Indiana State vs Southern Illinois 2/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Southern Illinois Salukis will travel to the Hulman Center to take on the Indiana State Sycamores this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Southern Illinois Salukis won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 14-13 on the season after defeating the Bradley Braves, 65-57, this past Tuesday. Southern Illinois dominated Bradley on both ends of the court in the 1^st half and was able to hold on late after going into halftime with a 41-22 lead. Southern Illinois shot 51.1% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Bradley to shoot 41.4% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Salukis was Marcus Domask who had 25 points, 3 rebounds, & 1 block.

On the season, Southern Illinois is averaging 63.2 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Salukis are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 34.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Southern Illinois has been led by Marcus Domask (14.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.9 apg), Lance Jones (14.4 ppg, 32.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.1 spg), Ben Coupet Jr. (10.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Steven Verplancken Jr. (6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg).

Defensively, Southern Illinois is holding their opponents to an average of 60.5 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Salukis have a rebound margin of 0.0 and a turnover margin of 0.1.

The Indiana State Sycamores had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 11-15 on the season after being defeated by the Missouri State Bears, 79-70, this past Tuesday. Indiana State struggled defensively in the 2^nd half against Missouri State and could not fight back after the Bears 75-62 lead with 2:55 left in regulation. Indiana State shot 40.7% from the field & 31.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Missouri State to shoot 43.3% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Sycamores was Cooper Neese who had 23 points, 6 rebounds, & 1 assist.

On the season, Indiana State is averaging 71.3 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Sycamores are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 33.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Indiana State has been led by Cooper Neese (16.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Cameron Henry (14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg), Micah Thomas (11.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg), & Xavier Bledson (9.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Indiana State is allowing their opponents to average 71.1 ppg on 42.9% shooting from the field. The Sycamores have a rebound margin of -0.6 and a turnover margin of -1.1.

The Salukis are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games & 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games vs. Indiana State. The Sycamores are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games & 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home game vs. Southern Illinois.

Southern Illinois has struggled on the road this season, posting just a 3-7 overall record, however, this is a team that has done a great job of keeping opponents off the scoreboard this season as the Salukis comes into this game ranked 13^th in scoring defense. Indiana State has been solid at home, however, this is a team that has lost 5 of their last 7 games, which includes a bad 65-56 home loss to Evansville. Indiana State has been below average on both ends of the court (173^rd in scoring offense; 236^th in scoring defense) and as Southern Illinois has had plenty of ATS success in this matchup recently, I think the play here is to take Southern Illinois to cover this small road spread. Good Luck!