Drake vs Southern Illinois 2/26/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Southern Illinois Salukis will travel to The Knapp Center to take on the Drake Bulldogs this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Southern Illinois Salukis won their 4^th straight game and improved to 16-13 on the season after defeating the Illinois State Redbirds, 90-69, this past Wednesday. Southern Illinois dominated Illinois State on both ends of the court in the 1^st half and had no trouble picking up the victory after going into halftime with a 49-24 lead. Southern Illinois shot 57.4% from the field & 58.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Illinois State to shoot 55.1% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Salukis was Ben Coupet Jr. who had 22 points & 5 rebounds.

On the season, Southern Illinois is averaging 64.6 ppg on 44.6% shooting from the field. The Salukis are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 3631% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Southern Illinois has been led by Marcus Domask (14.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.0 apg), Lance Jones (14.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.0 spg), Ben Coupet Jr. (11.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg), & Dalton Banks (4.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.5 apg).

Defensively, Southern Illinois is holding their opponents to an average of 61.2 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Salukis have a rebound margin of -0.1 and a turnover margin of 0.6.

The Drake Bulldogs won their 4^th straight game and improved to 21-9 on the season after defeating the Valparaiso Beacons, 71-65, this past Wednesday. Drake led by a 31-29 margin at halftime and was able to pull away late for the victory after taking a 65-58 lead with 1:09 left in regulation. Drake shot 53.4% from the field & 10.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Valparaiso Beacons to shoot 41.8% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Roman Penn who had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Drake is averaging 74.5 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game on 34.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Drake has been led by Tucker Devries (13.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Garrett Sturtz (11.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 spg), Roman Penn (10.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.1 spg), & D.J. Wilkins (10.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.9 apg).

Defensively, Drake is allowing their opponents to an average of 66.5 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 3.0 and a turnover margin of 2.4.

The Salukis are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games, however, are just 5-6 ATS in their last 11 away games. The Bulldogs are 3-14 ATS in their last 17 Saturday games & 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games playing as a favorite.

Drake has been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Bulldogs come into this game ranked 96^th in scoring offense, 79^th in FG%, & 100^th in scoring defense. Southern Illinois has been led by their defense which ranks 15^th in scoring defense, however, the offense has struggled to put up points as they come into this game ranked 317^th in scoring offense.

Drake has been playing some great basketball as of late, which includes an impressive win at Loyola Chicago, however, we have seen the Drake offense struggle at times during conference play as we saw in their 60-59 win at Southern Illinois earlier this season. Southern Illinois is just 4-7 on the road this season, however, the Salukis have been playing well as of late, winning 4 of their last 5 games, and as I think the Southern Illinois defense keeps this game competitive, I’m taking the Salukis and the points. Good Luck!