The Xavier Musketeers host Southern Illinois on Sunday, looking to build on their 8-3 mark against the 3-7 Salukis in college hoops action at Stan Sheriff Center.

The game is being played at Stan Sheriff Center, which makes it technically a neutral site match.

The Musketeers are 8-3 so far on the season, and 4-5 ATS vs. the number. The Salukis, meanwhile, are 3-7 and 3-5 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Xavier go 4-5 and the Salukis go 3-5 on the totals.



View Southern Illinois vs Xavier Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Xavier opened as 14-point favorites in this College Basketball tilt.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 9 (Musketeers) and the No. 325 (Salukis) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAB power rank. A 71-62 result in favor of the Musketeers has been projected by the scores prediction engine.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Salukis is ranked No. 233 in NCAA hoops at 34.1 per game. Contrast that with Xavier’s No. 27 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Xavier is the No. 279-ranked team in the country at 4.9 per game, while Southern Illinois rates No. 328 at 4 per game.

Defensively, Southern Illinois features the nation's No. 49-rated defense on the road, allowing 62.5 points per game. Xavier, meanwhile, comes in at No. 269 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for Southern Illinois, they were an 83-75 loser as they battled Clemson on the road. They covered in the match as a 9.5-point underdog. Tanner Smith scored 26 points for Clemson on Friday, leading the Tigers to an 83-75 win over Southern Illinois at Stan Sheriff Center.

Xavier lost its last outing, an 84-82 result against Hawaii on December 24. They failed to cover in that game as a 10.5-point favorite. Xavier got 26 points from Tu Holloway on the way to an 84-82 loss against Hawaii on Saturday at Stan Sheriff Center.


Southern Illinois Salukis Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 8-2
Before playing Evansville are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

Xavier Musketeers Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 6-4
Before playing Gonzaga are 2-0
After playing Hawaii are 0-1
After a loss are 6-4

A few Salukis at Musketeers trends to consider:
Xavier is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
Xavier is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games


Next up:
Southern Illinois at Evansville, Thursday, December 29
Xavier home to Gonzaga, Saturday, December 31