Halftime Report

Eastern Illinois is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead UT Martin 37-23.

Eastern Illinois has yet to find success away from home, so they have something to prove. Victory is within reach; will this be their lucky break?

Who's Playing

Eastern Illinois Panthers @ UT Martin Skyhawks

Current Records: Eastern Illinois 5-11, UT Martin 7-10

How To Watch

What to Know

After two games on the road, UT Martin is heading back home. They and the Eastern Illinois Panthers will face off in an Ohio Valley battle at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. The Skyhawks have insisted on making their lastfour contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 2-2 during that stretch of close contests.

Last Saturday, UT Martin was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 82-81 to Lindenwood.

Even though they lost, UT Martin smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Eastern Illinois' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their third straight loss. They took a 69-64 hit to the loss column at the hands of Tennessee Tech. The Panthers didn't live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.

UT Martin's defeat dropped their record down to 7-10. As for Eastern Illinois, their loss dropped their record down to 5-11.

Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's match: UT Martin has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 10.1 threes per game. It's a different story for Eastern Illinois, though, as they've been averaging only 4.9. Given UT Martin's sizable advantage in that area, Eastern Illinois will need to find a way to close that gap.

UT Martin strolled past Eastern Illinois in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a score of 76-59. Will UT Martin repeat their success, or does Eastern Illinois have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

UT Martin is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Eastern Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Skyhawks as a 6-point favorite.


The over/under is 135.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

UT Martin and Eastern Illinois both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.

  • Feb 01, 2024 - UT Martin 76 vs. Eastern Illinois 59
  • Jan 04, 2024 - Eastern Illinois 79 vs. UT Martin 72
  • Feb 09, 2023 - Eastern Illinois 77 vs. UT Martin 75
  • Jan 21, 2023 - UT Martin 91 vs. Eastern Illinois 78
  • Feb 12, 2022 - Eastern Illinois 82 vs. UT Martin 70
  • Jan 27, 2022 - Eastern Illinois 58 vs. UT Martin 53
  • Feb 27, 2021 - UT Martin 73 vs. Eastern Illinois 68
  • Jan 28, 2021 - UT Martin 51 vs. Eastern Illinois 41
  • Feb 15, 2020 - UT Martin 80 vs. Eastern Illinois 79
  • Jan 23, 2020 - Eastern Illinois 95 vs. UT Martin 83