Drake Bulldogs vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 1/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Drake Bulldogs vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Drake Bulldogs (8-9) are on their way to Banterra Center on Wednesday where they will try to beat the Southern Illinois Salukis (8-9).

The Drake Bulldogs faced off with Belmont and ended up losing by a score of 78-76 in their last game. Drake ended the contest with a 43.9% field goal percentage (25 of 57) and made 17 of 38 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Bulldogs knocked down 9 of 14 tries for a percentage of 64.3%. With respect to pulling down boards, they compiled 29 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 16 assists in this contest as well as creating 13 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In regard to defending, Drake allowed the other team to shoot 38.1% from the field on 24 out of 63 shooting. Belmont distributed 14 dimes and had 14 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Belmont collected 39 rebounds (14 offensive, 25 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Belmont finished the game shooting 76.0% when shooting free throws by making 19 of their 25 attempts. They also made 11 out of their 37 tries from long range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Bulldogs ended up with 24 while Belmont accounted for 19 personal fouls.

Eli Shetlar is one player who played a role in the matchup. He finished the game at 69.2% from the field and also recorded 1 assist. He played for 37 mins played and also totaled 3 rebounds. He totaled 26 points on 9 out of 13 shooting.

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Drake enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 8-9 so far this season. They turn it over 10.2 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 16.3 fouls per contest. As a team, Drake is collecting 35.3 boards per contest and is sitting with 246 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 168th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Bulldogs are hitting 37.1% on shots from 3-point land (167 of 450) and 71.8% from the free throw line. They have an average of 76.5 points per outing (196th in the nation) while going 45.5% from the floor.

On defense, the Bulldogs are able to force 11.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.4 fouls. They are giving up 35.1% on 3-point shots and they rank 128th in college in points per game allowed (71.5). The Bulldogs defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 42.3% (423 of 999) and they concede 35.9 boards per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 209th in college in giving up assists with 227 conceded this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Southern Illinois Salukis took a loss by a score of 70-57 against UIC. The Salukis collected 20 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards for a total of 24 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 5 steals for the matchup. UIC was called for 9 personal fouls for the contest which took the Salukis to the free throw line for 4 shots. They were able to make 2 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 50.0%. With regard to shooting from beyond the arc, Southern Illinois made 5 of 17 attempts (29.4%). When this game wrapped up, the Salukis ended up shooting 25 for 53 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.2%. The Salukis allowed UIC to convert 25 of their 60 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 41.7% in the matchup. They shot 33.3% from three-point range by shooting 6 out of 18 and finished the game at 14 of 22 at the charity stripe (63.6%). With respect to rebounding, Southern Illinois permitted UIC to snag 32 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Damien Mayo Jr. ended up being a major contributor for the Salukis in the matchup. He made 8 of 14 for the contest for a rate of 57.1%, and had 1 rebound. He earned 17 points in his 33 mins of playing time and had 5 dimes in the game.

Southern Illinois has a win-loss mark of 8-9 on the year. As an offense, the Salukis are shooting 47.9% from the field, which ranks them 65th in the country. Southern Illinois has totaled 1,305 points on the campaign (76.8 per contest) and they grab 38.4 boards per game. They are getting an assist 14.1 times per contest (202nd in college) and they are turning it over 13.2 times per game. The Salukis are responsible for committing 18.7 personal fouls per game and they connect on 66.0% from the charity stripe.

The Southern Illinois defense allows 31.6% on 3-point shots (131 of 414) and their opposition makes 68.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 13.9 assists and 35.5 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 232nd and 235th in college. The Salukis are ranked 185th in the country in points given up per game with 73.4. They are forcing 13.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.5% from the floor (128th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Drake

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