# 2020–21 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represented Western Illinois University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Leathernecks, led by first-year head coach Rob Jeter, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois, as members of the Summit League.

## Previous season

The Leathernecks finished the 2019–20 season 5–21, 2–14 in Summit League play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the Summit League tournament.
On March 3, 2020, the school announced that head coach Billy Wright's contract would not be renewed. He finished at Western Illinois with a six-year record of 53–115. On March 30, the school announced former Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter would be hired as the new head coach.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| December 3, 2020* 7:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 3 Iowa | L 58–99 | 0–1 | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (543) Iowa City, IA |
| December 6, 2020* 2:30 pm | | Central Michigan | L 73–79 | 0–2 | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| December 9, 2020* 5:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Miami (OH) Miami Invitational | L 57–67 | 0–3 | Millett Hall Oxford, OH |
| December 10, 2020* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Mount St. Joseph Miami Invitational | W 80–55 | 1–3 | Millett Hall Oxford, OH |
| December 12, 2020* 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Eastern Illinois | L 88–92 | 1–4 | Lantz Arena Charleston, IL |
| December 20, 2020* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UT Martin | W 81–63 | 2–4 | Skyhawk Arena Martin, TN |
| December 23, 2020* 8:00 pm, FS1 | | at DePaul | L 72–91 | 2–5 | Wintrust Arena Chicago, IL |
| Summit League regular season ||||||
| January 2, 2021 7:00 pm | | North Dakota State | L 50–68 | 2–6 (0–1) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 3, 2021 7:00 pm | | North Dakota State | L 67–78 | 2–7 (0–2) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 8, 2021 7:30 pm | | at South Dakota State | L 77–83 | 2–8 (0–3) | Frost Arena (623) Brookings, SD |
| January 9, 2021 7:30 pm | | at South Dakota State | L 63–92 | 2–9 (0–4) | Frost Arena (711) Brookings, SD |
| January 15, 2021 7:00 pm | | Kansas City | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 16, 2021 7:00 pm | | Kansas City | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 22, 2021 7:00 pm | | South Dakota | L 60–65 | 2–10 (0–5) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 23, 2021 7:00 pm | | South Dakota | L 74–84 | 2–11 (0–6) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 29, 2021 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | | at North Dakota | L 81–83 | 2–12 (0–7) | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (558) Grand Forks, ND |
| January 30, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at North Dakota | W 99–87 | 3–12 (1–7) | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (556) Grand Forks, ND |
| February 6, 2021 8:00 pm | | at Omaha | W 85–77 | 4–12 (2–7) | Baxter Arena Omaha, NE |
| February 7, 2021 8:00 pm | | at Omaha | W 75–73 | 5–12 (3–7) | Baxter Arena Omaha, NE |
| February 12, 2021 7:00 pm | | Denver | W 75–69 | 6–12 (4–7) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| February 13, 2021 7:00 pm | | Denver | W 82–75 | 7–12 (5–7) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| February 27, 2021 7:00 pm | | at Oral Roberts | L 81–85 | 7–13 (5–8) | Mabee Center Tulsa, OK |
| February 28, 2021 7:00 pm | | at Oral Roberts | L 59–95 | 7–14 (5–9) | Mabee Center Tulsa, OK |
| Summit League tournament ||||||
| March 6, 2021 8:45 pm, MidcoSN/ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (2) South Dakota Quarterfinals | L 69–86 | 7–15 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
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