Southern Illinois vs Murray State Prediction 12/29/2025 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Southern Illinois Salukis and the Murray State Racers meet Monday in college basketball action from CFSB Center in Murray. Here’s a Southern Illinois vs Murray State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Southern Illinois vs Murray State 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.

Southern Illinois Salukis Betting Preview

The Salukis went 6-4 over their first 10 games of the season. The wins in that time were over McKendree, Kansas City, Delaware, Little Rock, High Point and Tennessee-Martin. Since then Southern Illinois has fallen in three straight games, losing to Richmond, Illinois State and Bradley in succession. That leaves the team with a 6-7 overall record across 13 games this year.
In the Bradley game on December 21, the Salukis entered the second half with a 39-34 deficit. Southern Illinois couldn’t bridge the gap in the second and came away with a 73-69 loss in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Damien Mayo with 18 points and five rebounds. Rolyns Aligbe added 16 points and eight rebounds while Quel’Ron House had 10 points with five assists.

Murray State Racers Betting Preview

Over on the Murray State side, they put up a 4-3 run over their first seven games. The Racers beat Omaha, Mississippi Valley State, Nicholls and Little Rock during that time. Since then it’s been six straight wins over George Washington, Morehead State, Bellarmine, Akron, Drake and Valparaiso. That gives Murray State a 10-3 overall record in their first 13 games this year.

In the Valparaiso game on December 21, the Racers were trailing by three points in the locker room. Murray State surged on a 49-40 run the rest of the way in an 85-79 win. Roman Domon topped the team with 20 points and three rebounds while Fredrick King had 19 points with five rebounds. Javon Jackson added 18 points with three assists in 16 minutes during the winning effort.

Southern Illinois Salukis @ Murray State Racers Betting Trends: December 29, 2025

Why the Murray State Racers will win

• Murray State has won each of its last nine games at CFSB Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Southern Illinois has lost five of its last six night games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
• Southern Illinois has lost the first half in seven of its last nine road night games against the Missouri Valley Conference.

Southern Illinois vs Murray State Prediction

I’ll stay with Murray State. The Racers started a little slowly in their latest win over Valparaiso but eventually shot 49.1 percent from the field with 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) from the line. Murray State added 33 rebounds and 38 points in the paint as well. The Racers are looking good over this six-game win streak; they’ve hit 81 or more points in every one of those outings.

As for Southern Illinois, they couldn’t quite keep up with Bradley in their last outing, shooting a dismal 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) from 3-point range with 13 turnovers in the defeat. The Salukis have lost three straight games now (following a three-game win streak) with fewer than 70 points in each of the last two.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Murray State Racers -6.5