Bradley Braves vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 2/19/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bradley Braves vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Sunday, February 19, 2023

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Bradley Braves (20-8) are en route to Banterra Center on Sunday where they will attempt to defeat the Southern Illinois Salukis (20-8).

The Bradley Braves stepped onto the hardwood against Missouri State and went home with a win by a final score of 64-54 in their last game. Bradley walked away from the contest with a 44.3% field goal percentage (27 out of 61) and buried 6 of 19 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Braves buried 4 of their 6 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. When it comes to rebounding, they collected 36 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 13 assists in the game as well as forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 6 steals. When discussing defense, Bradley allowed the other team to shoot 33.3% from the floor on 20 of 60 shooting. Missouri State recorded 6 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. In addition, Missouri State collected 40 boards (16 offensive, 24 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Missouri State finished 63.6% when shooting free throws by making 7 of their 11 shots. They also knocked down 7 of 32 shots from beyond the arc. In relation to fouls, the Braves ended up finishing with 11 and Missouri State racked up 8 fouls.

Rienk Mast is one player who was important in the game. He racked up 11 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 28 minutes and also pulled down 5 boards. He ended up going 45.5% from the field and totaled 3 assists.

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Bradley comes into this one with a record of 20-8 for the year. They turn the ball over 12.1 times per game and as a group they commit 16.4 fouls per contest. As a team, Bradley is snagging 35.6 boards per game and has earned 374 dimes on the season, which is 115th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Braves are hitting 37.3% on shots from downtown (236 of 632) and 67.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging 72.1 points per outing (171st in college basketball) while shooting 46.7% from the field.

Defensively, the Braves have forced 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 16.1 personal fouls. They are ranked 56th in D-1 in giving up assists with 290 surrendered this year. The Braves are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 39.9% (595 of 1,493) and they surrender 31.6 boards per contest as a basketball team. They concede 31.3% from beyond the arc while they are 15th in college basketball in points per game allowed (61.6).

The last time they took the court, the Southern Illinois Salukis got the victory with a final of 66-62 when they played Valparaiso. In regard to how they cleaned up the glass, Southern Illinois allowed Valparaiso to pull down 28 in total (7 offensive). They finished shooting 14.3% from three-point range by hitting 2 of 14 and ended up shooting 18 of 23 from the free throw line (78.3%). The Salukis permitted Valparaiso to knock down 21 of their 50 tries from the floor which had them shooting 42.0% for this contest. When the game finished, the Salukis shot 24 for 50 from the field which had them sitting at 48.0%. In relation to shots from beyond the arc, Southern Illinois knocked down 2 out of their 14 tries (14.3%). They were able to convert 16 of those for a clip of 72.7%. Valparaiso had 20 fouls for this game which took the Salukis to the free throw line for 22 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 6 steals in this matchup. The Salukis were able to snag 21 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 25 for the game.

Clarence Rupert ended up having an impact for the Salukis for the contest. He totaled 14 points in his 17 minutes of playing time, but left the arena with no assists. He knocked down 6 out of 10 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and totaled 2 rebounds.

Southern Illinois has a record of 20-8 this season. The Salukis commit 16.5 fouls per contest and they go 73.5% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 13.9 times per contest (127th in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 13.1 times per game. Southern Illinois has 1,860 pts on the season (66.4 per contest) and they pull down 31.2 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Salukis are shooting 45.6% from the field, which is ranked 118th in college hoops.

The Salukis on the defensive side of the court are 17th in D-1 in points given up per game with 61.9. They are able to force 13.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.1% from the field (95th in the country). The Southern Illinois defense allows 33.8% from downtown (175 of 518) and opponents are converting on 66.1% of their foul shots. They have conceded 11.0 dimes and 31.9 rebounds per contest, ranking them 59th and 61st in the nation.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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