Southern Illinois pays a visit to Evansville on Thursday, hoping to send the Purple Aces to a loss while covering the college basketball spread at Ford Center.

The Purple Aces currently sports a 5-5 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 2-5 ATS. The Salukis are 3-8 and 4-5 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Purple Aces produce a 5-2 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Salukis have gone 4-5 against the number.



View Southern Illinois vs Evansville Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 5.5-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Purple Aces rated this week at No. 327 and the Salukis sitting at No. 304. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 67-65 result in favor of the Purple Aces.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Evansville's No. 118-ranked offense, averaging 71.9 PPG, against a Salukis defense that ranks No. 154 at 65.5 PPG. The Purple Aces field goal percentage has averaged 44% so far, more than the Salukis marksmen have achieved on the year, 37.6% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Southern Illinois owns the country's No. 109-rated mark, allowing 67.4 points per game on the highway. Evansville, on the other hand, rates No. 145 in scoring at home.

Southern Illinois was an 87-77 loser in its last match on the road against Xavier. They covered the 12–point spread as underdogs. The Musketeers got 21 points from Tu Holloway as Xavier ran past Southern Illinois 87-77 on Sunday at Stan Sheriff Center.

In their last action, Evansville was a 77-75 Sportsbook on the road against Miami (Ohio). They covered the 5–point spread as underdogs. Evansville earned a 77-75 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday, getting 15 points from Denver Holmes at Millett Hall.


Southern Illinois Salukis Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Illinois State are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

Evansville Purple Aces Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Northern Iowa are 2-8
After playing Miami (Ohio) are 2-2
After a win are 2-8

A few Salukis at Purple Aces trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Southern Illinois's last 11 games on the road
Southern Illinois is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Evansville
Southern Illinois is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Evansville
Southern Illinois is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Evansville
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Evansville's last 5 games when playing Southern Illinois
Evansville is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games at home
Evansville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Southern Illinois
Evansville is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Southern Illinois


Next up:
Southern Illinois home to Illinois State, Sunday, January 1
Evansville at Northern Iowa, Sunday, January 1