The Drake Bulldogs will be at SIU Arena to square off against the Southern Illinois Salukis in a Missouri Valley matchup. The game starts at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 13 and will air on ES3.
The Salukis were victorious over Indiana State 85-78 on Wednesday. Anthony Beane was the game’s high scorer with 31 points on 10-for-17 shooting. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a deflating 74-48 loss to Wichita State on Tuesday. Reed Timmer had a good shooting night, leading the game with 20 points.
It could be a sloppy game for the Drake offense, which ranks 305th in the nation in ball security (TO% of 20.7%). It’ll be facing the ball-hawking Southern Illinois defense, which forces the 32nd-most turnovers in the nation (21.8%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Salukis won the first game 81-76. Despite the loss, Timmer was a top performer in the game with 27 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three three-pointers.
The Salukis are attempting to build on their records of 19-7 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 2-8 ATS. Southern Illinois has been struggling of late. In the last 10 games, Southern Illinois has only averaged 63.2 points per game compared to the 75.2 they’ve averaged on the season.
On the other side, the Bulldogs head into the game with records of 7-15 ATS and 6-19 SU. The Bulldogs are in for a physical game against Southern Illinois. The Salukis are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 21.7 fouls per game.
Following the Salukis’ latest win over Drake, Southern Illinois is still behind in the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 4-6 SU. The Bulldogs also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. Neither Southern Illinois nor Drake has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – SIU, ATS Winner – SIU
Notes
“Southern Illinois is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Southern Illinois is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games “.
“Southern Illinois is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games “.
“Southern Illinois is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Southern Illinois is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Illinois’s last 6 games at home”.
“Southern Illinois is 3-10-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Drake”.
“Southern Illinois is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Drake”.
“Southern Illinois is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Drake”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Southern Illinois’s last 7 games when playing Drake”.
“Southern Illinois is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Drake”.
“Southern Illinois is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games when playing at home against Drake”.
“Southern Illinois is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Drake”.
Drake lost its last game by a 26-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Southern Illinois is 4-2. Drake is 2-4 in blowouts this season.
Drake has an average field goal percentage of 44.9%. Southern Illinois is a winning 9-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Southern Illinois Salukis rank higher based on their field goal percentage (64th) than their effective field goal percentage (81st). The Drake Bulldogs rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (99th) than their field goal percentage (127th).
The Drake Bulldogs make an average of 3.9 steals per game. When the Southern Illinois Salukis give up 3 or more steals, they are a solid 17-7.
