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The Banterra Center will host a Missouri Valley Conference NCAAB matchup between the Illinois State Redbirds and the Southern Illinois Salukis on Saturday (January 14) night.
The Redbirds are 8-10 (3-4) this season and are on a two-game winning streak after coming off a 76-66 overtime home win on Wednesday against the Missouri State Bears. The Salukis, meanwhile, are 13-5 (5-2) and are coming off a 69-61 road win over the Indiana State Sycamores on Wednesday.
Illinois State Redbirds vs Southern Illinois Salukis Betting Odds
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Illinois State Redbirds vs Southern Illinois Salukis Match Details
Fixture: Illinois State Redbirds vs. Southern Illinois Salukis
Time and date: Saturday, January 14, 2023; 8:00 pm ET
Venue: Banterra Center, Carbondale, IL
Illinois State Redbirds vs. Southern Illinois Salukis Key Stats
The Redbirds are a decent offensive team, averaging 66.9 points per game. They have been passing the basketball at an average rate as they are averaging 10.9 assists over the course of the season.
Senior forward Kendall Lewis has led the team, averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 1.7 steals in 30.8 minutes per game. He has struggled to find his shooting stroke this season as he is shooting 24.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Their defense has been playing at an okay level this year as they are allowing 68.2 points per game. The Redbirds are doing decently, forcing 3.8 blocks and 6.1 steals per game. They need to force more mistakes if they want to continue improving throughout the season.
The Salukis are also a middle-of-the-pack offensive team as they are scoring 66.7 points per outing and shooting 45.4% from the field. Senior forward Marcus Domask has been doing well, averaging 16.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game in 35.3 minutes this season.
Defensively, they have been doing extremely well as they have given up 60.4 points per game. They need to do better as they're forcing a pair of blocks and 7.7 steals per game up to this point.
Illinois State Redbirds vs Southern Illinois Salukis
Best Picks and Prediction
These offenses lately have been showing a little bit of a difference as the Redbirds have been scoring 70.7 points in their previous three games while the Salukis are averaging 61 points in their last five games. A big reason is the ability to grab offensive rebounds as Illinois State is 253rd in the country with 7.6 offensive rebounds per game, while Southern Illinois is 350th in college basketball, grabbing 5.4 offensive rebounds per game thus far.
Go with the Illinois State Redbirds to cover the spread as they should be able to keep this game close as road underdogs.
Pick: Illinois State Redbirds +11 (-110)
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