Eastern Illinois (11-19) vs SE Missouri State (20-10)
March 1, 2025 at 04:30 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Eastern Illinois +5.5 — Over/Under:
The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks and the Eastern Illinois Panthers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Lantz Arena. Here’s a Southeast Missouri State vs Eastern Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Southeast Missouri State vs Eastern Illinois pick. We will examine:
The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks recent form and player performance
The Eastern Illinois Panthers recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Eastern Illinois Panthers
Recent betting trends in games played between Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Illinois
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Southeast Missouri State vs Eastern Illinois game
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Betting Preview
Southeast Missouri State was on a pretty rough run through their first 20 games, but they’ve looked a lot better since late January. The Redhawks kicked things off on a 3-6 stretch, then took out Saint Mary of the Woods, Eastern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Westminster MO and Tennessee State in their next five. A 2-4 run with losses to Tennessee Martin, Morehead State, Little Rock and Lindenwood came next. Since then it’s been a win streak over Western Illinois, TN-Martin, Tennessee State, Morehead State, Southern Indiana, Little Rock, Tennessee Tech, Western Illinois, Lindenwood and SIU Edwardsville in succession. That gives the Redhawks a 20-10 overall run through 30 games this year.
In the SIU Edwardsville road matchup on Thursday, the Redhawks came out of the locker room with a 42-29 halftime advantage. Southeast Missouri State hit a 41-39 run the rest of the way and powered out an 83-68 win in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Rob Martin with 31 points, three assists and two rebounds. Teddy Washington added 28 points with seven rebounds, five steals and three assists in 38 minutes, while Braxton Stacker had eight points and nine boards off the bench.
Eastern Illinois Panthers Betting Preview
Over on the Panthers’ side, they’ve had a rocky season and sit pretty far below the .500 mark overall. Eastern Illinois opened up their season on a 5-8 run with wins over Earlham, Northern Illinois, Calumet, Blackburn and Lindenwood. Losses to Western Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee Martin, Tennessee State, Morehead State and Southern Indiana came next, then wins over Little Rock, Western Illinois and Lindenwood. After losses to SIU Edwardsville, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and TN-Martin, the Panthers have since beaten Southern Indiana, Morehead State and Little Rock. Overall the Panthers have managed an 11-19 record across 30 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
Matched up against Little Rock in the home rematch on Thursday, the Panthers jumped out to a 36-27 halftime edge. Eastern Illinois hit a 35-33 run the rest of the way and powered out the win 71-60. Tops in scoring was Nakyel Shelton with 25 points, two rebounds, two assists and four steals. Artese Stapleton wasn’t far behind on his 23 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Why the Eastern Illinois Panthers will win
- Southeast Missouri State has lost six of its last seven road day games against Conference opponents.
- The home team has won each of the last three games between Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Illinois.
Why the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks will win
- Southeast Missouri State has won each of its last 10 games against the Ohio Valley Conference.
- Eastern Illinois has lost nine of its last 10 home day games against the Ohio Valley Conference.
- Eastern Illinois has lost the first half in seven of its last eight day games against the Ohio Valley Conference.
Southeast Missouri State vs Eastern Illinois Prediction
I’ll lean toward SEMO in this one. The Redhawks looked pretty good against a fairly talented SIU Edwardsville team in a road win this week, hitting 53.1 percent from the field with just seven turnovers. Southeast Missouri State did get outmuscled on the boards 39-30, though. That said, the Redhawks have won 10 straight games now and scored 83 or more points in three of the last four.
SEMO won 79-72 in a home matchup the last time these teams saw each other way back on December 19. With Eastern Illinois playing better right now (winning three straight) I wouldn’t be surprised to see another competitive matchup. The Redhawks should have the advantage overall, but you wouldn’t be crazy for trying Eastern Illinois at home here.