W. Illinois looks for home win vs Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts (9-8, 2-2) vs. Western Illinois (5-10, 2-3)
Western Hall, Macomb, Illinois; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Western Illinois looks for its fourth straight win over Oral Roberts at Western Hall. The last victory for the Golden Eagles at Western Illinois was a 77-68 win on Jan. 16, 2016.
SQUAD LEADERSHIP: The Golden Eagles are led by seniors Deondre Burns and Emmanuel Nzekwesi. Burns has averaged 13.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists while Nzekwesi has put up 13.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The Leathernecks have been led by Kobe Webster and Zion Young, who are averaging 15.9 and 14.1 per game, respectively.DOMINANT DEONDRE: Burns has connected on 25 percent of the 44 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 4 of 14 over the last five games. He's also made 79.7 percent of his free throws this season.
WINNING WHEN: Oral Roberts is a perfect 5-0 when it holds an opponent to 60 points or fewer. The Golden Eagles are 4-8 when opponents score more than 60.
STREAK STATS: Oral Roberts has lost its last three road games, scoring 73 points, while allowing 83 per game.
DID YOU KNOW: The Western Illinois offense has recorded a turnover on only 14.4 percent of its possessions, which is the second-best rate in the country. The Oral Roberts defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 18.6 percent of all possessions (ranked 251st among Division I teams).
