The Southern Illinois Salukis (23-9) and Drake Bulldogs (25-7) meet Saturday in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals. Tip-off from Enterprise Center in St. Louis is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Southern Illinois vs. Drake odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Southern Illinois picked up a 54-51 win over Missouri State in the MVC quarterfinals Friday, pushing against the number at most shops while the Under (121.5) came through. SIU is trying to get back to the MVC Final for the first time since 2007, and it is looking to punch its ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 2006. The Salukis finished up with a 14-6 record in conference play.
Drake is looking to qualify for an MVC Final for a 3rd straight season. It lost to Loyola Chicago in each of the previous 2 conference finals. The 2-seed topped Murray State 74-62 Friday, narrowly covering as an 11-point favorite as the Under (141.5) cashed. The Bulldogs wrapped up conference play at 15-5.
The home side won each regular-season meeting, with SIU winning 53-49 in Carbondale on Jan. 4 and the Bulldogs pounding the Salukis 82-59 on Feb. 11 to easily cash as 5.5-point favorites as the Over (128) connected.
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Southern Illinois vs. Drake odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:18 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Southern Illinois +175 (bet $100 to win $175) | Drake -210 (bet $210 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Southern Illinois +4.5 (-110) | Drake -4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 125.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Southern Illinois vs. Drake picks and predictions
Prediction
Drake 67, Southern Illinois 58
Moneyline
Drake (-210) should pick up the win Saturday, but is past my personal moneyline limit of -180 for a standalone wager.
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Against the spread
The lean is to DRAKE -4.5 (-110), despite the fact it split the regular-season series with Southern Illinois.
The Salukis have managed a dismal 3-7-1 ATS mark across the past 11 games and are 1-4-1 ATS in the past 6 games against winning teams.
The Bulldogs are 6-1 ATS across the previous 7 games overall and 3-0-1 ATS in the past 4 neutral-site games. Drake is also an impressive 4-1 ATS in the past 5 games against teams with a winning overall mark.
Over/Under
UNDER 125.5 (-110) is a solid play in this MVC semifinal.
The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 for SIU against teams with a winning overall mark and is 38-16 in the past 54 neutral-site games.
The Under has cashed in 4 straight games for Drake and is 4-1 in its last 5 on a neutral floor. The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 against winning teams, too.
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