The SIU Edwardsville Cougars take on the SE Missouri State Redhawks in the Ohio Valley Championship game. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
SE Missouri is favored by 2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -155. The total is set at 136.5 points.
Here’s my SIU Edwardsville vs. SE Missouri predictions and college basketball picks for March 8, 2025.
SIU Edwardsville vs SE Missouri Prediction
My Pick: SE Missouri -2.5 (Play to -3)
My SIU Edwardsville vs SE Missouri best bet is on the Redhawks spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
SIUE vs SEMO Odds, Spread, Pick
| SIU Edwardsville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -105 | 135.5 -112o / -108u | +130 |
| SE Missouri Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -115 | 135.5 -112o / -108u | -155 |
- SIU Edwardsville vs SE Missouri spread: SE Missouri -2.5
- SIU Edwardsville vs SE Missouri over/under: 135.5 points
- SIU Edwardsville vs SE Missouri moneyline: SE Missouri -155, SIU Edwardsville +130
- SIU Edwardsville vs SE Missouri best bet: SE Missouri -2.5 (Play to -3)
My SIUE vs SEMO College Basketball Betting Preview
SIU Edwardsville Basketball
In SIUE’s 17th season at the Division I level, head coach Brian Barone is hoping to get the Cougars into the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. SIUE did make it multiple times at the Division II level,
Barone has changed that trajectory during his six-year tenure. SIUE had never finished with a record over .500 in league play; the Cougars finally changed that this year, going 13-7.
The most important notable shift has been on the defensive end, where the Cougars have become a stout interior unit.
SIUE ranks 28th nationally in 2-point percentage defense, thanks in large part to a two-man center rotation. Kyle Thomas and Arnas Sakenis are two of the best rim protectors in the OVC, and it’s not surprise that the Cougars rank second in the conference in block rate.
Athletic forward Ring Malith lacks strength, but his tremendous length and activity level makes him an impactful defender, as well. Desmond Polk is a long, athletic guard who typically defends the opposition’s best perimeter player.
SIUE’s backcourt provides the juice on the offensive end. Ray'Sean Taylor is a longtime Cougar who's endured two ACL tears in his career, and his leadership and scoring punch has been vital.
The OVC Player of the Year is an incendiary shooter, capable of erupting from deep (90 made 3s this season) who can also put it on the deck and get to the basket.
His tag team partner, Brian Taylor II (no relation), can also go get his own bucket. His ball-handling and passing allow RaySean to play off ball for stretches, opening up different ways for Barone to deploy his star senior.
SE Missouri Basketball
Brad Korn is trying to make it two NCAA Tournament berths in three years, as his Redhawks had a cup of coffee at the 2023 Big Dance. They fell in the First Four to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, though, and Korn surely has visions of making it into the full-fledged Round of 64 this time around.
He’ll be doing it with an entirely different nucleus, as his 2023 squad has essentially all moved on to new territory (either via graduation or the transfer portal).
The 2023-24 season was a rough one as the Redhawks transitioned to a new core, but a dynamic guard tandem and some mobile frontcourt pieces have allowed SEMO to build a top two offense and defense in the OVC.
Rob Martin is the linchpin, a speedster point guard who can get anywhere he wants on the court. He's a mid-range assassin with a deadly floater game, as well.
The St. Louis native and former Indiana State transfer embodied SEMO’s struggles with efficiency last year, barely cracking the 40% mark from inside the arc, but he's taken a major leap this season with both his finishing and decision-making.
Part of his improvement may stem from adding a true second scoring threat. Teddy Washington Jr. – a transfer from the aforementioned Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, though he wasn't yet there for the 2023 clash – is an aggressive scoring wing with boundless confidence.
He can be streaky, but he was terrific against SIUE during the regular season, racking up 22.5 points per game in two victories over the Cougars.
If SEMO does have a small vulnerability, it's at the rim due to its lack of size. Brendan Terry, a 6-foot-7 forward, typically mans the center spot, and though he's an athletic menace, he lacks bulk.
Plus, SEMO plays a ton of lineups with three small guards sharing the floor.
Seven-footer David Idada logged 20+ minutes just once all season; it came against SIUE on Feb. 27. He could be a key piece in this matchup.
SIU Edwardsville vs. SE Missouri Betting Analysis
The format worked. The OVC’s top two seeds receive byes to the semifinals of the conference tournament, and both of those top two seeds reached the championship game.
That ensures a strong representative in the NCAA Tournament, though both are likely headed for the No. 16 seed line.
SIUE’s interior defense failed in both matchups against SEMO this year – two double-digit losses. The Redhawks shot 63.2% and 53.5% inside the arc in those meetings, exposing the Cougars at the bucket.
Most concerningly, Martin and Washington combined to go 17-for-25 inside the arc in the meeting at SIUE. The Cougars only have one Polk, and Martin and Washington can attack the Cougars’ other defenders.
Still, those games may not be fully representative of the two teams’ levels. SIUE shot a combined 10-of-39 (25.6%) from beyond the arc in the two losses, well below the Cougars’ season average of 34.1% (34.7% against OVC foes).
Notably, Shot Quality graded the second meeting as a coin flip game, rather than the 15-point SEMO win that actually transpired. SIUE dominated the glass in that one, as well.
At a glance, prior results might indicate another SEMO blowout. The first two meetings overstate how much better SEMO is, however, and the line here reflects that.
Even so, the Redhawks are playing better at this stage. Their only loss in the last 50 days came in the regular season finale – after they had already clinched the outright regular season title.
SEMO dismantled a talented Little Rock squad in the semifinals, fouling out two Trojan starters with over 13 minutes left in the game.
Martin and Washington are clearly a handful for SIUE to handle, and Ray'Sean Taylor can only do so much.
With the spread below 3, I would lay it with SEMO (and would take up to -3).
