Evansville Purple Aces vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 2/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Evansville Purple Aces vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Illinois Salukis (11-14) will try to defeat the Evansville Purple Aces (6-19) at Banterra Center on Thursday.

The Evansville Purple Aces played Illinois State and earned the victory with a final of 88-80 in their last game. In regard to fouls, the Purple Aces ended up finishing with 12 while Illinois State recorded 15 fouls. They made 12 out of their 29 shots from beyond the arc. Illinois State went 71.4% from the charity stripe by knocking down 10 of 14 attempts. In addition, Illinois State had 26 rebounds (5 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Illinois State earned 21 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. In regard to defense, Evansville let their opponent shoot 49.2% from the field on 29 of 59 shooting. They also dished out 15 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 25 with 1 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Purple Aces buried 16 of their 19 attempts for a rate of 84.2%. Evansville ended the contest having earned a 56.9% field goal percentage (29 out of 51) and converted 14 out of their 21 3-pointers.

AJ Casey is a player who was a factor for the game. He ended up scoring 28 points on 10 out of 15 shooting. He played 33 minutes played and also totaled 5 rebounds. He finished 66.7% from the floor and also earned 3 assists.

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Evansville enters this game with a win-loss mark of 6-19 for the year. They are turning it over 13.1 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 16.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Evansville is collecting 32.4 boards per contest and has racked up 333 dimes this season, which ranks 217th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Purple Aces are connecting on 32.9% on shots from beyond the arc (190 of 577) and 71.8% from the free throw line. They average 67.7 pts per game (336th in the country) while connecting on 43.0% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Purple Aces are able to force 11.3 turnovers every game and they draw 17.1 fouls. They are 298th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 367 conceded on the campaign. The Purple Aces defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 45.2% (656 of 1,450) and they concede 35.5 boards per contest as a unit. They are giving up 35.2% from 3-point land and they are 207th in college in points per game allowed (74.5).

In their last game, the Southern Illinois Salukis walked away with a victory by a final of 80-65 when they faced Indiana State. The Salukis corralled 29 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 40 in this game. They coughed up the ball 12 times, while recording 11 steals for this game. Indiana State was called for 15 fouls in the matchup which took the Salukis to the charity stripe for a total of 13 shots. They were able to convert 9 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 69.2%. In reference to 3-pointers, Southern Illinois knocked down 5 of their 16 attempts (31.3%). When all was said and done, the Salukis finished shooting 33 out of 71 from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.5%. The Salukis permitted Indiana State to convert 24 of their 58 attempts from the field which had them shooting 41.4% for the contest. They finished shooting 28.0% from three-point range by connecting on 7 out of 25 and finished the game at 10 out of 15 from the free throw line (66.7%). When it comes to team rebounding, Southern Illinois allowed Indiana State to get 29 in total (5 offensive).

Quel'Ron House pitched in for the Salukis in this matchup. He earned 14 points in his 40 mins on the court and added 5 dimes for this contest. He converted 6 of 16 in the game for a field goal rate of 37.5%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Southern Illinois has a mark of 11-14 for the year. The Salukis are committing 18.5 personal fouls per game while shooting 66.9% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 13.7 times per contest (209th in college) and they cough up possession 12.4 times per game. Southern Illinois has accumulated 1,855 pts on the campaign (74.2 per game) and they pull down 37.8 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Salukis are connecting on 46.0% from the floor, which is ranked 140th in the nation.

The Southern Illinois defense allows 30.5% on shots from distance (182 of 596) and their opponents are knocking down 69.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 13.3 assists and 35.7 total boards per game, which is 170th and 255th in the nation. The Salukis are ranked 121st in the nation in points per game surrendered with 71.6. They are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 42.5% from the field (98th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Evansville

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