Southern Illinois Salukis vs Belmont Bruins Prediction, 2/14/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Illinois Salukis vs Belmont Bruins

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Location: Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Belmont Bruins (14-11) will take on the Southern Illinois Salukis (16-9) at Curb Event Center Arena on Wednesday.

The Southern Illinois Salukis faced Illinois State and took home the win by a score of 69-66 in their last contest. Southern Illinois ended the game with a 50.0% FG percentage (25 of 50) and made 7 out of their 25 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Salukis made 12 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. Regarding hauling in boards, they earned 24 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 15 dimes in the game while forcing 9 turnovers and having 2 steals. When discussing defense, Southern Illinois allowed the other team to shoot 55.6% from the field on 25 out of 45 shooting. Illinois State distributed 10 dimes and had 4 steals in this contest. In addition, Illinois State totaled 25 rebounds (4 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Illinois State went 68.8% from the free throw line by knocking down 11 of 16 attempts. They also converted 5 out of their 12 tries from downtown. In relation to fouls, the Salukis ended up with 16 while Illinois State finished the game with 17 fouls.

Xavier Johnson is one guy who was a major contributor for this contest. He ended up walking away with 17 points on 5 out of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 39 mins played and grabbed 4 boards. He finished the game shooting 41.7% from the floor and dished out 9 assists.

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Southern Illinois enters this contest with a mark of 16-9 this season. They average 73.1 points per game (208th in the nation) on 46.4% from the field. The Salukis are connecting on 36.1% on three-point shots (206 of 570) and 76.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Southern Illinois is snagging 32.9 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 355 dimes this year, which ranks 95th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.4 times per contest and as a squad they commit 18.0 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Salukis are able to force 10.9 turnovers per game and they draw 17.7 fouls. They concede 29.3% on shots from distance and they rank 44th in college basketball in points per game allowed (66.4). The Salukis are giving up a FG percentage of 44.5% (603 of 1,356) and they concede 31.0 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 41st in D-1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 262 surrendered for the season.

In their last game, the Belmont Bruins got the victory with a final of 96-78 when they played Valparaiso. The Bruins recorded 28 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 33 for this game. They turned the ball over 16 times, while earning 5 steals for the game. Valparaiso committed 24 fouls for the contest which took the Bruins to the charity stripe for a total of 36 tries. They were able to bury 24 of the free throw tries for a clip of 66.7%. With regard to 3-point attempts, Belmont made 12 of their 21 attempts (57.1%). When this game wrapped up, the Bruins ended up shooting 30 out of 49 from the field which had them shooting 61.2%. The Bruins allowed Valparaiso to bury 28 out of 62 tries from the floor which left them shooting 45.2% in this game. They finished 36.0% from 3-point land by going 9 out of 25 and finished the contest at 13 out of 19 at the free throw line (68.4%). When discussing rebounds, Belmont allowed Valparaiso to grab 20 in all (8 offensive).

Malik Dia was important for the Bruins in this contest. He totaled 25 points in his 25 mins on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He converted 8 of 14 for the game for a field goal percentage of 57.1%, and had 2 rebounds.

Belmont has a mark of 14-11 for the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bruins are connecting on 47.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 41st in college basketball. Belmont has accounted for 1,937 pts for the campaign (77.5 per game) and they pull down 33.0 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.0 times per contest (81st in college basketball) and they are turning it over 12.8 times per game. The Bruins have committed 15.7 fouls every game and they connect on 72.2% from the charity stripe.

The Bruins on defense are ranked 326th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 77.9. They are able to force 12.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.2% from the floor (329th in D-1). The Belmont defense allows 33.9% on 3-point attempts (215 of 634) and their opponents are making 72.6% of their free throw shots. They allow 15.7 dimes and 35.5 rebounds every game, which is 345th and 225th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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