Bradley Braves vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 1/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bradley Braves vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

Banterra Center is where the Southern Illinois Salukis (12-5) will try to beat the Bradley Braves (12-5) on Wednesday.

The Bradley Braves played UIC and took home the win by a score of 77-59 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Braves ended up walking away with 15 while UIC totaled 15 fouls. They buried 8 out of their 25 attempts from distance. UIC finished shooting 56.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 9 of 16 tries. Moreover, UIC snagged 30 rebounds (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. UIC distributed 14 dimes and had 3 steals in the game. Concerning defending, Bradley allowed the other team to go 43.8% from the field on 21 out of 48 shooting. They also doled out 21 dimes for the game while creating 13 turnovers and having 7 steals. When talking about rebounding, they compiled 31 with 9 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Braves converted 14 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 70.0%. Bradley finished having earned a 46.6% field goal percentage (27 of 58) and converted 9 of their 23 three-point shots.

Duke Deen is one guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He ended up going 66.7% from the field and distributed 3 assists. He played 35 mins and also totaled 3 rebounds. He accounted for 26 points on 10 out of 15 shooting.

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Bradley enters this contest with a mark of 12-5 on the year. They average 74.6 points per game (184th in the country) while shooting 46.6% from the field. The Braves are shooting 36.2% on 3-point shots (149 of 412) and 67.1% from the charity stripe. As a team, Bradley is pulling down 36.3 boards per game and has racked up 233 assists for the campaign, which ranks 157th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 12.9 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 16.9 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Braves have forced 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.2 fouls. They are conceding 30.4% on 3-point shots while they are 65th in the nation in PPG allowed (66.1). The Braves defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 40.4% (387 of 958) and they relinquish 34.2 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They rank 53rd in the nation in allowing assists with 180 surrendered so far this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Southern Illinois Salukis went home defeated by a final of 76-58 against Drake. The Salukis snagged 22 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards totaling 26 in this contest. They also coughed it up 9 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. Drake was called for 14 fouls for the contest which got the Salukis to the charity stripe for 17 shots. They were able to convert 13 of those for a rate of 76.5%. In reference to shots from distance, Southern Illinois buried 7 out of 29 tries (24.1%). When this game wrapped up, the Salukis finished the game shooting 19 for 52 from the field which gave them a rate of 36.5%. The Salukis allowed Drake to bury 31 out of their 55 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 56.4% for this contest. They shot 31.3% from distance by going 5 out of 16 and ended up shooting 9 out of 16 from the free throw line (56.3%). When discussing rebounding, Southern Illinois permitted Drake to collect 33 in all (4 offensive).

Xavier Johnson ended up having an impact for the Salukis for the matchup. He converted 6 of 17 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 35.3%, and added 2 rebounds. He accumulated 19 points in his 38 mins on the court and tallied 5 assists in the matchup.

Southern Illinois has a mark of 12-5 this year. The Salukis are responsible for committing 17.4 fouls every game and they connect on 75.6% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 15.0 times per contest (94th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 10.8 times per game. Southern Illinois has accounted for 1,260 pts this season (74.1 per game) and they pull down 32.6 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Salukis are connecting on 47.1% from the floor, which is ranked 62nd in the country.

The Salukis on the defensive side of the court are 32nd in college basketball in points given up per game with 64.5. They have forced 11.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.7% from the field (156th in college hoops). The Southern Illinois defense gives up 26.7% on 3-point shots (80 of 300) and opponents are knocking down 67.8% of their free throw shots. They have given up 11.0 dimes and 32.5 boards every game, ranking them 54th and 60th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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