The Western Illinois Leathernecks will be trying to slam the SIU Edwardsville Cougars on Saturday when the teams tip off at Western Hall in college betting action.

Western Illinois battles the Cougars, currently sitting with a 2-4 mark (2-2 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 3-1 for the Leathernecks and 2-1 for the Cougars.



View SIU Edwardsville vs Western Illinois Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Leathernecks as 10-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest. It may have moved, check for updates.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game puts the Leathernecks, most recently No. 277 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Cougars, who rate No. 276 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and computer-based handicapping simulations run on this game predict a potential 66-56 victory for the Leathernecks.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Cougars is ranked No. 287 in NCAA hoops at 32 per game. Contrast that with Western Illinois’s No. 321 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Western Illinois is the No. 288-ranked team in the country at 4.7 per game, while SIU Edwardsville rates No. 59 at 7.7 per game.

Defensively, SIU Edwardsville features the nation's No. 249-rated defense on the road, allowing 75 points per game. Western Illinois, meanwhile, comes in at No. 230 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for SIU Edwardsville, they were a 65-54 loser as they battled Northern Illinois on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 3-point underdog. Jerome Jones scored 19 points in a futile effort to lead the Cougars to a win (they lost 65-54 to Northern Illinois at NIU Convocation Center on Wednesday).

In their last action, Western Illinois was a 57-45 Sportsbook on the road against Eastern Illinois. They covered the 5.5-point spread as favorites. Western Illinois got 15 points from Adam Link en route to a 57-45 victory over Eastern Illinois on Wednesday at Lantz Arena.


SIU Edwardsville Cougars Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 2-2
After playing Northern Illinois are 1-0
After a loss are 5-5

A few Cougars at Leathernecks trends to consider:
SIU Edwardsville is 3-22 SU in its last 25 games on the road


Next up:
SIU Edwardsville home to Eureka, Monday, December 17
Western Illinois home to Illinois-Chicago, Tuesday, December 18