Austin Peay (4-5) vs Southern Illinois (4-5)
December 14, 2024 at 05:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Austin Peay +3 / Southern Illinois -3 — Over/Under: 133.5
The Southern Illinois Salukis and the Austin Peay Governors meet Saturday in college basketball action from the F&M Bank Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Southern Illinois vs. Austin Peay prediction.
Southern Illinois Recap
The Southern Illinois Salukis come into this game looking to build on a 73-70 win over Southern Indiana in their last game. After this matchup, the Salukis will play against High Point, Northern Iowa, Evansville, Illinois State, and Belmont after this one.
Salukis Looking For Consistent Play
Kennard Davis Jr. leads the Salukis in scoring and assists with 14.8 PPG and 2.7 APG along with 4.3 RPG and 2.4 SPG while Ali Dibba has 14.5 PPG with 3.7 RPG. Elijah Elliott has 14 PPG with 3.4 RPG while Jarrett Hensley also has 10.6 PPG with 7 RPG to lead the Salukis on the glass so far this season and to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Southern Illinois. As a team, Southern Illinois is averaging 74.6 PPG on 45.3% shooting from the field, 32.8% from three, and 67.2% from the foul line this season.
Why the Southern Illinois Salukis will win
- Austin Peay has lost six of its last seven day games.
- Southern Illinois has won each of its last five Saturday games.
Austin Peay Recap
The Austin Peay Governors come into this game looking to rebound after a 72-47 loss to Samford last time out. After this game, Austin Peay will head back out on the road for a matchup with Ohio.
Governors Lose 3rd Straight
LJ Thomas leads the Governors in scoring and assists with 18.1 PPG and 3 APG along with 4.4 RPG while Isaac Haney has 12.8 PPG in 6 games played and Sai Witt has 10 PPG with 4.3 RPG in 4 games played. JaVar Daniel’s also added a team-high 4.9 RPG so far this season. As a team, Austin Peay is averaging 64.4 PPG on 39.9% shooting from the field, 32% from three, and 73.8% from the foul line this season.
Why the Austin Peay Governors Will Win
- Austin Peay has won 14 of its last 16 games at F&M Bank Arena.
- Southern Illinois has lost each of its last four away games when playing with a rest advantage.
Southern Illinois vs. Austin Peay Prediction
I’m with Southern Illinois here. I know Austin Peay finally gets back home where they’ve won both of their games so far this season, but this is still an injury-riddled Governors team that’s yet to really put it together consistently this season and the recent offensive performances don’t inspire a ton of hope. The Salukis have had a rough go at it, but they’re still the better team in my opinion and I think they pick up a confidence-boosting road win here.