Drake vs Southern Illinois Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for MVC Tournament

The No. 8 seed Southern Illinois Salukis (14-18, 8-12 MVC) will square off in the MVC tournament against the No. 1 seed Drake Bulldogs (27-3, 17-3 MVC) on Friday at Enterprise Center, beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Drake vs. Southern Illinois Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Friday, March 7, 2025
• Game time: 1 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN+
• Location: St. Louis, Missouri
• Arena: Enterprise Center

Drake vs. Southern Illinois Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Drake win (85.6%)

Drake is an 11.5-point favorite over Southern Illinois on Friday and the over/under has been set at 128.5 points. Keep reading for a few betting insights and trends if you are planning on making a wager on the matchup.

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Drake vs. Southern Illinois: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Drake has put together a 15-13-0 ATS record so far this year.
• Southern Illinois has put together a 12-18-0 record against the spread this season.
• Drake (1-6) covers a lower percentage of games when it is favored by 11.5 points or more this season (14.3%) than Southern Illinois (1-1) does as an 11.5+-point underdog (50%).
• The Bulldogs have done a better job covering the spread on the road (6-4-0) than they have in home games (5-9-0).
• In 2024-25 against the spread, the Salukis have a lower winning percentage at home (.385, 5-8-0 record) than on the road (.583, 7-5-0).
• Drake's record against the spread in conference play is 10-10-0.
• Against the spread in MVC play, Southern Illinois is 9-12-0 this year.

Drake vs. Southern Illinois: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Drake has come away with 19 wins in the 22 contests it has been listed as the moneyline favorite in this season.
• The Bulldogs have yet to lose in seven games when named as moneyline favorite of -709 or better.
• Southern Illinois has put together a 5-14 record in games it was the underdog on the moneyline (winning 26.3% of those games).
• The Salukis have played as a moneyline underdog of +490 or longer in only two games this season, which they lost both.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Drake has a 87.6% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.

Drake vs. Southern Illinois Head-to-Head Comparison

• Drake averages 70.8 points per game (264th in college basketball) while giving up 59.2 per contest (second in college basketball). It has a +346 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 11.6 points per game.
• Bennett Stirtz is 47th in the country with a team-leading 18.9 points per game.
• Southern Illinois is being outscored by 1.1 points per game, with a -36 scoring differential overall. It puts up 73.5 points per game (198th in college basketball), and gives up 74.6 per outing (262nd in college basketball).
• Ali Abdou Dibba is ranked 100th in the country with a team-high 17.2 points per game.
• The Bulldogs are 327th in the nation at 29 rebounds per game. That's 7.4 more than the 21.6 their opponents average.
• Cam Manyawu tops the Bulldogs with 5.4 rebounds per game (467th in college basketball play).
• The Salukis record 33 rebounds per game (119th in college basketball) while conceding 29.3 per contest to opponents. They outrebound opponents by 3.7 boards per game.
• Jarrett Hensley leads the Salukis with 5.8 rebounds per game (370th in college basketball).
• Drake ranks 22nd in college basketball with 104.7 points scored per 100 possessions, and 43rd in college basketball defensively with 87.6 points conceded per 100 possessions.
• The Salukis record 95.3 points per 100 possessions (194th in college basketball), while conceding 96.8 points per 100 possessions (277th in college basketball).

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