The Illinois State Redbirds will be at Carver Arena to take on the Bradley Braves in a Missouri Valley matchup. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20 and will air on ES3.
The Braves lost big to Missouri State 61-42 on Saturday. Callum Barker put in a solid effort despite the loss for Bradley, recording 12 points and 13 rebounds to earn his first double-double of the season. The Redbirds, meanwhile, are coming off a 66-55 loss at the hands of Evansville on Friday. Tony Wills stood out for Illinois State, recording five points, four assists, and three steals.
Bradley is a nine-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 116 points. The Braves look to improve upon their records of 3-16 Straight Up (SU) and 6-11 Against The Spread (ATS).
On the other side, the Redbirds head into the game with records of 7-10 ATS and 9-10 SU. Illinois State may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Braves averaging 23.4 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, Illinois State came out on top, moving its SU record against Bradley to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – IllSt, ATS Winner – Brad, O/U – Over
Notes
Bradley is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Bradley’s last 7 games.
Bradley is 2-16 SU in its last 18 games.
Bradley is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games at home.
Bradley is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing Illinois State.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Bradley’s last 7 games when playing at home against Illinois State.
Bradley is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Illinois State.
Illinois State beats Bradley in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Redbirds average 68.4 possessions and .960 points per possession, while the Braves average 67.0 possessions with .801 points per possession.
Bradley has an average effective field goal percentage of 40.9%. Illinois State is a losing 5-10 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Bradley attempts 19.0 three pointers and Illinois State attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, both have losing records. The Bradley Braves are 1-7 while the Illinois State Redbirds are 4-7.
Bradley has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.3% this season. Illinois State is an even 6-6 when its TO% is 18.3% or higher.
