As part of the Field of 68 Showcase, the Charleston Cougars and Southern Illinois Salukis open up the college basketball season on Monday with a clash at the Sanford Pentagon. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on YouTube.
This is a fascinating matchup between two squads that are moving forward with new head coaches who will attempt to integrate transfer-laden rosters as quickly as possible.
Charleston is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline sitting at -152. Also, the total is 146.5 points.
Here's my Charleston vs. Southern Illinois predictions and my college basketball picks for opening night.
Charleston vs Southern Illinois Prediction
My pick: Southern Illinois +3.5
My Charleston vs Southern Illinois best bet is on the Salukis spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Charleston vs Southern Illinois Odds, Lines, Pick
| Charleston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -112 | 146.5 -108o / -112u | -162 |
| Southern Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -108 | 146.5 -108o / -112u | +136 |
- Charleston vs Southern Illinois spread: Charleston -3.5
- Charleston vs Southern Illinois over/under: 146.5 points
- Charleston vs Southern Illinois moneyline: Charleston -162, Southern Illinois +136
- Charleston vs Southern Illinois best bet: Southern Illinois +3.5
Spread
I'm backing the Salukis on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My pick: Southern Illinois +3.5
Charleston vs Southern Illinois Betting Trends to Know
- 53% of the bets are on the Cougars to cover the spread, while 96% of the money is on the same side.
- 88% of the bets and 87% of the money is on the over.
- 74% of bets are on the Cougars on the moneyline, while only 7% of the money is on the same side.
Charleston vs Southern Illinois Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, SD |
| Date: | Monday, November 4 |
| Start Time: | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | YouTube |
Charleston vs Southern Illinois is scheduled for a 12 p.m. ET start time from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD, on Monday. The game is live on YouTube.
Charleston vs Southern Illinois College Basketball Betting Preview
Pat Kelsey took the Louisville job, so Charleston hired former Louisville (and Xavier) head coach Chris Mack.
While the fall from grace with the Cardinals was swift, Mack had an impressive run at Xavier. He went 215-97 with the Musketeers across nine seasons, making eight NCAA Tournaments, two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight.
Kelsey pushed the pace at Charleston, but Mack prefers to play in the half-court, leveraging a deep playbook of set plays that often involve working through the post.
The Cougars' two returning starters — CJ Fulton and Ante Brzovic — form a talented inside-out playmaking and shot-creation duo but must adjust schemes and styles quickly.
Southern Illinois parted ways with five-year head coach Bryan Mullins for some odd reason, but Scott Nagy is a great hire. He turned South Dakota State into a Summit League powerhouse and then coached Wright State to two NCAA Tournament bids.
The situation in Carbondale is diametrically opposed to the one in Charleston. Mullins played a hard-nosed, half-court brand of basketball, but Nagy will surely push the pace and play in the open court.
Nagy likes his players to play through the post and cut off the ball, and his roster this year lacks shooting.
Plus, WAC transfers Elijah Elliott and Ali Dibba – who should form the starting backcourt – love to drive downhill and score at the rim. So, I expect a reasonably rim-reliant offense.
That should play against Charleston. The Cougars have plenty of size across the roster, but they were super vulnerable at the rim last year, ultimately finishing ninth in the CAA in 2-point shooting allowed (51%).
Part of the problem is that Brzovic is a vulnerable interior defender. He grades poorly when guarding post-up (.93 PPP allowed, 40th percentile) and roll-man (1.25 PPP allowed, 15th percentile) sets. He can score on the block but gets shredded on the other end.
Similarly, Southern Illinois has plenty of perimeter size. Still, it could be vulnerable down low — the Salukis finished ninth in the Missouri Valley in 2-point shooting allowed last season (54%), while Nagy’s Raiders finished 345th nationally (55%).
Ultimately, this is a brutal matchup to handicap. Both squads are going through tremendous roster turnover with little-to-none returning production, and I don’t have an excellent feel for how the pieces will fall into place.
These are two similarly built squads. Both should have avenues to offense, given the schematic matchup, so I’d likely power rate the two relatively evenly on a neutral court – as would KenPom and Bart Torvik, which both make the Cougars one-point favorites.
However, I suspect it’ll take longer for the Cougars to learn Mack’s playbook (complex half-court post-heavy sets) than for the Salukis to learn Nagy’s (attack the rim with reckless abandon).
I’ll snag the 3.5 points with the Salukis, which seems like the value side of the matchup, but I’d recommend keeping the wager smaller than normal, given the vast uncertainty surrounding both teams.
