Drake Bulldogs vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 2/1/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Drake Bulldogs vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

Banterra Center is where the Southern Illinois Salukis (10-12) will take on the Drake Bulldogs (19-2) on Saturday.

The Drake Bulldogs played UNI and earned the victory with a final of 66-52 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Bulldogs ended up walking away with 13 while UNI totaled 16 personal fouls. They also knocked down 7 out of their 16 shots from 3-point land. UNI finished the game shooting 42.9% when shooting free throws by making 3 of their 7 tries. On top of that, UNI grabbed 22 rebounds (8 offensive, 14 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UNI earned 10 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. In terms of the defense, Drake allowed 44.7% from the floor on 21 of 47 shooting. They also doled out 8 assists in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and getting 11 steals. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 27 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 12 of 21 shots for a rate of 57.1%. Drake wrapped up the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (22 of 44) and made 10 out of their 16 shots from distance.

Bennett Stirtz is a guy who was a factor in the game. He notched 20 points on 7 out of 11 shooting. He played 40 minutes and also grabbed 3 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 63.6% from the floor and recorded 4 assists.

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Drake will play this game with a win-loss mark of 19-2 for the campaign. They cough up possession 11.8 times per game and as a team they are committing 15.5 personal fouls per game. As a team, Drake is pulling in 31.1 boards per contest and has accumulated 286 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 189th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Bulldogs are hitting 36.5% from downtown (146 of 400) and 70.2% from the free throw line. They average 71.1 pts per contest (263rd in D-1) while going 48.8% from the field.

On defense, the Bulldogs are forcing 14.4 turnovers every game while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. They are giving up 30.6% on shots from distance and they are ranked 2nd in the country in PPG allowed (57.7). The Bulldogs defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.4% (427 of 983) and they concede 24.7 rebounds per game as a unit. They are 6th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 193 surrendered for the season.

When they last played, the Southern Illinois Salukis walked away with a victory by a final of 79-75 against Valparaiso. When discussing rebounds, Southern Illinois permitted Valparaiso to pull down 21 in all (7 offensive). They wrapped up this game 34.5% from distance by connecting on 10 of 29 and ended up shooting 13 out of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). The Salukis allowed Valparaiso to knock down 26 of 62 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 41.9% for the contest. Overall, the Salukis finished 27 out of 53 from the field which gave them a rate of 50.9%. When it comes to shooting from distance, Southern Illinois made 3 out of 14 attempts (21.4%). They were able to make 22 of the free throws for a percentage of 75.9%. Valparaiso earned 21 personal fouls in the game which got the Salukis to the charity stripe for a total of 29 attempts. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while getting 3 steals for this contest. The Salukis recorded 27 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 for the game.

Kennard Davis was important for the Salukis in this matchup. He made 3 out of 12 for the contest giving him a rate of 25.0%, and totaled 2 rebounds. He had 19 points in his 39 mins on the hardwood and added 2 assists in this game.

Southern Illinois has a mark of 10-12 this year. The Salukis are committing 17.0 fouls per contest and they hit 68.1% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 14.6 times per contest (126th in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.9 times per game. Southern Illinois has earned 1,618 points for the campaign (73.5 per game) and they collect 35.6 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Salukis are connecting on 45.7% from the floor, which is ranked 139th in college.

The Southern Illinois defense gives up 35.4% on three-point shots (174 of 492) and opponents are making 71.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 13.7 dimes and 33.6 boards every game, which is ranked 233rd and 136th in those categories on the defensive end. The Salukis on defense are ranked 259th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 74.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.7% from the floor (263rd in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Drake

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