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Lindenwood Lions @ Western Illinois Leathernecks

Current Records: Lindenwood 6-8, Western Illinois 9-6

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What to Know

We've got another exciting Ohio Valley matchup on schedule as the Western Illinois Leathernecks and the Lindenwood Lions are set to tip at 4:30 p.m. ET on January 6th at Western Hall. Western Illinois is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.

Last Thursday, the Leathernecks earned a 68-61 victory over the Redhawks.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Lindenwood last Sunday, but the final result did not. They fell 73-62 to the Screaming Eagles. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Lindenwood in their matchups with Southern Indiana: they've now lost three in a row.

Lindenwood struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

The Leathernecks have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. As for the Lions, their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.

Saturday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Western Illinois have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 44.6 rebounds per game (they're ranked first in rebounds per game overall). It's a different story for Lindenwood, though, as they've been averaging only 32.4 rebounds per game. Given Western Illinois' sizeable advantage in that area, Lindenwood will need to find a way to close that gap.

Looking forward, Western Illinois is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 8.5 points.

Odds

Western Illinois is a big 8.5-point favorite against Lindenwood, 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 8.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 137 points.

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