Tennessee State vs. Western Illinois betting: College basketball preview for Jan. 8

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

The Tennessee State Tigers (9-5, 3-1 OVC) visit the Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-11, 0-4 OVC) after winning three home road in a row. The Tigers are favored by 6.5 points in the contest, which tips at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 8, 2026. The matchup’s over/under is set at 145.5.

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Tennessee State Cover -6.5 vs Western Illinois -110

Bet $20, Payout $38.18

Tennessee State vs. Western Illinois betting lines

  • Tennessee State moneyline odds to win: -286
  • Western Illinois moneyline odds to win: +228
  • Spread: Tennessee State (-6.5)
  • Total: 145.5

Tennessee State statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • In home games, Tennessee State has a worse record against the spread (1-1-0) compared to its ATS record in road games (6-2-0).
  • The Tigers have eclipsed the over/under in two of two home games (100%), compared to four of eight road games (50%).
  • Tennessee State has won a higher percentage of its games as a moneyline favorite when playing at home, going 1-0 (1.000). When playing on the road as a moneyline favorite, it owns a record of 1-1 (.500).

Last season stats

  • The Tigers put up 78.1 points per game and allowed 73.3 last year, making them 73rd in the country on offense and 219th defensively.
  • Last year, Tennessee State was sixth-best in college basketball in rebounds (37.5 per game) and 164th in rebounds conceded (30.9).
  • The Tigers were 203rd in college basketball in assists (13.3 per game) last year.

Tennessee State betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 8-3-0 (Home: 1-1-0; Away: 6-2-0)
  • O-U-P: 6-5-0 (Home: 2-0-0; Away: 4-4-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 2-1 (Home: 1-0; Away: 1-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 3-4 (Home: 0-1; Away: 2-3)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
44.6 (230th in nation) 45.4 (283rd) 35.7 (64th) 32.8 (268th) 13.5 (239th) 13.5 (330th)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on Tennessee State vs. Western Illinois? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

Western Illinois statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • In 2025-26 against the spread, Western Illinois has a lower winning percentage at home (.333, 1-2-0 record) than on the road (.556, 5-4-0).
  • Leathernecks games have finished above the over/under 66.7% of the time at home (two of three), and 33.3% of the time on the road (three of nine).
  • The Leathernecks’ winning percentage at home as moneyline underdogs is .000 (0-3), and on the road it is .111 (1-8).

Recent trends

  • While the Leathernecks are posting 66.5 points per game in 2025-26, they have improved that mark over their previous 10 games, producing 67.3 a contest.
  • While Western Illinois is surrendering 74.5 points per game in 2025-26, it has been worse in its past 10 games, allowing 75.4 points per contest.
  • The Leathernecks are sinking 5.5 threes per game over their last 10 games, the same number as their average for the season. Meanwhile, they have a worse three-point percentage over their last 10 games (28.5%) compared to their season average (30.7%).

Western Illinois betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 6-6-0 (Home: 1-2-0; Away: 5-4-0)
  • ATS Record When Underdog by 6.5+: 6-4-0 (As Favorite: 0-0-0; As Underdog: 6-6-0)
  • O-U-P: 5-7-0 (Home: 2-1-0; Away: 3-6-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 0-0 (Home: 0-0; Away: 0-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-11 (Home: 0-3; Away: 1-8)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
41.4 (331st in nation) 45.7 (295th) 30.8 (274th) 31.1 (177th) 8.4 (365th) 11.4 (169th)
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