SIU-Edwardsville vs Tennessee State Prediction 3/7/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Tennessee State Tigers and the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars meet Friday in college basketball action from the Ford Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a SIU-Edwardsville vs Tennessee State Prediction.

Matchup History

SIU Edwardsville swept the regular season meetings between these two teams with an 87-80 win in OT at Tennessee State back on January 16^th, 2025, before an 84-72 win at home back on February 15^th, 2025.

Tennessee State Recap

The Tennessee State Tigers come into this one looking to advance to the OVC title game after picking up a 69-55 win over Lindenwood in the quarterfinals.

Tigers Looking To Spring Upset

Brandon Weston leads the Tigers in scoring with 16 PPG along with 4.8 RPG while Aaron Nkrumah has 10.9 PPG with 5.3 RPG and 3 APG this season. Carlous Williams has 10.7 PPG as well with 4.4 RPG and Travis Harper II has 10.5 PPG with 4.2 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Tennessee State this season. Ronald Jessamy has 8.9 PPG with 5.7 RPG to lead the Tigers in rebounding while Justus Jackson has 8.9 PPG with 2.5 RPG and a team-high 3.6 APG to lead the Tigers in assists so far this season. As a team, Tennessee State is averaging 78.7 PPG on 46.3% shooting from the field, 32.3% from three and 68% from the foul line this season.

Why the Tennessee State Tigers will win

• Tennessee State has won each of its last eight night games.
• SIU Edwardsville has lost three of its last four night games.

SIU-Edwardsville Recap

The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars come into the conference tournament as the 2-seed after finishing the regular season with an overall record of 20-11 with a 13-7 record in OVC conference play.

Cougars Looking To Cap Best Season In Program History With NCAA Tournament Appearance

Ray’Sean Taylor leads the Cougars in scoring and assists with 19.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 3.8 APG while Brian Taylor II has 12.3 PPG, 4 RPG and 2.9 APG this season. Ring Malith has 11.5 PPG with a team-high 7.3 RPG to lead the Cougars on the glass and to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for SIUE so far this season. Desmond Polk also has 6.5 PPG with 3.4 RPG as well on the year. As a team, SIU-Edwardsville is averaging 72.8 PPG on 43.3% shooting from the field, 34.1% from behind the arc and 67.4% from the foul line this season.

Why the SIU Edwardsville Cougars will win

• SIU Edwardsville has won four of its last five games played at neutral venues.
• Tennessee State has lost three of its last four games played at neutral venues.

SIU-Edwardsville vs Tennessee State Prediction

I’m on the Cougars of SIU-Edwardsville here. There are other situations in other conferences where teams can go on runs in the conference tournament, and have success playing on back-to-back days. So far in the OVC tournament though, the rested teams have had the success, and SIU-Edwardsville had the number of Tennessee State in both meetings this season. I just think that SIU-Edwardsville is the better team in this game, and I think the rest situation will give the Cougars a definite edge there as well. Give me the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars laying the points in this game.