Southern Illinois Salukis vs Wichita State Shockers Prediction, 12/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Illinois Salukis vs Wichita State Shockers

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Location: Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, KS

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Illinois Salukis (6-3) are headed to Charles Koch Arena on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Wichita State Shockers (7-3).

The Southern Illinois Salukis stepped onto the hardwood against Austin Peay and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 70-68 in their last game. Southern Illinois ended having earned a 43.4% FG percentage (23 out of 53) and buried 6 of 17 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Salukis converted 16 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 88.9%. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they collected 31 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 15 assists for the contest as well as creating 6 turnovers and earning 3 steals. Concerning defense, Southern Illinois let their opponent shoot 47.5% from the floor on 28 of 59 shooting. Austin Peay totaled 16 assists and had 7 steals in the game. Furthermore, Austin Peay pulled down 29 rebounds (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Austin Peay went 55.6% when shooting free throws by knocking down 5 of 9 tries. They also buried 9 of their 23 shots from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Salukis finished with 13 while Austin Peay finished the game with 16 personal fouls.

Xavier Johnson is one player who was a factor for the game. He accounted for 31 points on 9 of 18 shooting. He saw the court for 40 minutes played and also pulled down 7 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 50.0% from the floor and earned 8 assists.

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Southern Illinois enters this one with a win-loss record of 6-3 on the year. They are averaging 77.1 pts per game (134th in D-1) while shooting 47.3% from the floor. The Salukis are shooting 40.5% from downtown (85 of 210) and 73.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Southern Illinois is pulling in 33.0 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 137 assists this season, which is 176th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 10.8 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.8 fouls every game.

On defense, the Salukis are forcing 12.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.7 fouls. They currently rank 31st in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 92 relinquished on the year. The Salukis are allowing a FG percentage of 43.1% (215 of 499) and they concede 32.6 rebounds per game as a team. They are relinquishing 28.6% on 3-pointers and they rank 65th in the country in PPG allowed (65.9).

When they last played, the Wichita State Shockers took a loss by a score of 79-69 against South Dakota State. The Shockers were able to collect 27 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards totaling 42 in the matchup. They gave up possession 12 times, while recording 5 steals in this game. South Dakota State had 16 personal fouls for this contest which got the Shockers to the free throw line for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to convert 14 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 70.0%. In the matter of three-point attempts, Wichita State knocked down 11 out of their 27 attempts (40.7%). When the game finished, the Shockers walked away from this one shooting 22 for 70 from the floor which gave them a rate of 31.4%. The Shockers allowed South Dakota State to convert 28 out of 63 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.4% for this contest. They wrapped up this game 36.4% from distance by shooting 12 out of 33 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 13 at the free throw line (84.6%). When discussing how they rebounded, Wichita State allowed South Dakota State to collect 40 overall (7 on the offensive side).

Colby Rogers ended up being a major contributor for the Shockers in this game. He converted 7 of 15 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 46.7%, and had 4 rebounds. He had 21 points in his 36 mins of playing time and tallied 4 assists for the game.

Wichita State has a mark of 7-3 for the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Shockers are shooting 44.9% from the floor, which is 174th in college basketball. Wichita State has totaled 783 points this year (78.3 per game) and they snag 45.3 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.4 times per game (256th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 11.7 times per contest. The Shockers have committed 14.2 personal fouls per game and they go 71.6% from the charity stripe.

The Shockers on the defensive side of the court are 191st in D-1 in points given up per game with 71.0. They are able to force 9.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 38.8% from the field (28th in college basketball). The Wichita State defense gives up 29.3% on shots from distance (85 of 290) and their opposition knocks down 72.4% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 13.5 assists and 35.2 rebounds per game, which is 254th and 196th in Division 1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Wichita State

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