The Southern Illinois Salukis and Northern Iowa Panthers meet Wednesday in college basketball action at the McLeod Center. The Southern Illinois Salukis look to get a game above a .500 record. The Northern Iowa Panthers look to build on their four-game winning streak.
The Southern Illinois Salukis are averaging 63.7 points on 44.2 percent shooting and allowing 60.9 points on 43.9 percent shooting. Lance Jones is averaging 14.9 points and 1.8 assists, while Marcus Domask is averaging 14.6 points and 5.2 rebounds. Ben Coupet Jr. is the third double-digit scorer and Steven Verplancken Jr. is grabbing 2.4 rebounds. The Southern Illinois Salukis are shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc and 68.2 percent from the free throw line. The Southern Illinois Salukis are allowing 30.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 28.2 rebounds per game.
The Northern Iowa Panthers are averaging 74.7 points on 45.8 percent shooting and allowing 69.6 points on 43.9 percent shooting. AJ Green is averaging 18 points and 2.1 assists, while Noah Carter is averaging 14.6 points and 3.7 rebounds. Nate Heise is grabbing 5 rebounds and Trae Berhow is dishing 1.2 assists. The Northern Iowa Panthers are shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 78.1 percent from the free throw line. The Northern Iowa Panthers are allowing 33.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 30.5 rebounds per game.
The Salukis are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Panthers are 5-12-1 ATS in their last 18 home games and 2-9 ATS in their last 11 Wednesday games. The under is 23-10 in Salukis last 33 overall. The over is 10-3 in Panthers last 13 overall. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
The Northern Iowa Panthers are probably the better team, and they’re going to get the benefit of the doubt at home, but there’s not a ton of separation between these two teams. The Southern Illinois Salukis are also a competitive bunch overall that loses by an average of just 3.7 points on the road and four points in the underdog role. This should be a close, tight game. Give me the points.