Southern Illinois Salukis vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 2/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Illinois Salukis vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Location: CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Illinois Salukis (9-12) are traveling to CEFCU Arena on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Illinois State Redbirds (15-7).

The Southern Illinois Salukis faced UIC and took a loss by a final of 68-66 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Salukis ended up finishing with 18 and UIC totaled 16 fouls. They converted 3 of their 20 shots from beyond the arc. UIC finished 80.8% from the charity stripe by knocking down 21 of their 26 shots. Additionally, UIC totaled 38 rebounds (15 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. UIC earned 4 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. When discussing defending, Southern Illinois allowed the other team to go 40.0% from the field on 22 of 55 shooting. They also doled out 12 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and having 10 steals. When talking about pulling down boards, they earned 22 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Salukis knocked down 16 of 22 tries for a percentage of 72.7%. Southern Illinois finished with a 44.0% FG percentage (22 out of 50) and converted 6 out of their 13 three-point attempts.

Damien Mayo Jr. is a player who was a major factor for the matchup. He was able to score 20 points on 7 out of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 28 minutes and also snagged 1 rebound. He finished shooting 63.6% from the field and recorded 3 assists.

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Southern Illinois steps onto the court with a record of 9-12 on the campaign. They are averaging 75.0 pts per contest (218th in Division 1) while hitting 46.3% from the floor. The Salukis are connecting on 28.3% on 3-point shots (103 of 364) and 65.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Southern Illinois is pulling in 38.5 boards per game and has earned 294 dimes this season, which ranks 215th in the country in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 12.7 times per game and as a team are committing 18.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Salukis are forcing 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.4 fouls. They give up 30.6% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 139th in college in PPG allowed (72.1). The Salukis are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.5% (531 of 1,250) and they concede 35.6 boards per game as a unit. They rank 185th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 286 relinquished this season.

The last time they took the court, the Illinois State Redbirds took home the win by a final score of 70-65 when they played Murray State. Regarding how they rebounded, Illinois State permitted Murray State to grab 31 in total (6 on the offensive glass). They shot 18.2% from beyond the arc by shooting 4 of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 15 of 17 at the free throw line (88.2%). The Redbirds permitted Murray State to make 23 out of 60 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 38.3% for this game. Overall, the Redbirds shot 28 for 56 from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0%. When talking about shots from 3-point land, Illinois State converted 6 of their 16 tries (37.5%). They were able to make 8 of the free throws for a percentage of 57.1%. Murray State earned 15 fouls for this game which got the Redbirds to the charity stripe for a total of 14 shots. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while getting 5 steals for the game. The Redbirds earned 30 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 36 for this contest.

Chase Walker ended up being a major contributor for the Redbirds in this matchup. He knocked down 8 out of 12 in this game giving him a rate of 66.7%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He totaled 21 points in his 29 minutes of playing time and earned 1 assist for this contest.

Illinois State has a win-loss mark of 15-7 for the season. The Redbirds commit 17.3 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 69.2% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 13.5 times per game (228th in college) and they turn the ball over 11.1 times per contest. Illinois State has accounted for 1,704 points for the year (77.5 per game) and they pull in 37.3 boards per game. As an offense, the Redbirds are connecting on 47.6% from the field, which is 62nd in the nation.

The Illinois State defense allows 31.2% on 3-pointers (141 of 452) and their opponents are making 68.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 11.4 dimes and 31.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 41st and 48th in the nation. The Redbirds are ranked 33rd in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 67.0. They are able to force 11.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.8% from the floor (76th in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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