Southern Illinois Salukis vs UNI Panthers Prediction, 1/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Illinois Salukis vs UNI Panthers

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024

Location: McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA

TV: ESPN+

McLeod Center is the location where the UNI Panthers (10-8) will try to beat the Southern Illinois Salukis (12-6) on Saturday.

The Southern Illinois Salukis faced Bradley and ended up losing by a score of 70-69 in their last game. Southern Illinois ended the game having earned a 48.0% FG percentage (24 of 50) and knocked down 8 of their 21 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Salukis converted 13 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. Regarding getting rebounds, they compiled 25 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 18 dimes in the matchup while creating 8 turnovers and having 5 steals. With regard to defending, Southern Illinois allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 25 out of 50 shooting. Bradley doled out 12 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. In addition, Bradley collected 23 boards (4 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't have a block. Bradley went 86.7% at the free throw line by converting 13 of their 15 shots. They buried 7 of their 15 tries from three-point range. In relation to fouls, the Salukis finished with 14 while Bradley recorded 15 fouls.

Xavier Johnson is one player who was a contributor in this game. He walked away from this one shooting 41.2% from the field and dished out 7 dimes. He played 34 mins played and also pulled down 4 boards. He finished with 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting.

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Southern Illinois will play this game with a win-loss record of 12-6 for the year. They are averaging 73.8 points per outing (212th in D-1) while hitting 47.1% from the floor. The Salukis are connecting on 38.4% on three-point attempts (150 of 391) and 75.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Southern Illinois is pulling down 32.5 rebounds per contest and has racked up 273 dimes for the campaign, which is 63rd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 17.2 personal fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Salukis are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers per game and they draw 17.1 fouls. They rank 95th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 199 conceded this season. The Salukis defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 43.0% (430 of 999) and they surrender 32.0 boards per game as a squad. They give up 27.6% on 3-point attempts and they rank 35th in D-1 in PPG allowed (64.8).

The last time they took the hardwood, the UNI Panthers took home the win by a final score of 83-72 against Belmont. When discussing team rebounding, UNI permitted Belmont to snag 32 in all (3 offensive). They finished the game shooting 40.0% from beyond the arc by going 10 out of 25 and finished the contest at 4 of 6 at the charity stripe (66.7%). The Panthers permitted Belmont to make 29 of 61 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 47.5% in this matchup. When the game finished, the Panthers finished 29 for 56 from the field which gave them a rate of 51.8%. In regard to shooting from distance, UNI made 10 of 21 tries (47.6%). They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 75.0%. Belmont was called for 16 fouls in the game which took the Panthers to the free throw line for 20 tries. They also turned it over 6 times, while recording 6 steals for the matchup. The Panthers corralled 26 defensive boards and 1 offensive boards totaling 27 for this contest.

Nate Heise ended up being a factor for the Panthers in the game. He racked up 20 points in his 35 mins on the court and totaled 8 assists for this game. He made 8 out of 15 in the game for a field goal percentage of 53.3%, and accumulated 10 rebounds.

UNI has a mark of 10-8 on the season. The Panthers have committed 16.7 fouls per contest while shooting 72.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.5 times per contest (180th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.9 times per contest. UNI has accounted for 1,361 pts on the campaign (75.6 per game) and they collect 33.9 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Panthers are connecting on 47.2% from the field, which ranks 63rd in the country.

The Panthers defensively are ranked 181st in Division 1 in points allowed per contest with 71.6. They are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the field (249th in college hoops). The UNI defense surrenders 35.5% on 3-point attempts (148 of 417) and their opponents are knocking down 76.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 11.1 dimes and 32.6 total boards per game, which is 51st and 65th in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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