Missouri State (7-10) vs Southern Illinois (6-11)
Game Info: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 7:00 pm (Great Southern Bank Arena)
The Line: Betting Odds: Missouri State -3.5 — Over/Under: 135.5
The Southern Illinois Salukis are visiting the Missouri State Bears on Wednesday, January 15th at the Great Southern Bank Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Southern Illinois Salukis vs Missouri State Bears Prediction. We will examine:
The Missouri State Bears’ recent form and player performance
The Southern Illinois Salukis’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Missouri State Bears
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Southern Illinois Salukis
Recent betting trends in games played between Southern Illinois Salukisand Missouri State Bears
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Southern Illinois Salukis vs Missouri State Bears game
Missouri State Bears Preview
The Missouri State Bears have a 7-10 record this season and are sitting in 12th place in the Missouri Valley. The Bears are coming off a 78-88 loss to Southern Illinois. The Bears are 8-7 against the spread, and 7-8 in over/under while having a 5-3 home record.
Offensively, Missouri State is averaging 71.4 points per game, which ranks 270th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 72.3 points per game (221st). The Bears shoot 43.8% from the field (241st) and 35.4% from beyond the arc (93rd). The Bears shoot 66.8% from the free-throw line (310th) and are grabbing 34.3 rebounds per game (279th).
Dez White leads Missouri State in scoring this season, with an average of 15.4 points and 2.9 rebounds, while Vincent Brady adds 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. Missouri State will meet Illinois State after this game.
Southern Illinois Salukis Preview
The Southern Illinois Salukis have a 6-11 record this season and are sitting in 11th place in the Missouri Valley. Southern Illinois is coming off an 88-78 win over Missouri State. The Salukis are 45-10 against the spread, and 7-8 in over/under, while having a 1-5 road record.
Offensively, Southern Illinois is averaging 72.9 points per game, which ranks 238th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 76.4 points per game (302nd). The Salukis shoot 44.3% from the field (219th) and 32% from beyond the arc (272nd). The Salukis shoot 66.7% from the free-throw line (315th) and are grabbing 35.7 rebounds per game (206th).
Ali Abdou Dibba leads Southern Illinois in scoring with an average of 15.7 points and 4.2 rebounds, while Kennard Davis adds 13.7 points and 4.8 rebounds. Southern Iowa will play against Northern Iowa and Murray State following this one.
Why the Missouri State Bears will win
- Missouri State has won each of its last six night games at Great Southern Bank Arena after coming off overtime.
- Southern Illinois has lost eight of its last nine games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
- Southern Illinois has lost the first half in each of its last nine road games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
Why the Southern Illinois Salukis will win
- Missouri State has lost each of its last nine night games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
- Southern Illinois has won four of its last five games against Missouri State.
- Missouri State has lost the first half in seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Southern Illinois Salukis vs Missouri State Bears Prediction
Southern Illinois is 4-1 in their last 9 meetings against Missouri State, and are 4-2-1 against the spread in their last 7 meetings. Over is 3-1 in their last 4 meetings. In this Southern Illinois Salukis vs Missouri State Bears Prediction, Missouri State is coming as a -3.5 home favorite. The Bears have been on a free fall lately with five consecutive losses and 1-4 against the spread, while the Salukis have also been struggling with a 1-5 record in their last 6 games. Both teams have been playing some higher-scoring games lately, going for 5-1 to the over in their last 6 games combined, and in their previous game on Saturday, they combined for 164 points, and the game went 18 points over the total. I expect another high-scoring affair today, so take the over.