Saint Louis Billikens vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 12/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Saint Louis Billikens vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Illinois Salukis (4-2) host the Saint Louis Billikens (5-3) at Banterra Center on Saturday.

The Saint Louis Billikens faced off with Utah State and went home with a loss by a final score of 81-76 in their last contest. Saint Louis wrapped up the game with a 47.4% FG percentage (27 out of 57) and made 10 of their 24 3-pointers. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Billikens made 12 of 13 tries for a percentage of 92.3%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 20 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 16 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With respect to defending, Saint Louis allowed 57.4% from the floor on 35 out of 61 shooting. Utah State earned 20 dimes and had 5 steals in the matchup. Moreover, Utah State grabbed 33 boards (12 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Utah State went 50.0% when shooting free throws by burying 5 of 10 attempts. They made 6 of 23 tries from distance. When it comes to personal fouls, the Billikens ended up with 11 and Utah State accounted for 12 personal fouls.

Gibson Jimerson is someone who was a major contributor in this game. He finished 60.0% from the field and distributed 5 assists. He played for 37 mins played but didn't pull down any boards. He finished with 28 points on 9 out of 15 shooting.

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Saint Louis comes into this one with a mark of 5-3 for the year. They are averaging 76.9 points per outing (146th in the nation) while hitting 43.5% from the floor. The Billikens are hitting 38.6% on shots from 3-point land (64 of 166) and 73.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Saint Louis is snagging 33.8 rebounds per game and has accounted for 98 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 153rd in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 9.8 times per game and as a unit they commit 16.5 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Billikens have forced 13.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.3 personal fouls. They are surrendering 28.7% on shots from downtown while they are 216th in the country in opponents points per game (72.6). The Billikens are allowing a field goal percentage of 43.8% (217 of 496) and they surrender 40.4 boards per game as a squad. They are ranked 264th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 98 surrendered so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the Southern Illinois Salukis walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-48 against Indiana State. The Salukis collected 25 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 33 for the game. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while getting 1 steal for this contest. Indiana State committed 18 fouls in this game which got the Salukis to the charity stripe for a total of 16 shots. They were able to knock down 11 of them for a clip of 68.8%. With respect to 3-point attempts, Southern Illinois converted 3 of 20 attempts (15.0%). Overall, the Salukis finished the game shooting 17 out of 56 from the field which had them shooting 30.4%. The Salukis allowed Indiana State to knock down 27 of 56 attempts from the field which left them shooting 48.2% in this contest. They finished 33.3% from 3-point land by shooting 7 out of 21 and finished the contest at 16 out of 20 from the free throw line (80.0%). Regarding how they rebounded, Southern Illinois allowed Indiana State to get 30 overall (4 offensive).

Xavier Johnson ended up having an impact for the Salukis in this contest. He accumulated 16 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this game. He made 5 out of 17 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 29.4%, and accumulated 5 rebounds.

Southern Illinois has a record of 4-2 on the season. As an offense, the Salukis are connecting on 44.9% from the field, which ranks 177th in the nation. Southern Illinois has totaled 455 points this season (75.8 per game) and they pull in 35.2 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.8 times per contest (154th in college basketball) and they turn it over 11.0 times per game. The Salukis have committed 19.5 fouls per game while shooting 72.0% from the charity stripe.

The Southern Illinois defense allows 27.1% on 3-pointers (26 of 96) and their opponents are knocking down 69.5% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 9.2 assists and 31.8 total rebounds per game, which ranks 24th and 65th in college basketball. The Salukis on defense are ranked 85th in college hoops in PPG given up with 65.5. They are able to force 12.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.2% from the field (209th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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