Drake vs. Southern Illinois, Picks and Prediction, Thursday, March 5, 2026
Use Code WWWC Drake (12-19, 6-14 MVC) will be trying to advance to the next round when they visit Enterprise Center on Thursday afternoon to face Southern Illinois (16-15, 10-10 MVC) in the first round of the MVC Tournament at 4:30 PM. ET. Read on to find out which team picks up the win in this Bulldogs vs. Salukis prediction. Nobody does it better when it comes to free NCAAB picks!
The Bulldogs are coming off a 75-53 loss to Northern Iowa as four-point underdogs. The Salukis are coming off an 81-67 win over Evansville as nine-point favorites.
Drake is 8-2 in its last 10 games against Southern Illinois.
Drake Trying To Snap Nine-Game Losing Streak
The Bulldogs struggled in conference play this season, and they enter this game on a nine-game losing streak. They will try to put an end to their streak and move on to the next round with a win on Thursday.
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Drake averages 75.3 points per game. They’ve made 44.2 percent of their field goals and 34.4 percent of their three-pointers.
Jalen Quinn leads Drake with 19.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Jaeshon Thomas averages 9.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, while Okku Federiko averages 9.1 points and five rebounds per game.
Drake is giving up 75.2 points per game. Opponents have made 44 percent of their field goals and 37 percent of their three-pointers against them.
Southern Illinois Going For Fifth Consecutive Win
The Salukis bounced back from their loss to Bradley with four straight wins to close out the regular season. They will try to keep the momentum going and pick up their fifth straight win when they play on Thursday.
Southern Illinois averages 73.3 points per game. They’ve made 45.4 percent of their field goals and 28.3 percent of their three-pointers.
Quel’Ron House leads Southern Illinois with 14.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Drew Steffe averages 10 points and three rebounds per game, while Rolyns Aligbe averages 9.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Southern Illinois is giving up 69.6 points per game. Opponents have made 42.4 percent of their field goals and 30.3 percent of their three-pointers against them.
Drake vs. Southern Illinois Picks
Point Spread Pick for Drake vs. Southern Illinois
- Southern Illinois Salukis to cover. (4 Units)
The Salukis have the edge in this game because they’re playing well offensively, scoring more than 72 points per game, while making over 45 percent of their shots. They’ve also done a better job at the charity stripe, making over 84 percent of their free throws in their last three games, while the Bulldogs made less than 65 percent of theirs. They rebound the ball well and grab more than nine offensive rebounds per game, which will give them more scoring chances. They also cut down their turnovers in recent games, and won’t give up many easy-scoring chances. The Bulldogs aren’t very good defensively, giving up more than 76 points per game, so expect them to have a hard time slowing down the Salukis. Take Southern Illinois to cover the spread.
Over/Under Pick for Drake vs. Southern Illinois
- Under (4 Units)
The Bulldogs average 75.3 points per game. They play at the 212th-fastest pace in the nation, averaging 70 possessions per game, and they’re facing a team that gave up 59.7 points per game in their last three games. The Salukis average 73.3 points per game. They play at the 84th-fastest pace in the nation, averaging 72.6 possessions per game, and they’re facing a team that gave up 71.7 points per game in their last three games. Don’t expect these teams to score enough points to push the score over the total. The Bulldogs and Salukis played under the total in two of their last three meetings.
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