
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