Missouri State Bears vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 1/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Missouri State Bears vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Missouri State Bears (12-9) are headed to Banterra Center on Wednesday where they will attempt to defeat the Southern Illinois Salukis (14-7).

The Missouri State Bears faced Valparaiso and walked away with a win by a score of 81-70 in their last contest. In regard to fouls, the Bears ended up walking away with 16 and Valparaiso recorded 12 fouls. They made 10 of their 25 tries from distance. Valparaiso went 88.9% at the charity stripe by knocking down 16 of their 18 tries. On top of that, Valparaiso pulled down 28 boards (4 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Valparaiso earned 13 assists and had 4 steals in this game. When discussing defense, Missouri State let their opponent shoot 35.5% from the floor on 22 of 62 shooting. They also distributed 18 assists for the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 2 steals. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 47 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bears converted 8 of 12 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. Missouri State finished the game having earned a 46.5% field goal percentage (33 of 71) and made 7 out of their 15 shots from distance.

Alston Mason is a guy who was a major contributor for the contest. He accounted for 22 points on 9 out of 17 shooting. He was on the court for 40 minutes played and snagged 6 rebounds. He ended up shooting 52.9% from the field and dished out 9 dimes.

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Missouri State enters this contest with a mark of 12-9 on the year. They currently have an average of 71.2 pts per game (258th in college basketball) on 43.2% from the field. The Bears are shooting 32.2% on three-point attempts (160 of 497) and 70.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Missouri State is grabbing 39.3 rebounds per game and has earned 265 dimes on the year, which is 213th in the nation in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.2 times per game and as a group they commit 16.0 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Bears are forcing 9.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.6 personal fouls. They currently rank 117th in D-1 in giving up assists with 244 surrendered on the season. The Bears are allowing a FG percentage of 40.9% (540 of 1,320) and they relinquish 34.7 boards per game as a squad. They surrender 31.0% from 3-point land while they are 135th in college basketball in PPG allowed (70.1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Southern Illinois Salukis took home the win by a final score of 60-58 when they faced Murray State. The Salukis recorded 25 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 31 in this game. They gave up possession 17 times, while recording 7 steals in this game. Murray State committed 19 fouls for the matchup which got the Salukis to the free throw line for a total of 13 shots. They were able to convert 7 of the free throws for a rate of 53.8%. When it comes to shots from distance, Southern Illinois converted 9 out of 25 attempts (36.0%). When the game finished, the Salukis walked away from this one shooting 22 for 47 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.8%. The Salukis permitted Murray State to convert 22 out of their 46 tries from the field which left them shooting 47.8% for this game. They finished the game shooting 43.8% from downtown by shooting 7 of 16 and finished the game at 7 of 14 from the free throw line (50.0%). When discussing cleaning the glass, Southern Illinois allowed Murray State to get 21 overall (1 on the offensive side).

Trent Brown ended up being a major contributor for the Salukis in this contest. He made 6 of 12 in the game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He recorded 16 points in his 38 minutes of playing time, but finished this game without an assist.

Southern Illinois has a mark of 14-7 on the campaign. As an offense, the Salukis are hitting on 46.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 79th in Division 1. Southern Illinois has scored 1,521 points on the season (72.4 per contest) and they grab 33.1 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 14.3 times per contest (120th in Division 1) and they turn it over 11.2 times per game. The Salukis are responsible for committing 17.5 fouls per contest and they go 75.3% from the charity stripe.

The Salukis on defense are ranked 30th in college basketball in points given up per game with 64.5. They are forcing 10.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.3% from the field (180th in Division 1). The Southern Illinois defense concedes 29.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (104 of 357) and their opponents are making 66.5% of their foul shots. They allow 10.7 assists and 31.3 boards per game, which ranks them 27th and 28th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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