Drake vs. Southern Illinois odds, prediction: 2026 MVC Tournament picks from proven model

The 2026 MVC Tournament, also known as Arch Madness, tips on Thursday with a matchup between No. 8 seed Southern Illinois and No. 9 seed Drake. SIU went 10-10 in conference play, while Drake was 6-14 in the MVC this season. 

Tipoff from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis is at 4:30 p.m. ET. The latest Southern Illinois vs. Drake odds list the Salukis as 4.5-point favorites, while the over/under is 135.5.

Before making any Drake vs. SIU picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered Week 18 on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on an 23-17 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated this matchup 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time!

So who wins SIU vs. Drake, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!