The Missouri State Bears will hit the floor running against the visiting Southern Illinois Salukis Thursday, looking to improve their record and boost wagering bankrolls in the process.

This game is part of the Missouri Valley Tournament which will decide the conference champion and help decide March Madness seedings. The game is being played at Scottrade Center, which makes it technically a neutral site match.

The Bears sit at 10-21 (15-11 ATS) on the season. By comparison, the Salukis are currently 14-16 (15-12 ATS). Looking to wager on the totals? Missouri State is 12-10-1 OU, and Southern Illinois is 12-13 OU.



View Southern Illinois vs Missouri State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Bears as 2.5-point underdogs on the Sportsbook line for this contest. It may have moved, check for updates.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 283-ranked Bears and the No. 307-rated Salukis in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 62-58 win for the Salukis on Thursday.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Missouri State has the nation's No. 329-rated offensive output, at 59.5 PPG. The visiting Salukis defense ranks No. 142 allowing on average 65.3 PPG. The Bears FG% has averaged 40.4% so far, less than the Salukis marksmen have achieved on the year, 44.4% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Southern Illinois owns the country's No. 93-rated mark, allowing 66.1 points per game on the highway. Missouri State, on the other hand, rates No. 305 in scoring at home.

In their last action, Southern Illinois was a 66-63 Sportsbook on the road against Drake. They covered the 5-point spread as underdogs. Southern Illinois got 26 points from Jeff Early en route to a 66-63 victory over Drake on Saturday at Knapp Center.

In their last action, Missouri State was a 64-56 Sportsbook at home against Bradley. They covered the 2.5-point spread as favorites. Anthony Downing scored 15 points leading the Bears to a 64-56 victory over Bradley at JQH Arena on Saturday.


Southern Illinois Salukis Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
After playing Drake are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

Missouri State Bears Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
After playing Bradley are 4-6
After a win are 1-9

A few Salukis at Bears trends to consider:
Missouri State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Southern Illinois
Missouri State is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games
Missouri State is 3-11-1 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Southern Illinois