Illinois State Redbirds vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 2/25/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Location: Banterra Center in Colorado Springs, CO

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois State Redbirds (17-12) are en route to Banterra Center on Tuesday where they will go up against the Southern Illinois Salukis (12-17).

The Illinois State Redbirds stepped onto the hardwood against Missouri State and earned the victory with a final of 70-68 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Redbirds walked away with 18 while Missouri State recorded 16 fouls. They made 7 of 20 tries from long range. Missouri State went 77.3% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of 22 attempts. Moreover, Missouri State collected 29 rebounds (10 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Missouri State earned 9 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. With respect to defense, Illinois State allowed 42.3% from the field on 22 of 52 shooting. They also distributed 17 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 23 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Redbirds made 7 of their 12 shots for a rate of 58.3%. Illinois State walked away from the contest with a 51.9% FG percentage (27 of 52) and knocked down 9 out of their 28 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Dalton Banks is one player who was a major contributor in this matchup. He ended up scoring 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 minutes and also snagged 2 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 63.6% from the floor and recorded 8 assists.

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Illinois State will play this game with a record of 17-12 on the year. They average 76.5 points per outing (113th in the country) while hitting 48.8% from the field. The Redbirds are hitting 38.7% on shots from distance (296 of 764) and 74.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Illinois State is pulling down 32.0 boards per game and has totaled 422 assists for the season, which ranks 79th in college in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 10.3 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.5 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Redbirds are forcing 10.8 turnovers per game while drawing 17.4 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 200th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 368 surrendered for the campaign. The Redbirds defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 45.9% (737 of 1,606) and they concede 30.8 rebounds per contest as a team. They are surrendering 36.0% from beyond the arc while they are 205th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (72.5).

In their last game, the Southern Illinois Salukis took a defeat with a final score of 83-79 when they faced Valparaiso. The Salukis were able to collect 29 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 for the contest. They gave up possession 13 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. Valparaiso earned 15 personal fouls in this game which got the Salukis to the charity stripe for a total of 16 shots. They were able to knock down 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 62.5%. When it comes to three-point shots, Southern Illinois converted 9 of their 19 attempts (47.4%). When all was said and done, the Salukis finished 30 for 62 from the floor which had them shooting 48.4%. The Salukis permitted Valparaiso to knock down 29 of their 70 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.4% in this contest. They went 37.0% from distance by going 10 of 27 and finished the game at 15 out of 17 from the free throw line (88.2%). Concerning how they rebounded, Southern Illinois permitted Valparaiso to pull down 30 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Kennard Davis ended up being a major contributor for the Salukis in the matchup. He buried 8 of 18 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 44.4%, and added 3 rebounds. He racked up 21 points in his 40 minutes on the court and had 6 dimes for this game.

Southern Illinois has a win-loss mark of 12-17 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Salukis are shooting 45.9% from the field, which is 121st in the nation. Southern Illinois has accounted for 2,101 pts so far this season (72.4 per contest) and they collect 35.9 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 14.2 times per game (137th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 12.9 times per game. The Salukis are committing 16.9 fouls per game while shooting 68.4% from the free throw line.

The Southern Illinois defense concedes 35.6% on 3-point attempts (235 of 661) and their opposition knocks down 72.2% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.4 dimes and 33.1 rebounds every game, which is 213th and 106th in college hoops. The Salukis on the defensive end are ranked 234th in the country in PPG given up with 73.4. They are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 44.0% from the floor (200th in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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