College basketball wagering interest will be high on Thursday when the Skyhawks of Tennessee-Martin hit the hard court against the Panthers of Eastern Illinois.

The Panthers currently sports a 4-16 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 5-10 ATS. The Skyhawks are 4-15 and 6-8 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Panthers produce a 4-5-2 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Skyhawks have gone 4-5-1 against the number.



View Tennessee-Martin vs Eastern Illinois Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to go with the Panthers in this one found them listed as 6.5-point favorites earlier on the NCAA basketball betting menu for Monday's contest. Check for updates as money coming in on the Skyhawks was expected to move the line.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Panthers sit at No. 329 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Skyhawks sit at No. 278 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Panthers will win this game 59-56.



How They Match Up:
Scoring and defensive stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Eastern Illinois's No. 339-ranked scoring average of 57.3 PPG, against a Skyhawks defense rated No. 335 and allowing 76.2 PPG. The Panthers FG% has averaged 42.6% to date this season, more than the Skyhawks shooters have managed so far (38.3% per game).

Defensively, Tennessee-Martin features the nation's No. 340-rated defense on the road, allowing 81.8 points per game. Eastern Illinois, meanwhile, comes in at No. 332 nationally in scoring at home.

Tennessee-Martin was an 88-74 loser in its last match at home against Morehead State. They failed to cover the 6.5-point spread as underdogs. Tennessee-Martin got 19 points from Terence Smith but lost anyway, 88-74, to Morehead State on Saturday at Skyhawk Arena.

Last time out for Eastern Illinois, they were a 77-67 Sportsbook as they battled Austin Peay on the road. They covered in the match as a 3.5-point underdog. Eastern Illinois got 20 points from Josh Piper en route to a 77-67 victory over Austin Peay on Saturday at Winfield Dunn Center.


Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing SIU Edwardsville are 1-2
After playing Morehead State are 2-8
After a loss are 2-8

Eastern Illinois Panthers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing SE Missouri State are 5-5
After playing Austin Peay are 2-8
After a win are 5-5

A few Skyhawks at Panthers trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tennessee-Martin's last 5 games when playing on the road against Eastern Illinois
Tennessee-Martin is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Eastern Illinois
Tennessee-Martin is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Eastern Illinois's last 5 games when playing at home against Tennessee-Martin
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Eastern Illinois's last 10 games when playing Tennessee-Martin
Eastern Illinois is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Tennessee-Martin
Eastern Illinois is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tennessee-Martin


Next up:
Tennessee-Martin at SIU Edwardsville, Saturday, January 26
Eastern Illinois home to SE Missouri State, Saturday, January 26