Murray State Racers vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 1/22/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Murray State Racers vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Illinois Salukis (8-11) are welcoming the Murray State Racers (10-9) at Banterra Center on Wednesday.

The Murray State Racers faced Bradley and went home with a loss by a final score of 74-61 in their last game. Murray State wrapped up the game with a 40.4% FG percentage (21 of 52) and knocked down 7 out of their 23 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Racers converted 12 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 25 with 6 of them being offensive. They also dished out 9 assists for this game while forcing 11 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In reference to defense, Murray State allowed the other team to shoot 53.2% from the field on 25 of 47 shooting. Bradley recorded 11 assists and had 6 steals for the game. In addition, Bradley snagged 27 rebounds (3 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Bradley finished the game at 89.5% from the charity stripe by converting 17 of 19 shots. They also buried 7 out of their 18 attempts from distance. Regarding fouls, the Racers left the arena with 17 and Bradley finished the game with 15 fouls.

AJ Ferguson is someone who was a major factor in this game. He was able to score 12 points on 4 out of 9 shooting. He played for 35 mins and grabbed 2 boards. He ended up shooting 44.4% from the floor and earned 5 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Expert Picks

Murray State heads into this contest with a mark of 10-9 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 74.5 points per outing (195th in college hoops) while hitting 45.2% from the field. The Racers are hitting 36.3% on shots from 3-point land (147 of 405) and 70.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Murray State is pulling down 33.4 boards per game and has accounted for 235 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 262nd in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 12.0 times per game and as a team are committing 17.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Racers are able to force 13.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.1 personal fouls. They surrender 30.6% on shots from distance and they are 110th in college in PPG allowed (69.3). The Racers defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 45.4% (475 of 1,047) and they relinquish 32.1 rebounds per game as a squad. They currently rank 5th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 163 surrendered on the year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Southern Illinois Salukis got the victory with a final of 73-49 against UNI. In the matter of how they cleaned up the glass, Southern Illinois allowed UNI to grab 26 in all (9 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 19.0% from downtown by shooting 4 of 21 and ended up going 11 out of 19 at the free throw line (57.9%). The Salukis permitted UNI to convert 17 of 53 tries from the field which had them at 32.1% for the contest. Overall, the Salukis shot 27 for 50 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.0%. With respect to shots from 3-point land, Southern Illinois knocked down 10 of their 19 tries (52.6%). They were able to convert 9 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. UNI had 13 personal fouls in this contest which took the Salukis to the free throw line for a total of 12 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while getting 7 steals for this game. The Salukis collected 26 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 34 in the matchup.

Kennard Davis was important for the Salukis for this contest. He totaled 24 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and accumulated 2 assists for this contest. He made 10 out of 15 for this contest for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and had 10 rebounds.

Southern Illinois has a record of 8-11 this season. The Salukis are responsible for committing 16.7 fouls every game and they shoot 66.9% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.7 times per game (121st in the nation) and they are turning it over 13.1 times per contest. Southern Illinois has accounted for 1,386 pts for the season (72.9 per contest) and they average 35.7 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Salukis are hitting on 45.1% from the floor, which ranks 171st in the nation.

The Southern Illinois defense gives up 35.4% on shots from 3-point land (149 of 421) and opponents are making 71.9% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.4 assists and 34.2 boards per game, which has them ranked 207th and 170th in the nation. The Salukis on the defensive end are ranked 246th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 73.6. They are able to force 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the field (247th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Murray State

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