The No. 1 seed Drake Bulldogs (27-3, 17-3 MVC) will try to stay on track for a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title when they face the No. 8 seed Southern Illinois Salukis (14-18, 8-12) in the quarterfinals of 2025 Arch Madness on Friday afternoon. Drake cruised to a regular-season championship, winning the league by two games over second-place Bradley. The Bulldogs earned a first-round bye, while Southern Illinois used a late shot to win a thriller against No. 9 seed Indiana State on Thursday afternoon. Drake notched a 75-65 road win in the lone regular-season meeting between these teams, which came on Feb. 1.

Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Friday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Drake is favored by 9.5 points in the latest Drake vs. Southern Illinois odds, while the over/under is 127.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Southern Illinois vs. Drake picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 18 of the 2024-25 season on a 221-162 betting roll (+1895) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Why Drake can cover

Drake has been one of the biggest mid-major stories in college basketball this season, with first-year coach Ben McCollum leading his team to a conference title and the No. 1 seed in the MVC Tournament. McCollum's top four scorers all came from Division II, but they wasted no time making noise in non-conference play. They beat teams like Miami, Florida Atlantic, Vanderbilt and Kansas State while racing out to a 12-0 start.

The Bulldogs lost a pair of conference games in the early part of 2025, but they have only lost one game since then. They closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak, and they beat Southern Illinois by double digits on the road in the lone meeting. Junior guard Bennett Stirtz has scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games, averaging 18.9 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. See which team to pick here.

Why Southern Illinois can cover

Southern Illinois kept its NCAA Tournament hopes alive on Thursday, escaping with an 86-85 win over Indiana State in the first round of the MVC Tournament. The Salukis were coming off a 95-77 loss to the Sycamores on Sunday, but they bounced back in a much more meaningful game. Senior guard Ali Dibba poured in 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds, shooting 13 of 24 from the floor.

Dibba has been one of the top scorers in the conference throughout the season, averaging 16.8 points per game. He had 20 points against Drake on Feb. 1, while sophomore guard Kennard Davis Jr. scored 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting. The Salukis won four road games in conference play, and they are dealing with less pressure than Drake on Friday afternoon. See which team to pick here.

How to make Drake vs. Southern Illinois picks

The model has simulated Southern Illinois vs. Drake 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that says one side of the spread is the better value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Drake vs. Southern Illinois, and which side of the spread is the better value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Southern Illinois vs. Drake spread you need to jump on, all from the model on an 221-162 roll on top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.