Murray State Racers vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 2/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Murray State Racers vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Murray State Racers (11-16) are headed to Banterra Center on Wednesday where they will take on the Southern Illinois Salukis (17-10).

The Murray State Racers faced off with Drake and took a loss by a score of 95-72 in their last contest. Murray State wrapped up the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (26 of 52) and converted 5 out of their 13 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Racers converted 15 of their 22 tries for a rate of 68.2%. When it comes to hauling in boards, they earned a total of 24 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 7 assists for this contest while forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In reference to the defense, Murray State allowed 60.7% from the field on 34 out of 56 shooting. Drake earned 22 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. Moreover, Drake snagged 28 boards (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Drake finished shooting 76.9% from the free throw line by converting 10 of 13 tries. They also made 17 of 30 shots from distance. In the matter of fouls, the Racers left the arena with 17 while Drake accumulated 18 fouls.

Quincy Anderson is someone who was a major contributor for this game. He finished the contest at 63.6% from the field but had no dimes when the game ended. He played for 33 mins and also collected 5 rebounds. He accounted for 22 points on 7 out of 11 shooting.

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Murray State will enter this matchup with a record of 11-16 so far this year. They have an average of 70.8 pts per contest (266th in D-1) while going 45.0% from the field. The Racers are connecting on 32.7% on shots from beyond the arc (185 of 566) and 69.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Murray State is pulling down 32.9 rebounds per contest and has 329 assists so far this season, which ranks 224th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 9.3 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 15.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Racers are forcing their opponents into 12.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 15.4 fouls. They currently rank 245th in the nation in giving up assists with 351 surrendered on the campaign. The Racers are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.6% (679 of 1,488) and they relinquish 33.7 rebounds per game as a group. They are giving up 35.6% on shots from downtown and they are 102nd in college basketball in points per game allowed (69.1).

In their last game, the Southern Illinois Salukis walked away with a victory by a final of 74-69 against Indiana State. The Salukis corralled 24 defensive boards and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 for the matchup. They turned it over 5 times, while getting 10 steals for the matchup. Indiana State earned 17 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Salukis to the charity stripe for 14 attempts. They were able to make 12 of them for a clip of 85.7%. With regard to shots from distance, Southern Illinois converted 6 out of 27 tries (22.2%). Overall, the Salukis finished the game shooting 28 for 61 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.9%. The Salukis allowed Indiana State to make 23 out of 52 tries from the field which had them shooting 44.2% in the game. They finished 28.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 7 of 25 and ended up going 16 of 18 at the free throw line (88.9%). When it comes to rebounds, Southern Illinois permitted Indiana State to grab 31 in total (4 on the offensive glass).

Xavier Johnson ended up being a factor for the Salukis for this game. He made 7 of 18 for the game for a rate of 38.9%, and totaled 8 rebounds. He had 21 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 6 dimes in this contest.

Southern Illinois has a mark of 17-10 this season. The Salukis have committed 18.1 personal fouls per game and they shoot 76.4% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 14.1 times per contest (121st in Division 1) and they turn it over 11.3 times per game. Southern Illinois has earned 1,969 pts for the season (72.9 per contest) and they grab 33.0 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Salukis are hitting on 45.9% from the field, which is 114th in college basketball.

The Southern Illinois defense concedes 29.2% on 3-point shots (135 of 462) and opponents are connecting on 70.5% of their free throw shots. They have given up 10.8 assists and 31.4 boards per game, which is 33rd and 22nd in those categories on the defensive end. The Salukis on defense are ranked 56th in college basketball in points given up per game with 67.0. They are able to force 10.9 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.7% from the field (244th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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