Many eyes in the college basketball world will be on Sharp Gym Saturday as host Houston Baptist looks to handle the Eastern Illinois Panthers in NCAAB action.

The Huskies are 5-9 so far on the season, and 2-1 ATS vs. the number. The Panthers, meanwhile, are 7-6 and 5-2 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Houston Baptist go 2-1 and the Panthers go 2-5 on the totals.



View Eastern Illinois vs Houston Baptist Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 249 (Huskies) and the No. 265 (Panthers) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAB power rank. A 75-64 result in favor of the Panthers has been projected by the scores prediction engine.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Panthers is ranked No. 212 in NCAA hoops at 34.5 per game. Contrast that with Houston Baptist’s No. 155 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Houston Baptist is the No. 195-ranked team in the country at 6.1 per game, while Eastern Illinois rates No. 254 at 5.3 per game.

Defensively, Eastern Illinois features the nation's No. 233-rated defense on the road, allowing 73.6 points per game. Houston Baptist, meanwhile, comes in at No. 35 nationally in scoring at home.

In their last action, Eastern Illinois was a 73-59 Sportsbook on the road against SIU Edwardsville. They covered the 4–point spread as favorites. Eastern Illinois got 24 points from Joey Miller en route to a 73-59 victory over SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday at Vadalabene Center.

Last time out for Houston Baptist, they were a 98-61 loser as they battled New Mexico on the road. Houston Baptist was run off the court by the Lobos on Tuesday as New Mexico routed them 98-61 at The Pit.


Eastern Illinois Panthers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Tennessee-Martin are 2-8
After a win are 5-5

A few Panthers at Huskies trends to consider:
Eastern Illinois is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road


Next up:
Eastern Illinois home to Tennessee-Martin, Thursday, January 12
Houston Baptist home to Crowley's Ridge, Thursday, January 12