Many eyes in the college basketball world will be on JQH Arena Sunday as host Missouri State looks to handle the Southern Illinois Salukis in NCAA hoops action.

Missouri State battles the Salukis, currently sitting with a 7-4 mark (5-3 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 2-2 for the Bears and 3-3 for the Salukis.



View Southern Illinois vs Missouri State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks (including Sportsbook) had the Bears installed as 3-point underdogs in this particular matchup earlier in the day. Also, watch for the Sportsbook over-under value at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 245-rated Bears and the No. 192-ranked Salukis, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark. Prediction formulas run on this game indicate a possible 69-57 result in favor of the Salukis.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Salukis rank No. 227 in NCAA Division 1 with 34 per game. That compares with Missouri State’s No. 312 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Missouri State is college basketball's No. 280-ranked team at 4.9 per game, while the Salukis rate No. 330 with 4 per game.

Defensively, Southern Illinois features the nation's No. 30-rated defense on the road, allowing 60.3 points per game. Missouri State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 312 nationally in scoring at home.

Southern Illinois lost its last outing, a 70-58 result against Utah State on December 22. They failed to cover in that game as a 6-point underdog. Desmar Jackson scored 29 points for Southern Illinois on Saturday, but the Aggies managed a 70-58 victory over the Salukis at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

In their last action, Missouri State was a 71-51 loser on the road against New Mexico State. They failed to cover the 15-point spread as underdogs. Missouri State was run off the court by the Aggies on Saturday as New Mexico State routed them 71-51 at Pan American Center.


Southern Illinois Salukis Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 7-2
Before playing Bradley are 7-3
After playing Utah State are 0-2
After a loss are 4-6

Missouri State Bears Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing Evansville are 1-9
After a loss are 1-9

A few Salukis at Bears trends to consider:
Southern Illinois is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Missouri State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Illinois's last 6 games when playing on the road against Missouri State
Southern Illinois is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games on the road
Southern Illinois is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Missouri State
Missouri State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Southern Illinois
Missouri State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Southern Illinois
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Missouri State's last 15 games when playing Southern Illinois
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Missouri State's last 6 games when playing at home against Southern Illinois


Next up:
Southern Illinois home to Bradley, Wednesday, January 2
Missouri State at Evansville, Wednesday, January 2