The Missouri Valley’s top two teams will collide when the Southern Illinois Salukis (18-3) welcome the Evansville Aces (17-4) to SIU Arena. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28 and can be seen on ES3.
The Salukis enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Missouri State 80-65 on Sunday. Bola Olaniyan was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The Aces, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 82-65 loss against Indiana State on Sunday. Evansville lost despite the best efforts of Egidijus Mockevicius, who recorded his 17th double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The attacking Evansville offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. It ranks third in the nation at getting to the stripe (FTA rate of 49.4), while Southern Illinois gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 331st-ranked FTA rate of 45.8).
Evansville takes on Southern Illinois as a three-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 152 points. The Salukis come into this game 18-3 Straight Up (SU) and 12-7 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2).
In the other locker room, the Aces have 17-4 SU and 8-7-1 ATS records. The Aces convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking second in the country at .520. The Aces are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 25th in Division I at 1.47. Defensive rebounding is an area where Evansville has excelled. The Aces average 24.5 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the nation. One advantage for the Aces could be Southern Illinois’s high fouls per game average of 22.1.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was an Aces victory, bumping their SU record over their most recent meetings to 6-4. Furthermore, Evansville holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Evan, ATS Winner – Evan, O/U – Over
Notes
Southern Illinois is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Illinois’s last 5 games.
Southern Illinois is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Southern Illinois is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Evansville.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Illinois’s last 6 games when playing Evansville.
Southern Illinois and Evansville hold winning records against the Missouri Valley Conference this season. The Southern Illinois Salukis sit at 7-1 SU and the Evansville Aces have a 6-2 record.
Evansville averages 77.9 points per game (ranked 82nd). Southern Illinois, on the other hand, allows 68.6 points per game (ranked 122nd).
The Southern Illinois Salukis rank 90th for their offensive rating of 109.8. The Evansville Aces have a defensive rating of 94.9 (ranked 31st).
Southern Illinois averages 70.3 possessions per game, scoring 1.098 points on each possession. While Evansville averages fewer possessions per game with 69.7, they score more points per possession with 1.118.
The Evansville Aces have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 14th in the country with an eFG% of 56.4%. The Southern Illinois Salukis have a solid 5-2 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher eFG%.
Ranked third in the nation, Evansville has an average of 19.4 assists per game. Southern Illinois ranks lower at 272nd with 12.1.
Evansville, the 98th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.1 per game. Southern Illinois does worse, ranked 324th with 2.0.
On average, Southern Illinois makes 7.5 steals per game. Evansville has an exceptional 7-1 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
