| MATCHUP | SIU-Edwardsville Cougars | Eastern Illinois Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 7-4 | 2-8 |
| Where | Groniger Arena, Charleston, IL | |
| When | Thursday, December 18, 2025 | |
| Time | 06:30 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The SIU Edwardsville Cougars and the Eastern Illinois Panthers meet Thursday in college basketball action from Lantz Arena in Charleston. Here’s an SIU Edwardsville vs Eastern Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best SIU Edwardsville vs Eastern Illinois pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.
SIU Edwardsville Cougars Betting Preview
The Cougars opened the season on a middling 3-3 run, beating East-West University, UTSA and Drake in that time. SIUE otherwise lost to Indiana State, Wisconsin and Air Force. Since then it’s been a much better 4-1 run with a lone loss to Western Michigan. The wins otherwise have been versus Alabama State, Missouri Baptist, North Florida and Eureka, giving the Cougars a 7-4 run across their first 11 outings.
In the Eureka game on Sunday, the Cougars went into the break with a 42-19 lead. SIU Edwardsville cruised from there on 55 more points and took the win 97-54. Jordan Pickett led the team on 15 points with three boards. Ring Malith added 13 points with eight rebounds, while both Harrison Alexander (four rebounds) and Tyler King (three rebounds) contributed 11 points each.
Eastern Illinois Panthers Betting Preview
Over on the Eastern Illinois side, they went 2-3 over their first five games with wins over only Nicholls and Tiffin. The losses otherwise were versus Valparaiso, Notre Dame and Kentucky. Since then it’s been five straight losses to Central Arkansas, Purdue, Lindenwood, Eastern Kentucky and Iowa State. That gives the Panthers a 2-8 run across their first 10 games so far this season.
On Sunday in the Iowa State matchup, Eastern Illinois went into the second half down 44-28. Things didn’t get any better from there, as the Panthers would ultimately limp to a 78-53 blowout loss. Both Kooper Jacobi (eight rebounds) and Zion Fruster (three rebounds) had team-high totals of 11 points each in the losing effort for Eastern Illinois.
SIU Edwardsville Cougars @ Eastern Illinois Panthers Betting Trends: December 18, 2025
Why the Eastern Illinois Panthers will win
- Eastern Illinois has won four of its last five games against Conference opponents.
Why the SIU Edwardsville Cougars will win
- Eastern Illinois has lost each of its last five games.
- SIU Edwardsville has won six of its last seven night games at First Mid Court at Groniger Arena.
SIU Edwardsville vs Eastern Illinois Prediction
I’ll stick with SIU Edwardsville I suppose. The Cougars are playing better these days and coming off a blowout win versus an overmatched opponent. SIUE shot 51.3 percent from the field in that one with a 40-24 rebounding edge, 54 points in the paint and just eight turnovers. SIU Edwardsville is now 4-1 in their last five outings and they’ve scored 72 or more points in all five of those games.
As for Eastern Illinois, they weren’t going to do much at Hilton Coliseum against a great Iowa State team in their last game—and they didn’t. EIU shot just 35.8 percent from the field with 15 turnovers in the blowout loss. The Panthers have cracked 62 points just once during this current five-game losing streak, which doesn’t bode well for their chances here.