Southern Illinois vs Belmont Prediction 1/8/25 College Basketball Picks

The Southern Illinois Salukis and the Belmont Bruins meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Curb Event Center. Here’s a Southern Illinois vs Belmont prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Southern Illinois vs Belmont pick. We will examine:

The Southern Illinois Salukis’ recent form and player performance

The Belmont Bruins’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Southern Illinois Salukis

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Belmont Bruins

Recent betting trends in games played between Southern Illinois and Belmont

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Southern Illinois vs Belmont game

Southern Illinois Salukis Betting Preview

The Salukis kicked off the 2024-25 season on a spotty 2-2 run. The wins in that quartet were over Missouri S&T and North Dakota State; otherwise, it was losses to Charleston and Oklahoma State. Following a three-game losing streak versus Florida, Louisiana Tech, and Eastern Kentucky, the Salukis hit a 3-1 run with wins over Florida Tech, Southern Indiana, and Austin Peay alongside a lone loss to Bradley. Over the last four games, Southern Illinois has fallen to High Point, Northern Iowa, Evansville, and Illinois State for a 5-10 record, however.

In the Illinois State matchup on Sunday, the Salukis opened the game up on a rough run and went into halftime down 44-23. Southern Illinois unfortunately didn’t improve in the second half on a 41-31 deficit and lost big 85-54 in a blowout. Davion Sykes led the team off the bench with 11 points and two rebounds, while Sheridan Sharp had 25 bench minutes for 10 points and two boards with three steals. Leading the starters was Jarrett Hensley with 10 points.

Belmont Bruins Betting Preview

Over on the Belmont side, they got started on a 4-1 run in their first five games. The lone loss was to Furman (by two points). Otherwise, it was wins over Maryville College TN, Lipscomb, Air Force, and Oral Roberts. Following a loss to Loyola Marymount, the Bruins took out Tulane, Gardner-Webb, Illinois State, Middle Tennessee, and Richmond. Belmont would then hit a three-game losing streak (their worst of the year so far) versus UC Irvine, Drake, and Northern Iowa, but recovered on a win over UIC for a 10-5 record this season so far.

Matched up against UIC in their Saturday game, the Bruins came out of halftime looking up at a 46-43 advantage. Belmont hit a 46-44 run the rest of the way in an eventual win 92-87. Leading the team in scoring was Jonathan Pierre with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Carter Whitt added 20 points with eight boards and four assists, and Isaiah Walker chipped in 18 points with five rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes of work.

Why the Belmont Bruins will win

• Southern Illinois has lost each of its last seven games against Conference opponents.
• Belmont has won each of its last six games against Conference opponents at Curb Event Center.
• Belmont has won the first half in each of its last seven games against Conference opponents at Curb Event Center.

Why the Southern Illinois Salukis will win

• Belmont has lost three of its last four games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Southern Illinois vs Belmont Prediction

I’m staying with the Bruins. Belmont had a little trouble fully pulling away from a pesky UIC team in their last outing, but everything ended up working out in a five-point win. The Bruins shot a nice 47.8 percent from the field in that one along with 41.4 percent from 3-point range and 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the line. The 42-33 rebounding edge and 18 team assists helped as well, but Belmont did give away 12 turnovers for 19 UIC points. The Bruins have been pretty generous on defense during this 1-3 stretch, giving up 76 or more points in three of those four games. Belmont is still scoring well though. They’ve hit 70 or more in three of the four as well.

As for Southern Illinois, they were demolished by a pretty good Illinois State team in their last outing, giving up 60.8 percent shooting with a 38-26 rebounding deficit. The Salukis have surrendered 68 or more points in four straight (all losses) with 78 or more in three of those. Belmont shouldn’t have a ton of issues covering here if they can score even reasonably well.