Southern Illinois Salukis vs Belmont Bruins Prediction, 1/4/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Illinois Salukis vs Belmont Bruins

Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026

Location: Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Belmont Bruins (12-2) will try to beat the Southern Illinois Salukis (6-8) at Curb Event Center Arena on Sunday.

The Southern Illinois Salukis took the court against Murray State and ended up losing by a score of 84-81 in their last game. Regarding fouls, the Salukis finished with 22 while Murray State accumulated 18 fouls. They knocked down 10 out of their 27 attempts from distance. Murray State finished shooting 76.2% from the charity stripe by knocking down 16 of 21 attempts. On top of that, Murray State grabbed 32 boards (7 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Murray State totaled 16 dimes and had 8 steals for this game. With regard to defending, Southern Illinois let their opponent shoot 50.9% from the floor on 29 of 57 shooting. They also recorded 4 assists for the game as well as forcing 13 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Pertaining to getting rebounds, they compiled 34 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Salukis converted 12 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 70.6%. Southern Illinois wrapped up the contest having earned a 48.5% FG percentage (33 out of 68) and converted 3 of their 8 three-point shots.

Prince Aligbe is one player who played a role for the game. He finished with 19 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He played for 21 minutes and also snagged 9 rebounds. He went 53.8% from the floor but finished the game without an assist.

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Southern Illinois comes into this matchup with a mark of 6-8 for the campaign. They are giving up possession 13.1 times per game and as a team are committing 18.3 fouls per contest. As a unit, Southern Illinois is collecting 39.2 boards per game and has accounted for 196 dimes for the season, which ranks 192nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Salukis are connecting on 27.8% on three-point attempts (63 of 227) and 67.3% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 78.9 points per outing (150th in D-1) while shooting 48.7% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Salukis have forced 13.6 turnovers per game and they draw 18.7 fouls. They are giving up 32.5% on 3-pointers and they rank 211th in college in PPG allowed (74.3). The Salukis are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.7% (367 of 860) and they relinquish 34.8 rebounds per game as a team. They are currently ranked 262nd in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 197 surrendered for the season.

In their last game, the Belmont Bruins walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-80 against Indiana State. When talking about rebounding, Belmont allowed Indiana State to get 28 in total (6 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 40.0% from 3-point land by going 12 of 30 and finished the game at 13 of 26 from the free throw line (50.0%). The Bruins permitted Indiana State to bury 28 of their 61 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 45.9% for this contest. When all was said and done, the Bruins went 27 out of 62 from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.5%. In regard to shots from 3-point land, Belmont made 12 of their 28 tries (42.9%). They were able to bury 14 of them for a percentage of 82.4%. Indiana State earned 16 personal fouls for this contest which got the Bruins to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They coughed up the ball 16 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. The Bruins pulled down 24 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 33 in this matchup.

Tyler Lundblade ended up having an impact for the Bruins for the contest. He knocked down 8 of 17 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 47.1%, and totaled 3 rebounds. He scored 26 points in his 41 mins on the hardwood, but didn't record an assist.

Belmont has a win-loss record of 12-2 on the year. The Bruins are responsible for committing 17.2 fouls per game and they hit 67.7% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 18.7 times per contest (26th in college) and they turn it over 13.9 times per contest. Belmont has tallied 1,190 pts on the season (85.0 per contest) and they average 40.0 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Bruins are hitting on 51.1% from the field, which has them ranked 21st in the nation.

The Belmont defense gives up 30.2% on 3-point shots (133 of 440) and opponents are connecting on 74.2% of their foul shots. They have conceded 12.1 dimes and 34.4 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 88th and 177th in the nation. The Bruins on the defensive side of the court are 91st in the nation in PPG given up with 69.1. They are forcing 13.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 37.0% from the floor (8th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Belmont

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