Valparaiso Beacons vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 1/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Illinois Salukis (6-7) will compete against the Valparaiso Beacons (6-6) at Banterra Center on Thursday.

The Valparaiso Beacons played Murray State and took a loss by a score of 85-79 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Beacons ended up walking away with 24 while Murray State finished the game with 17 fouls. They made 6 of 18 tries from beyond the perimeter. Murray State finished the game shooting 82.1% from the charity stripe by making 23 of 28 shots. On top of that, Murray State pulled down 31 rebounds (10 offensive, 21 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Murray State recorded 12 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. Concerning defense, Valparaiso allowed the other team to shoot 49.1% from the floor on 28 out of 57 shooting. They also recorded 14 dimes for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Regarding getting rebounds, they earned a total of 27 with 10 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Beacons converted 10 of 15 tries for a rate of 66.7%. Valparaiso walked away from the game with a 47.7% field goal percentage (31 of 65) and made 7 out of their 18 3-point attempts.

Owen Dease is someone who was a factor for this contest. He ended up scoring 25 points on 10 out of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 28 minutes and grabbed 4 boards. He ended up going 76.9% from the floor and also earned 2 assists.

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Valparaiso enters this contest with a record of 6-6 so far this year. They average 73.3 points per contest (277th in the country) while going 41.8% from the floor. The Beacons are connecting on 30.9% on shots from distance (88 of 285) and 69.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Valparaiso is pulling in 38.3 rebounds per contest and has earned 152 dimes this season, which is 321st in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 10.9 times per contest and as a team they commit 18.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Beacons are able to force 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.8 fouls. They are ranked 32nd in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 134 conceded for the year. The Beacons defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 41.8% (289 of 691) and they concede 37.5 boards per contest as a unit. They give up 30.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 133rd in college in opponents points per game (71.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the Southern Illinois Salukis went home defeated by a final of 73-69 when they played Bradley. The Salukis were able to snag 24 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 31 for the contest. They also gave up possession 13 times, while recording 9 steals in this game. Bradley earned 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Salukis to the free throw line for 18 attempts. They were able to make 12 of the free throw tries for a clip of 66.7%. In regard to shooting from distance, Southern Illinois converted 3 of 19 attempts (15.8%). When the game finished, the Salukis ended up shooting 27 for 61 from the floor which had them shooting 44.3%. The Salukis allowed Bradley to convert 24 of their 58 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 41.4% for this game. They wrapped up this game 43.8% from 3-point land by shooting 7 out of 16 and finished the contest at 18 of 20 from the free throw line (90.0%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Southern Illinois allowed Bradley to collect 33 in total (10 offensive).

Damien Mayo Jr. was important for the Salukis in this game. He knocked down 7 of 14 for the matchup giving him a rate of 50.0%, and tallied 5 rebounds. He earned 18 points in his 31 mins on the court and had 1 assist for this contest.

Southern Illinois has a win-loss record of 6-7 on the season. As an offense, the Salukis are connecting on 48.7% from the field, which is ranked 55th in college hoops. Southern Illinois has accumulated 1,024 pts this season (78.8 per contest) and they snag 39.3 rebounds per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.8 times per contest (170th in the country) and they turn it over 13.1 times per game. The Salukis are responsible for committing 18.0 fouls per game and they go 67.1% from the charity stripe.

The Salukis are ranked 191st in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 73.5. They are forcing 13.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 42.1% from the field (119th in college). The Southern Illinois defense gives up 32.1% from downtown (108 of 336) and their opponents are converting on 68.5% of their foul shots. They allow 13.9 assists and 35.0 boards per contest, which has them ranked 222nd and 210th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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