How to watch Southern Illinois Salukis vs. Illinois State Redbirds: Live stream, TV channel, start time for Saturday's NCAA Basketball game

Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Southern Illinois looks much better today on their home court. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Illinois State 42-25.

If Southern Illinois keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 16-9 in no time. On the other hand, Illinois State will have to make due with an 11-14 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Illinois State Redbirds @ Southern Illinois Salukis

Current Records: Illinois State 11-13, Southern Illinois 15-9

How To Watch

When: Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Banterra Center -- Carbondale, Illinois
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $18.00

What to Know

Southern Illinois is 8-2 against the Redbirds since March of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Both teams will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 7:00 p.m. ET at Banterra Center. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Southern Illinois fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against the Bulldogs on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Bulldogs 92-88. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Southern Illinois in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now lost four in a row.

Southern Illinois' loss came about despite a quality game from Xavier Johnson, who scored 35 points along with five assists and three steals. That was a full 39.8% of Southern Illinois' points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Scottie Ebube, who scored nine points along with five rebounds.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Illinois State last Wednesday, but the final result did not. They fell 61-56 to the Flames. Illinois State has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Myles Foster, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Kendall Lewis, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds.

The Salukis' defeat dropped their record down to 15-9. As for the Redbirds, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last 12 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-13 record this season.

Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's contest: Southern Illinois have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 36.8% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Illinois State, though, as they've only made 27.7% of their threes this season. Given Southern Illinois' sizable advantage in that area, the Redbirds will need to find a way to close that gap.

Looking ahead, Southern Illinois is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 7.5 points. Those brave souls putting their money on Illinois State against the spread have faith in an upset since their 9-14 ATS record can't hold a candle to Southern Illinois' 16-6-1.