The Southern Illinois Salukis head to Regional Events Center to take on the Murray State Racers. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 18.
The Racers lost a tough one against Illinois State 63-61 the last time they played. Wayne Langston played well in the loss for Murray State, recording 16 points and 12 rebounds to earn his third double-double of the season. The Salukis, meanwhile, are coming off a 74-66 win over North Texas in their last outing. Sean O’Brien played well, accumulating 15 points, five blocks, and three assists.
Murray State is a three-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 141 points. The Racers enter the game with records of 5-5 Straight Up (SU) and 4-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect Murray State to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Salukis, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 23.1 fouls per game.
On the other side, the Salukis head into the game with records of 4-5 ATS and 9-2 SU. The Salukis rank sixth in the country in road scoring, averaging 87 points per game. The Salukis are getting to the foul line at a high rate. Their 185 free throws made ranks 38th in Division I.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Murray State and Southern Illinois played, Murray State won, but Southern Illinois still leads the head-to-head record, 5-3 SU. Additionally, Southern Illinois leads the matchup ATS with a record of 5-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SIU, ATS Winner – SIU, O/U – Over
Notes
Murray State is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games.
Murray State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Murray State is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Southern Illinois.
Southern Illinois is one of the top-scoring teams on the road, averaging 87.0 points per game (ranked sixth). Murray State, on the other hand, allows 66.5 points per home game (ranked 162nd).
Ranked 98th, the Southern Illinois Salukis have an offensive rating of 110.4. The Murray State Racers rank 144th with a defensive rating of just 99.2.
The Murray State Racers average a field goal percentage of 43.9% this season. The Southern Illinois Salukis have a superb 5-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 43.9% or greater.
The Murray State Racers and the Southern Illinois Salukis both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Murray State is 204th and 177th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Southern Illinois ranks 52nd and 41st in these categories.
The Murray State Racers make an average of 7.2 steals per game. When the Southern Illinois Salukis allow 7 or more steals, they are a winning 4-1.
