Missouri Valley foes will lock horns when the Indiana State Sycamores (11-9) face off against the Missouri State Bears (8-12) at Hulman Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and can be seen on ES3.
The Sycamores enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Evansville 82-65 on Sunday. Devonte Brown was a key piece with 24 points, six assists, and five rebounds. The Bears, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 80-65 loss against Southern Illinois on Sunday. Dequon Miller led the game in scoring with 22 points.
Brenton Scott has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Sycamores. During that stretch, he has averaged 22.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 4.2 three-pointers.
Indiana State is an eight-point favorite against Missouri State and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 137 points. The Sycamores have gone 11-9 Straight Up (SU) and 13-6 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2). Indiana State’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 5.0 three-pointers per game.
As for their opponent, the Bears have records of 9-10 ATS and 8-12 SU. The Bears allow just 67.6 points per road game, ranking them 40th in the nation. One advantage for the Bears could be Indiana State’s high fouls per game average of 22.1.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Missouri State won the last game in the matchup, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. They are also even ATS in their most recent games (5-5). Indiana State and Missouri State each held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once over the last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – InSt, ATS Winner – InSt, O/U – Over
Notes
Indiana State is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana State’s last 7 games.
Indiana State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana State’s last 5 games at home.
Indiana State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Missouri State.
Indiana State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Missouri State.
The Indiana State Sycamores have a solid 5-3 SU record against the Missouri Valley Conference, while the Missouri State Bears have split their meetings with conference opponents, 4-4.
Indiana State scores just 71.6 points per home game (ranked 288th). Missouri State ranks 40th in points allowed on the road, giving up 67.6 points.
The Indiana State Sycamores have a defensive rating of 96.8 (ranked 60th), while the Missouri State Bears have an offensive rating of 97.2 (ranked 308th).
Indiana State has an average field goal percentage of 40.6%. Missouri State is a subpar 4-11 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Indiana State Sycamores rank lower for their field goal percentage (317th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (297th), but the Missouri State Bears have a better FG% ranking (284th) than eFG% ranking (315th).
Missouri State ranks 216th in offensive rebounds, while Indiana State ranks at 77th in defensive rebounds.
Indiana State has forced an average turnover percentage of 19.0% this season. Missouri State has an underachieving 4-8 record when its TO% is 19.0% or higher.
