Southern Illinois had two powerful things going for them: a strong defense and a seven-game winning streak. Their defense came to play last night, but the Salukis’ shooting was horrendous. They relied on the perimeter shot that was not falling (5-28) and shot only 23% from the field. Despite the stout defense, SIU was no match for Valpo with a measly 38 points! I spent a little too much time on MLB prep this morning, so we’ve got a quick-and-dirty version of the Road Dog Report for 2/13/2020.
(683) Southern Utah @ Sacramento State Pk
When it comes to the Big Sky Conference, teams like Montana and Eastern Washington are trying to separate from the pack. The 14-9 Southern Utah Thunderbirds sit at 7-5 in the league and need a big road win tonight at the 12-10 Sacramento State Hornets. Sacramento State’s regular-season championship hopes are all but dashed with a 5-8 conference record. The Hornets are dead last in scoring, although they have the best scoring defense. Contrast that with the Thunderbirds, who can put up points and have the second-best scoring defense in the conference.
The bottom line in this matchup is that I rate Southern Utah nearly 7 points better than Sacramento State on a neutral court. Both squads have a fairly balanced lineup on the offensive end, though the Hornets lean heavily on the talented center, Joshua Patton. Both defenses can be stifling, but only one team has an offense that can realistically threaten to pull away with a lead: Southern Utah. Is there a legitimate revenge angle after the Thunderbirds beat the Hornets 74-49 last month?
On the Money
Sacramento State has been good at home in conference play, going 4-2 straight up and ATS. The Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-point victory at Idaho State on Saturday. This is a positive step for a slumping team, but on a relative basis it was a close cover as a 3-point favorite. Additionally, they have not been too sharp at home recently. Their last two home games resulted in a shocking 67-53 loss to Idaho as an 11-point favorite two days after a 59-54 loss to Eastern Washington while laying 2 points.
The Thunderbirds get back on the road tonight after a lackluster four-game home stand. They went 2-2 in the four games in Cedar City and only covered one of them. Southern Utah has been an exemplary Road Dog, winning three of four in the Big Sky and covering all of those road games. Both squads are looking to start building a winning streak and there is no incentive via the point spread tonight. Give me the better team that has proven success on the road against Big Sky opponents. I’m a buyer of Southern Utah tonight in this defensive battle in which they could realistically be laying a bucket.
