Belmont Bruins vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 2/15/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Belmont Bruins vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025

Location: Banterra Center in San Jose, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Belmont Bruins (17-9) are headed to Banterra Center on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Southern Illinois Salukis (12-14).

The Belmont Bruins faced off with Valparaiso and ended up losing by a score of 101-86 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Bruins ended up with 20 while Valparaiso recorded 16 personal fouls. They also converted 10 out of their 18 shots from distance. Valparaiso finished the game shooting 96.2% at the free throw line by knocking down 25 of their 26 tries. In addition, Valparaiso pulled down 33 rebounds (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Valparaiso distributed 18 dimes and had 6 steals in this contest. In the matter of the defense, Belmont allowed 56.9% from the field on 33 of 58 shooting. They also dished out 18 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and getting 8 steals. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they collected 24 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Bruins buried 11 of 14 shots for a rate of 78.6%. Belmont walked away from the contest having earned a 49.2% FG percentage (30 of 61) and converted 15 of 29 3-point shots.

Jonathan Pierre is one player who was a factor in the game. He went 46.7% from the floor and also recorded 2 dimes. He played for 30 mins played and snagged 5 boards. He recorded 22 points on 7 of 15 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks

Belmont heads into this one with a record of 17-9 on the campaign. They are averaging 81.7 pts per game (29th in D-1) on 47.1% from the field. The Bruins are hitting 39.3% on 3-point shots (288 of 733) and 72.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Belmont is snagging 34.5 boards per game and has racked up 462 assists this season, which has them ranked 2nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.2 times per game and as a squad are committing 15.5 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Bruins are able to force 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 15.8 personal fouls. They rank 352nd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 404 surrendered so far this year. The Bruins are giving up a FG percentage of 47.1% (747 of 1,586) and they concede 35.5 boards per game as a squad. They are surrendering 36.2% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 339th in D-1 in points per game allowed (79.2).

For their last game, the Southern Illinois Salukis took a loss by a score of 78-64 against Bradley. In regard to cleaning up the glass, Southern Illinois allowed Bradley to collect 29 in all (7 on the offensive glass). They finished 51.9% from beyond the arc by connecting on 14 out of 27 and finished the contest at 10 of 12 from the free throw line (83.3%). The Salukis allowed Bradley to make 27 out of their 58 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 46.6% in this matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Salukis went 26 for 57 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.6%. With respect to shooting from distance, Southern Illinois converted 7 of their 16 attempts (43.8%). They were able to convert 5 of the free throws for a rate of 71.4%. Bradley committed 13 personal fouls for the contest which took the Salukis to the free throw line for a total of 7 tries. They also gave up possession 11 times, while getting 5 steals in this contest. The Salukis were able to collect 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 in the game.

Ali Abdou Dibba ended up being important for the Salukis for the game. He knocked down 13 of 19 in this game for a field goal percentage of 68.4%, and totaled 6 rebounds. He had 29 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes for the matchup.

Southern Illinois has a win-loss record of 12-14 for the season. The Salukis are committing 16.8 fouls per game while shooting 69.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.3 times per game (140th in the nation) and they turn it over 13.0 times per contest. Southern Illinois has tallied 1,894 pts so far this season (72.8 per game) and they pull down 35.5 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Salukis are connecting on 45.6% from the floor, which is 144th in the nation.

The Southern Illinois defense allows 35.7% on 3-point shots (209 of 585) and their opponents are converting on 71.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 13.6 dimes and 33.3 boards every game, which ranks 228th and 118th in the nation. The Salukis on the defensive end are ranked 240th in college in PPG allowed with 73.5. They are forcing 11.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.5% from the floor (240th in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Belmont

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here