Southern Illinois vs Butler Odds, Lines, and Spread

• Butler (1-2) hosts Southern Illinois (5-0) on Monday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 PM EST
• The Bulldogs are searching for their first win in nearly a month, after losing to a pair of strong opponents away from home
• Check out the odds for the game, as well as matchup analysis and a pick, in the article below.

Traditionally, Butler has a very strong basketball program — but we’re gonna need to see it to believe it in 2020. The Bulldogs (1-2) are off to a slow start, thanks to a vastly reduced schedule that has included some really tough opponents.

They’ll see a respectable opponent on Monday, Dec. 21st at 7:30 PM EST, when the Southern Illinois Salukis come to town. The Salukis (5-0) have a pristine record, but they haven’t faced very credible opposition yet. As such, Butler is a 9.5-point favorite at online sportsbooks.

 Butler vs Southern Illinois Odds

Odds as of Dec. 20th, 2020.

How They’ve Fared So Far

In college football, a “quality loss” is a real thing. We’re not sure it works the same way in college basketball — but if it does, that’s the only saving grace to the start of Butler’s season.

All of Bolden's 1️⃣8️⃣ points have come from behind the arc. #GoDawgs | #CrossroadsClassic pic.twitter.com/KPVSZpTbV5

— Butler Basketball (@ButlerMBB) December 19, 2020

The Bulldogs won their opener against Western Michigan on Nov. 25th, but they’ve since lost to a pair of teams inside KenPom’s top-20 rankings: Villanova (4th) and Indiana (16th). The Villanova loss came in a true road game and Butler got crushed by 19 points. Against Indiana, at a neutral site, the Bulldogs lost 68-60 after holding a halftime lead.

If Butler wanted to offer an excuse to prospective bettors, here it is: they’ve been among the unluckiest teams when it comes to defending the 3-pt. shot. Opponents are shooting 45.6 percent from 3-pt. range against Butler (322nd in NCAA Division I). Can some of that be attributed to defensive positioning? Sure. But that’s still an unsustainably high rate.

Southern Illinois, meanwhile, has collected five wins against teams with the following KenPom rankings: 330th, unranked, 103rd, 263rd (twice). Not a lot of quality in there.

Another day. Another highlight.

SIU improved to 4-0 with a win over North Dakota yesterday. #Salukis and Hawks play again today at 3 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Bvxuyqyi1Q

— Saluki Basketball (@SIU_Basketball) December 18, 2020

The Salukis’ best win was a 70-66 victory over Murray State on Dec. 11. Southern Illinois committed an egregious 18 turnovers, but they also forced 18 turnovers — and converted 21 of 26 free throws.

ATS Analysis

Southern Illinois’s unbeaten record extends to its record against the spread. The Salukis are 4-0 (the win against a non-D-I opponent didn’t have odds) ATS, and they’re covering by an average of over eight points per win.

#Salukis are 5-0 and we have the HIGHLIGHTS from today’s win.#WeAreSouthernIllinois pic.twitter.com/e3y4c3ez8c

— Saluki Basketball (@SIU_Basketball) December 18, 2020

Butler, meanwhile, is winless ATS. After failing to cover an 18.5-point spread in a 66-62 win over Western Michigan, they failed to cover as 12.5-point underdogs versus Villanova and as 7.5-point underdogs versus Indiana. To be fair, they lost to Indiana by eight, but an ATS loss is an ATS loss.

The over has hit in four of these teams’ seven combined games this season.

Injury Notes

There is one player whose health status could be a difference maker in this matchup, and that is Butler guard Aaron Thompson. In the first two games of the season, Thompson averaged 17.5 points and 5.0 assists, shooting 57.9 percent from the field.

But he missed Butler’s most recent game, against Indiana, and is questionable for Monday with a knee sprain. Here’s what Butler’s coach had to say on Saturday:

https://twitter.com/hardwiredsports/status/1340369973051600898?s=20

That’s not a ringing endorsement, but there’s still a chance he plays. Doesn’t seem terribly likely he’ll be back yet, given that this isn’t a conference game.

For now, trust the Salukis to ride their ATS hot streak — even if their straight up win streak comes to a close. If Thompson does return, though, his presence would change the circumstance considerably.

Pick: Southern Illinois +9.5 (-110)