Southern Illinois Salukis (15-8) vs. Drake Bulldogs (18-5)
February 7, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Drake Bulldogs -9.5; Over/Under: +138
(Get latest betting odds)
The Southern Illinois Salukis look for a win after splitting their last 8 games. The Drake Bulldogs look for a win after winning 6 of their last 8 games. Let’s preview this game and give out a Southern Illinois Salukis vs Drake Bulldogs prediction.
Southern Illinois Salukis Betting Preview
The Southern Illinois Salukis recently beat Murray State and UIC while losing to Missouri State. The Southern Illinois Salukis are averaging 72.6 points on 46.5 percent shooting and allowing 65.3 points on 43.6 percent shooting. Xavier Johnson is averaging 23.5 points and 6 assists, while AJ Ferguson is averaging 9.3 points and 4.4 rebounds. Trent Brown is grabbing 2.3 rebounds and Clarence Rupert is grabbing 6.2 rebounds. The Southern Illinois Salukis are shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc and 75.8 percent from the free throw line. The Southern Illinois Salukis are allowing 29.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 30.2 rebounds per game.
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Drake Bulldogs Betting Preview
The Drake Bulldogs recently beat Northern Iowa and Valparaiso while losing to Indiana State. The Drake Bulldogs are averaging 79.1 points on 47.8 percent shooting and allowing 67.8 points on 43.4 percent shooting. Tucker Devries is averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, while Atin Wright is averaging 13.8 points and 2.2 assists. Kevin Overton is the third double-digit scorer and Darnell Brodie is grabbing 8.7 rebounds. The Drake Bulldogs are shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc and 73.8 percent from the free throw line. The Drake Bulldogs are allowing 32.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32.4 rebounds per game.
Southern Illinois Salukis vs Drake Bulldogs prediction
The Drake Bulldogs are comfortably the better team with a scary good offense, and they already smoked Southern Illinois on the road last month. I understand why the line is what it is. However, the Southern Illinois Salukis are 15-7 ATS on the season, and they’ve had winning success on the road this season. Southern Illinois has won 4 of its last 5 road games, and that includes beating Murray State outright as an underdog. Drake deserves the love from oddsmakers, but the value is with Southern Illinois and the free buckets.
