Charleston vs. Southern Illinois odds, prediction: 2024 college basketball picks, best bets for November 4th by model

The 2024-25 college basketball season begins Monday afternoon when the Southern Illinois Salukis face the College of Charleston Cougars in the Opening Day Showcase “The Field of 68” in South Dakota. Both mid-major programs are debuting first-year head coaches as former Louisville coach Chris Mack takes over at Charleston and former Wright State coach Scotty Nagy is in his first season at Southern Illinois. Charleston is coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances under former coach Pat Kelsey, losing in the first round to No. 4 seed Alabama last season. Southern Illinois hasn't made the Big Dance since 2007, but the Salukis have won three straight seasons.

Tipoff takes place on Monday at noon ET at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD. After opening at -1.5, the latest Southern Illinois vs. Charleston odds now have Charleston up by 3.5 points, according to the SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is at 146.5 points. Before you make any picks between Charleston and Southern Illinois, check out the college basketball predictions from the trusted model at SportsLine.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024-25 season with a betting score of 153-110 (+1891) on all top-rated college basketball picks from 2023. Anyone who follows sports betting and betting apps has made huge profits.

The model has Charleston vs. Southern Illinois in its sights. You can head over to SportsLine to check out the picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:

• Southern Illinois vs. Charleston distribution: Charleston -3.5
• Southern Illinois vs. Charleston over/under: 146.5 points
• Money line Southern Illinois vs. Charleston: Charleston -163, Southern Illinois +138
• Southern Illinois vs. Charleston Tips: Find the tips here
• Southern Illinois vs. Charleston Streaming: FuboTV (Try Free)

Why Charleston can cover

Charleston is entering a new era after a highly successful time under Kelsey, but the Cougars brought in a proven head coach in Mack. He revamped the roster in the offseason using the transfer portal and also has two returnees in Ante Brzovic and CJ Fulton. Brzovic was the second-leading scorer for Charleston last year, averaging 12.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists for a team that edged out eventual Final Four team Alabama in the NCAA Tournament.

He is surrounded by new talent like Lipscomb transfer Derrin Boyd, who averaged 17.6 points last season. The Cougars also brought in AJ Smith from The Citadel, where he scored 16.3 points and grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game. Delaware State transfer Deywilk Tavarez, who was the 2023-24 MEAC Rookie of the Year, joins Xavier's Lazar Djokovic as two more key transfers for Charleston. See which team to pick here.

Why Southern Illinois Can Cover

The Southern Illinois program has momentum in its first season under Nagy, who spent 21 years as head coach at South Dakota State, so he is very familiar with this venue. The Salukis lost many key performers after the offseason coaching change, but they are bringing back an important player. Sophomore guard Kennard Davis Jr. was named to the preseason All-MVC Third Team after averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season.

Senior guard Ali Dibba also earned preseason All-MVC Third Team recognition as he begins his first season with the program. Dibba averaged 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for Abilene Christian last season, starting in 30 games. Additionally, Charleston has covered the spread just once in its last six games in November. See which team you should choose here.

How to Pick Charleston vs. Southern Illinois

The model has simulated Southern Illinois vs. Charleston 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is trending over the total and has also generated a point spread pick that hits in 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Charleston vs. Southern Illinois and which side of the spread scores 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Southern Illinois vs. Charleston spread to jump on, all from the model that has a 153-110 roll on college basketball's top-rated picks, and find out .