Missouri State Bears vs Southern Illinois Salukis Betting Pick & Prediction 1/31/24
The Bears and Salukis are set to face off at 8:00 ET on ESPN+. The Salukis will host the game at Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL. The over/under for this Missouri Valley conference contest is set at 135.5 points, with Southern Illinois being favored by -6 at home against Missouri State.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS VS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Southern Illinois Salukis -6
This game will be played at Banterra Center at 8:00 ET on Wednesday, January 31st.
WHY BET THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Salukis.
- Not only will Southern Illinois pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -6.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 135.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.
Will Missouri State Find a Way to Win on the Road?
Missouri State is 12-9 this season and 3-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play. They have gone 3-6 on the road, and their average scoring margin on the road is -5.8 points per game. So far, they have been the underdog in 9 of their 21 games, going 3-6 in those matchups.
Most recently, the Bears took down Valparaiso by a score of 81-70. On the road, they have gone 3-2 in their last five games and 3-7 in their last 10.
So far this season, Missouri State has an ATS record of 9-9-1. On the road, the Bears are 3-5-1 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, Missouri State is 4-5-1 vs. the spread. On the road, their ATS mark is 3-5-2 over their last 10 games.
Today’s over/under line of 135.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Missouri State’s games this year (141.5). So far, their over/under record is 8-11. In their last three games, the average scoring total is 147 points and their over/under record over their last 10 games is 4-6.
The Missouri State offense is coming off a game where they scored 81 points against Valparaiso. They posted a field goal percentage of 46.5% and connected on 7 threes. Brad Mason was the leading scorer for the Bears, putting up 22 points. In addition, Donovan Clay contributed 18 points.
At this time, the Bears’ defense is positioned 123rd in the country, permitting 70.1 points per game. Missouri State’s three-point defense is currently 103rd in the country at 6.9 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 41.2% of their shots vs. Missouri State.
Will the Southern Illinois Defense Show Up at Home?
Coming into tonight’s game, Southern Illinois is 14-7 overall and 6-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play. They have won two straight games and are 9-4 at home this season, compared to 4-3 on the road.
As the favorite, the Salukis are 11-1 on the year and have gone 7-3 in their last 10 home games. Most recently, they defeated Murray State by a score of 60-58.
As the favorite this season, Southern Illinois has gone 9-3 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Salukis have an ATS record of 7-3.
This season, the over/under record for Southern Illinois games is 11-9 and today’s over/under line of 135.5 is similar to the average over/under line in their games (136.4). So far, 10 of their games have had lower over/under lines than today’s while nine have finished with more points. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 126 points.
In their most recent game, the Southern Illinois offense concluded with only 60 points against Murray State. Throughout the game, they made 9/25 three-point attempts and had a field goal percentage of 46.8%. The top scorer for the Salukis was Trent Brown with 16 points, while Xavier Johnson also added 16 to the scoreboard.
In the current season, the Southern Illinois defense has excelled, sitting 33rd in the nation by allowing 64.5 points per game. In their previous game vs. Murray State, the Racers finished with a field goal percentage of 47% and a total of 58 points vs. Southern Illinois.