The Southern Illinois Salukis (7-5) take on the Winthrop Eagles (6-4) at SIU Arena. The game is scheduled to get underway at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 22, 2018.
Winthrop Eagles vs. Southern Illinois Salukis Free Prediction
In the Eagles’ last contest, they were topped by the Vanderbilt Commodores, 92-79. Vanderbilt’s effective field goal percentage was their biggest advantage over Winthrop. The Commodores had a rate of 0.619, while the Eagles posted a mark of 0.463. Nych Smith was Winthrop’s high scorer with 21 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
The Salukis lost to the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats in their last outing, 71-59. Kentucky out-rebounded Southern Illinois. The Wildcats had more offensive rebounds (18 vs. seven), defensive rebounds (30 vs. 12) and total rebounds (48 vs. 19). With 16 points and seven rebounds, Kavion Pippen had a solid performance for Southern Illinois.
After the Salukis won the sole contest against the Eagles last season, 81-66, these teams will clash for the first time this year. Southern Illinois had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (36.7 vs. 20.5). Winthrop, on the other hand, had a much better free throw rate (0.333 vs. 0.164).
Josh Ferguson has averaged 0 points over the last five games for Winthrop.
The sharp-shooting offense of Southern Illinois will battle against the mid-tier defense of Winthrop. The Salukis currently rank 83rd in effective field goal percentage (0.542), while the Eagles are 203rd in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.506). The Salukis should have the edge on that end of the court. This contest should be a battle of conflicting tempos. The up-and-down Eagles rank fourth in possessions per game, while the more methodical Salukis rank 289th.
Winthrop Eagles vs. Southern Illinois Salukis Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Southern Illinois, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Winthrop ranks third in three pointers attempted per game (34.1) while Southern Illinois ranks 239th (18.2).
The Eagles rank 11th in rebounds per game (42.2) while the Salukis rank 187th (34.0).
Winthrop averages 18.5 assists per game, which ranks 11th in the nation. Southern Illinois ranks 131st in assists allowed per game (13.6).
The Salukis rank 41st in blocks per game (4.4) while the Eagles rank 106th (3.1).
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The Eagles’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 3.8, down from 11.0 for the season.
During their last five games, the Salukis have scored an average of 67.0 points per game (2.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 66.8 points per game (0.9 below their season average).
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