Southern Illinois vs Drake College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for MVC Tournament

The No. 8 seed Southern Illinois Salukis (16-15, 10-10 MVC) will meet the No. 9 seed Drake Bulldogs (12-19, 6-14 MVC) in the MVC tournament Thursday at Enterprise Center, starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Southern Illinois vs. Drake Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 5, 2026
• Game time: 4:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN+
• Location: St. Louis, Missouri
• Arena: Enterprise Center

Southern Illinois vs. Drake Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Southern Illinois win (69.1%)

Check out the betting insights and trends below before making a bet on Thursday's Southern Illinois-Drake spread (Southern Illinois -4.5) or total (137.5 points).

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Southern Illinois vs. Drake: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Southern Illinois is 16-14-0 ATS this season.
• Drake has covered eight times in 29 matchups with a spread this year.
• As a 4.5-point favorite or more in 2025-26, Southern Illinois is 6-3 against the spread compared to the 5-6 ATS record Drake racks up as a 4.5-point underdog.
• The Salukis have a worse record against the spread in home games (5-8-0) than they do in away games (10-5-0).
• In 2025-26 against the spread, the Bulldogs have a lower winning percentage at home (.200, 3-12-0 record) than away (.273, 3-8-0).
• Southern Illinois' record against the spread in conference play is 11-9-0.
• Drake is 4-16-0 against the spread in MVC games this season.

Southern Illinois vs. Drake: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Southern Illinois has been victorious in 10, or 66.7%, of the 15 contests it has been chosen as moneyline favorites in this season.
• The Salukis have a mark of 8-1 in contests where bookmakers favor them by -250 or better on the moneyline.
• Drake has won five of the 17 games it was the underdog on the moneyline this season (29.4%).
• When playing as a moneyline underdog with odds of +202 or longer, the Bulldogs have a record of 2-6 (25%).
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Southern Illinois has a 71.4% chance of walking away with the win.

Southern Illinois vs. Drake Head-to-Head Comparison

• Southern Illinois averages 73.3 points per game (251st in college basketball) while giving up 69.6 per contest (68th in college basketball). It has a +114 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 3.7 points per game.
• Southern Illinois' leading scorer, Quel'Ron House, ranks 317th in the country putting up 14.7 points per game.
• Drake scores 75.3 points per game (198th in college basketball) and gives up 75.2 (225th in college basketball) for a +4 scoring differential overall.
• Drake's leading scorer, Jalen Quinn, ranks 46th in the country, averaging 19.4 points per game.
• The Salukis are 57th in college basketball at 34.6 rebounds per game. That's 3.7 more than the 30.9 their opponents average.
• Rolyns Aligbe leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game (140th in college basketball play).
• The Bulldogs rank 201st in college basketball at 31.7 rebounds per game. That's 1.6 fewer than the 33.3 their opponents average.
• Okku Federiko is 593rd in the nation with five rebounds per game, leading the Bulldogs.
• Southern Illinois ranks 304th in college basketball with 92.4 points scored per 100 possessions, and 36th in college basketball defensively with 87.7 points conceded per 100 possessions.
• The Bulldogs rank 170th in college basketball averaging 98.1 points per 100 possessions on offense, and defensively are 262nd, allowing 97.9 points per 100 possessions.

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