SE Missouri State vs Western Illinois Prediction 1/25/25 College Basketball Picks

The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks and the Western Illinois Leathernecks meet Saturday in college basketball action from Western Hall. Here’s a Southeast Missouri State vs Western Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Southeast Missouri State vs Western Illinois pick. We will examine:

The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks’ recent form and player performance

The Western Illinois Leathernecks’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Western Illinois Leathernecks

Recent betting trends in games played between Southeast Missouri State and Western Illinois

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Southeast Missouri State vs Western Illinois game

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Betting Preview

Southeast Missouri State had a nice run going back in December and early January, however outside of that it’s been a struggle this season. The Redhawks limped to a 3-6 record over their first nine outings, taking losses to Bradley, Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, UNC Asheville, Lipscomb, and Murray State along the way. The Redhawks would hit a winning streak over Saint Mary of the Woods College, Eastern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Westminster MO, and Tennessee State in the next five games. Since then however, it’s been a 2-4 stretch with losses to Tennessee-Martin, Morehead State, Little Rock, and Lindenwood among a pair of wins over Southern Indiana and Tennessee Tech, giving the Redhawks a .500 record through the first 20 games of the year.

In the Lindenwood game on Thursday, Southeast Missouri State hit a 41-31 deficit in the first half. The Redhawks got better from there and closed the gap a bit but still lost 72-68 in the end. Brendan Terry led the way with 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Rob Martin added 12 points with four assists, and Teddy Washington chipped in with 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in 35 minutes of work.

Western Illinois Leathernecks Betting Preview

Over on the Western Illinois side, they managed to stay above .500 through 15 games this year, but since then it’s been a rough losing skid. The Leathernecks posted wins over San Jose State, Central Arkansas, Monmouth IL, South Alabama, St. Ambrose, East-West, Tennessee Tech, and Eastern Illinois during those first 15 outings, giving the team an 8-7 overall record. the last five games have all been losses for Western Illinois, however. Those defeats have come at the hands of Tennessee Martin, Tennessee State, Morehead State, Southern Indiana, and Little Rock, reducing the Leathernecks’ record to just 8-12 through the first 20 games so far.

Matched up against Little Rock in their Thursday outing, the Leathernecks came out of the locker room with a 35-26 deficit. Western Illinois didn’t end up getting any closer on a 27-25 second-half run and took the loss 62-51 in the end. Sean Smith was the leading team scorer in the defeat, posting 16 points with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Marko Maletic was the only other player on the team in double-figures with his 15 points and one steal.

Why the Western Illinois Leathernecks will win

• Southeast Missouri State has lost each of its last six road day games against Conference opponents.
• Western Illinois has won three of its last four day games at Western Hall.
• Southeast Missouri State has lost the first half in three of its last four games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks will win

• Western Illinois has lost seven of its last eight games against the Ohio Valley Conference.
• Southeast Missouri State has won three of its last four games following a road loss.
• The road team has won the first half in three of Southeast Missouri State’s last four games.

Southeast Missouri State vs Western Illinois Prediction

I’m going to lean toward Southeast Missouri State but I’m probably not touching this one. With both teams struggling lately, there’s not a lot to get excited about here. That said, the Redhawks have at least been competitive lately. SEMO posted 41 percent shooting in their four-point loss to Lindenwood but also gave up 52.2 percent on the other side with a 35-29 rebounding deficit and 13 turnovers for 17 Lions points. The RedHawks have scored 68 or more points in three straight games (a 1-2 run). Their two losses in that time have each come by four points or fewer. It’s hard to find too many positives about either team here, but I like SEMO slightly better.