The sixth-seeded Southern Illinois Salukis (16-14) and No. 3 Drake Bulldogs (22-9) meet in a quarterfinal of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Friday in St. Louis. Tip-off at the Enterprise Center is slated for 9:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Southern Illinois vs. Drake odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The two met in a regular-season finale Feb. 26 with Drake winning at home 62-60, and Southern Illinois covering the spread as 6.5-point underdog. The result snapped a four-game win streak for SIU, which finished 9-9 in conference play. The slow-tempo, defensive-minded Salukis lead the MVC in yielding just 61.2 points per contest.
The Bulldogs – 13-5 in conference play – finished a game behind Northern Iowa for the MVC regular-season title. Drake enters the conference tournament on a five-game win streak. The Bulldogs outscored foes by an average of 10.6 points during the streak and shot 51.4% from the field over that stretch.
Drake has defeated Sothern Illinois in four straight games. The last two were decided by a combined 3 points.
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
Southern Illinois vs. Drake odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:48 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Southern Illinois +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Drake -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Southern Illinois +3.5 (-112) | Drake -3.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 127.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Southern Illinois vs. Drake odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Drake 67, Southern Illinois 63
Money line
Drake’s best repeatable version of itself figures as being a bit more than a 60-40 favorite in this tournament matchup, but at -175, this is a PASS, though intriguing.
Against the spread
SIU is 17-11-1 against the number and Drake is 9-19 ATS. So, both teams have confounded bettors at times.
But the way the more veteran Bulldogs take care of the ball and crank out efficient offensive numbers in and around the paint gives them a slight nod in covering this spread.
Drake’s 83-76 road win at Loyola Chicago Feb. 16 was a compelling triumph. So, too, was its 14-point lead at halftime in last week’s game against these Salukis.
TAKE DRAKE -3.5 (-108).
Over/Under
The O/U trends on both sides point to the Under. But this number looks like it’s been dragged down too far. There is a sliver of room in a push-back.
TAKE OVER 127.5 (-112).
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