Point Spread: Interesting Trends in Indiana's Matchup With Eastern Illinois on Sunday

Indiana men's basketball in back in action on Sunday, hosting Eastern Illinois and welcoming a friendly face, former Hoosiers player Marty Simmons, who coaches the Panthers.

The game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall starts at Noon ET. And the Hoosiers are a hefty 27.5-point favorite according to the FanDuel.com gambling website. The over/under is 150.5.

Indiana won its opener over SIU-Edwardsville on Wednesday, but did not cover the point spread, which continues an interesting trend. The Hoosiers won but didn't cover in their first five non-Power 5 games a year ago, too.

We also have some relevant data on this matchup already, which is rare for the first week of the season. Eastern Illinois is in its fourth season under Simmons, who has a 29-67 record with the Panthers. They aren't very good — ranked No. 333 in the Kenpom.com rankings — and opened the season at Illinois and got drilled by 45 points. Illinois turned right around and played SIU-Edwardsville on Friday, and won by 32 points.

So purely by the numbers, this should be an easier test for the Hoosiers, who scored 80 points Wednesday despite 16 turnovers. Here's what we know so far.

Indiana by the numbers

• Indiana overall record: 1-0
  Indiana overall vs. spread: 0-1

• Indiana home record: 1-0
  Indiana home vs. spread: 0-1

• Indiana road record: 0-0
  Magic road vs spread: 0-0

• Indiana record as favorite: 1-0
  Indiana vs. spread as favorite: 0-1

• Indiana record as underdog: 0-0
  Indiana vs. spread as underdog: 0-0

• Indiana over total: 0
  Indiana under total: 1

What Indiana has done so far this season

• Nov. 6 (Wednesday) — Indiana beat Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 80-61 at home as a 27.5-point favorite (did not cover). The score (141) went under the 151.5 over/under total. Record: 1-0. To read the game story, CLICK HERE

What Eastern Illinois has done this season

• Nov. 4 (Monday) — Eastern Illinois lost to Illinois 112-67 on the road as a 24.5-point underdog (did not cover). The score (179) went over the 145.5 over/under total. Record: 0-1. To read the game story, CLICK HERE

• Nov. 6 (Wednesday) — Eastern Illinois beat Earlham College 97-61 at home. There was no line. Record: 1-1.