North Dakota State Bison vs Southern Illinois Salukis Point Spread Picks

Southern Illinois comes off a 19-loss campaign, where they were 5-8 on the road. The Salukies come off an 86-81 loss at Nevada in overtime, missing 10 free throws (66%). They've allowed 78 and 86 points in the last two games. That's a concern, as last season, they were 10th in the 12-team Missouri Valley Conference in points given up (74.5 per game) and last at defending beyond the arc (.358). North Dakota State is off a 21-11 season. They've won two in a row and are averaging 83.5 points behind a strong backcourt (just 9.3 turnovers per game). As a team, they're shooting 79.4% from the line and averaging 13.8 offensive rebounds per contest. Play North Dakota State on the moneyline. 

Southern Illinois' two losses have been to Charleston and Oklahoma State and the Cowboys had to outscore the Salukis 47-41 in the second half to win 85-78 on Thursday. The Salukis shot 51 percent and went 11-for-28 on 3-point tries with Elijah Elliott scoring a team-leading 21 points. New coach Scott Nagy beought in 10 transfers and it is paying off especially on the offensive end. North Dakota State will provide some lesser competition and it is 1-5 ATS its past six games and the Bison have lost 11 of 14 Monday road games outright. The teams met last year and Southern Illinois won 76-63. The Bison had lost two straight before defeating Santa Clara 88-80 as the Broncos missed 29 of 37 3-pointers. The Salukis will put up better numbers from long range in this matchup. Take Southern Illinois.