Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 12/22/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Friday, December 22, 2023

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

Banterra Center is the site where the Southern Illinois Salukis (7-4) will take on the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (3-9) on Friday.

The Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles played St. Francis Illinois and went home with a win by a final score of 79-47 in their last contest. Southern Indiana walked away from the game with a 46.6% FG percentage (27 out of 58) and made 12 out of their 23 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Screaming Eagles converted 13 of their 19 tries for a percentage of 68.4%. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 35 with 8 of them being offensive. They also doled out 14 assists in this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. When talking about defense, Southern Indiana allowed their opponent to shoot 35.8% from the field on 19 of 53 shooting. St. Francis Illinois earned 8 assists and had 3 steals in this matchup. Additionally, St. Francis Illinois pulled down 26 boards (7 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. St. Francis Illinois shot 46.7% from the charity stripe by making 7 of 15 shots. They also buried 2 out of their 12 attempts from long range. In relation to fouls, the Screaming Eagles ended up with 18 and St. Francis Illinois totaled 15 fouls.

Jack Mielke is one player who came through in the game. He shot 75.0% from the field and also distributed 2 assists. He played for 33 mins played and grabbed 3 rebounds. He was able to score 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting.

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Southern Indiana will enter this matchup with a record of 3-9 so far this year. They turn it over 13.8 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.7 personal fouls every game. As a team, Southern Indiana is collecting 38.1 rebounds per game and has 158 dimes for the season, which ranks 167th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Screaming Eagles are hitting 32.2% on three-point shots (84 of 261) and 68.1% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 66.2 pts per contest (328th in D-1) while hitting 41.2% from the field.

On defense, the Screaming Eagles are able to force 11.2 turnovers every game and they draw 15.6 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 235th in college basketball in giving up assists with 150 conceded for the year. The Screaming Eagles defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.0% (285 of 713) and they relinquish 37.3 rebounds per game as a group. They relinquish 31.1% on shots from downtown and they are 152nd in college basketball in PPG allowed (69.7).

In their last game, the Southern Illinois Salukis walked away with a victory by a final of 76-63 when they faced North Dakota State. In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Southern Illinois allowed North Dakota State to pull down 28 in total (7 offensive). They went 7.7% from three-point range by shooting 1 of 13 and finished the contest at 8 of 10 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Salukis allowed North Dakota State to make 27 of 55 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 49.1% for this game. When the game finished, the Salukis went 30 for 55 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.5%. In reference to shooting from 3-point land, Southern Illinois made 5 of 10 attempts (50.0%). They were able to make 11 of the free throws for a clip of 73.3%. North Dakota State had 11 personal fouls for this game which took the Salukis to the charity stripe for a total of 15 attempts. They also gave up possession 11 times, while recording 7 steals for the matchup. The Salukis were able to corral 19 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards for a total of 25 for the matchup.

Xavier Johnson ended up being important for the Salukis in this contest. He converted 10 of 19 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 52.6%, and accounted for 4 rebounds. He earned 25 points in his 38 minutes of playing time and earned 5 assists in the matchup.

Southern Illinois has a mark of 7-4 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Salukis are hitting on 48.1% from the floor, which is 49th in the nation. Southern Illinois has accounted for 838 points on the campaign (76.2 per contest) and they collect 32.5 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 15.4 times per contest (85th in college basketball) and they turn it over 10.9 times per contest. The Salukis are committing 17.9 personal fouls every game and they hit 73.3% from the free throw line.

The Southern Illinois defense concedes 27.9% on shots from behind the 3-point line (53 of 190) and opponents are making 69.0% of their foul shots. They have given up 10.2 assists and 32.5 rebounds per game, which is 32nd and 72nd in the country. The Salukis are ranked 69th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 65.9. They are able to force 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.5% from the floor (225th in the country).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Indiana

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