Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Wichita State looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 34-27 lead against Southern Illinois.

If Wichita State keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 8-3 in no time. On the other hand, Southern Illinois will have to make due with a 6-4 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Southern Illinois Salukis @ Wichita State Shockers

Current Records: Southern Illinois 6-3, Wichita State 7-3

How To Watch

What to Know

Wichita State is 4-0 against Southern Illinois since January of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Wichita State Shockers will be home for the holidays to greet the Southern Illinois Salukis at 7:00 p.m. ET at Charles Koch Arena. Wichita State will be looking to keep their six-game home win streak (dating back to last season) alive.

Last Saturday, the Shockers came up short against the Jackrabbits and fell 79-69. That's two games in a row now that Wichita State has lost by exactly ten points.

Despite their defeat, Wichita State saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Colby Rogers, who scored 21 points, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Harlond Beverly, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds.

Even though they lost, Wichita State were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southern Dak. St. only pulled down seven offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Southern Illinois last Tuesday, but the final result did not. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (70-68), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. They got off to an early lead (up 12 with 5:09 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren't able to maintain that momentum.

Southern Illinois' loss came about despite a quality game from Xavier Johnson, who scored 31 points along with eight assists and seven rebounds. Those eight assists set a new season-high mark for him.

The Shockers' defeat dropped their record down to 7-3. As for the Salukis, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 6-3.

Saturday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Wichita State have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 45.3 rebounds per game (they're ranked fourth in rebounds per game overall). It's a different story for Southern Illinois, though, as they've been averaging only 33 rebounds per game. Given Wichita State's sizeable advantage in that area, Southern Illinois will need to find a way to close that gap.

As for their next game, Wichita State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by five points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 5-2 against the spread when expected to win.

Odds

Wichita State is a 5-point favorite against Southern Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Shockers as a 4.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 141.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Wichita State has won all of the games they've played against Southern Illinois in the last 7 years.

  • Feb 15, 2017 - Wichita State 87 vs. Southern Illinois 68
  • Jan 24, 2017 - Wichita State 87 vs. Southern Illinois 45
  • Feb 03, 2016 - Wichita State 76 vs. Southern Illinois 55
  • Jan 09, 2016 - Wichita State 83 vs. Southern Illinois 58

Injury Report for Wichita State

  • Bijan Cortes: out (Not Injury Related)

Injury Report for Southern Illinois

  • Cade Hornecker: gameTimeDecision (Ankle)
  • Sheridan Sharp: out (Foot)