The Indiana State Sycamores will try to pay off for their supporters on Thursday when they play host to the Salukis at Scottrade Center in NCAAB action.

It's a game in the Missouri Valley Tournament, which will decide the conference title, not to mention deciding which teams make the Field of 68. This game is being played at a neutral-site court (Scottrade Center).

The Sycamores sport records of 17-13 and 13-16 ATS heading into this battle, while the Salukis have 8-22 and 12-16 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 15-14 for the Sycamores and 17-11 for the Salukis.



View Southern Illinois vs Indiana State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Salukis are listed as 5.5-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Sycamores sit at No. 263 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Salukis sit at No. 322 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Sycamores will win this game 65-59.



How They Match Up:
In the paint, the rebound battle will feature Indiana State's No. 252-rated squad against Southern Illinois's No. 272-rated roster. And in long-range shooting, Indiana State rates No. 159 in the country with 6.3 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 323 nationally with 4.4 per match.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Southern Illinois owns the country's No. 226-rated mark, allowing 71.8 points per game on the highway. Indiana State, on the other hand, rates No. 261 in scoring at home.

Southern Illinois was a 65-61 loser in its last match at home against Northern Iowa. They failed to cover the 3.5-point spread as underdogs. Southern Illinois got 18 points from Mamadou Seck but lost anyway, 65-61, to Northern Iowa on Saturday at SIU Arena.

Indiana State was a 61-60 loser in its last match at home against Creighton. They covered the 1.5-point spread as underdogs. Indiana State got 15 points from Myles Walker but lost anyway, 61-60, to Creighton on Saturday at Hulman Center.


Southern Illinois Salukis Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
After playing Northern Iowa are 6-4
After a loss are 2-8

Indiana State Sycamores Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
After playing Creighton are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5

A few Salukis at Sycamores trends to consider:
Indiana State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Southern Illinois
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana State's last 5 games when playing Southern Illinois
Indiana State is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games when playing Southern Illinois