Southern Illinois at North Dakota State

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.