UNI Panthers vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UNI Panthers vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

The UNI Panthers (13-8) are traveling to Banterra Center on Wednesday where they will go up against the Southern Illinois Salukis (8-12).

The UNI Panthers stepped onto the hardwood against Murray State and walked away with a win by a score of 81-76 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Panthers left the arena with 16 and Murray State had 19 fouls. They converted 7 of their 26 tries from 3-point range. Murray State shot 85.0% at the free throw line by converting 17 of their 20 shots. On top of that, Murray State totaled 33 rebounds (12 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Murray State recorded 9 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. Pertaining to defense, UNI allowed their opponent to shoot 41.9% from the floor on 26 of 62 shooting. They also dished out 14 dimes for this contest while forcing 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned 29 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Panthers made 12 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 57.1%. UNI walked away from the contest having earned a 57.4% field goal percentage (31 out of 54) and made 7 of their 15 3-pointers.

Trey Campbell is one player who was a contributor for the game. He accounted for 27 points on 10 out of 14 shooting. He played 34 minutes played and snagged 5 rebounds. He finished 71.4% from the field and also dished out 5 assists.

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UNI steps onto the court with a mark of 13-8 so far this season. They are losing possession via turnover 9.1 times per contest and as a group are committing 15.6 fouls per game. As a team, UNI is collecting 33.1 rebounds per contest and has tallied 304 assists on the season, which has them ranked 138th in the country in terms of passing. The Panthers are hitting 33.5% on shots from downtown (158 of 472) and 67.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 67.8 points per outing (334th in Division 1) while hitting 45.2% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Panthers are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game and they draw 15.0 personal fouls. They are surrendering 25.8% on three-point shots and they are ranked 1st in the country in opponents points per game (60.5). The Panthers defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 39.7% (452 of 1,139) and they relinquish 35.5 boards per contest as a squad. They are 30th in college in giving up assists with 222 relinquished on the campaign.

For their last game, the Southern Illinois Salukis went home defeated by a final of 69-63 against Valparaiso. When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, Southern Illinois allowed Valparaiso to pull down 27 overall (3 on the offensive side). They finished 43.8% from three-point range by going 7 out of 16 and finished the contest at 20 out of 30 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Salukis allowed Valparaiso to convert 21 out of their 43 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 48.8% in this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Salukis went 21 for 51 from the field which had them shooting 41.2%. In reference to three-point shots, Southern Illinois buried 3 of 14 attempts (21.4%). They were able to convert 18 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 60.0%. Valparaiso had 22 personal fouls in this contest which got the Salukis to the charity stripe for a total of 30 tries. They turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 6 steals in this matchup. The Salukis corralled 22 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for the matchup.

Jalen Haynes pitched in for the Salukis in this matchup. He made 4 out of 14 for the game for a rate of 28.6%, and earned 5 rebounds. He tallied 17 points in his 37 minutes on the hardwood and had 5 assists in the matchup.

Southern Illinois has a win-loss record of 8-12 for the campaign. The Salukis commit 19.0 personal fouls per contest and they go 66.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 14.0 times per game (200th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 12.8 times per game. Southern Illinois has tallied 1,509 pts on the year (75.5 per contest) and they collect 38.6 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Salukis are shooting 46.3% from the floor, which is 130th in college hoops.

The Southern Illinois defense surrenders 30.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter (151 of 489) and their opposition makes 68.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 13.9 assists and 36.0 boards per contest, ranking them 229th and 271st in college hoops. The Salukis on the defensive side of the court are 178th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 73.3. They are forcing 13.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.6% from the field (119th in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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