Missouri Valley foes will collide when the Wichita State Shockers (22-7) play the Illinois State Redbirds (18-12) at Charles Koch Arena. The game begins at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Shockers enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out Loyola Chicago 76-54 on Wednesday. Anton Grady had a solid performance, putting up 17 points, five rebounds, and two steals for the Shockers. The Redbirds are coming off a 73-50 win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday. Paris Lee led the game in scoring with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Wichita State ranks 315th in the nation in possessions per game (65.9 possessions per game), while Illinois State is 270th (67.2). Furthermore, the 267th-ranked offense of the Redbirds (offensive efficiency of 100.8) will face a tough test against the second-ranked defense of the Shockers (defensive efficiency of 89.9).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Redbirds won the first game 58-53. Lee had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 19 points, two rebounds, one assist, three steals, and two three-pointers.
The Shockers enter the game with records of 22-7 Straight Up (SU) and 18-9 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Wichita State, which ranks 22nd at 1.46. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Wichita State’s stingy defense. The Shockers are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 59.5 points per game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Shockers, who allow a field goal percentage of only .385. The Shockers are the 47th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 7.6 steals per game.
Across the court, Illinois State has a SU record of 18-12 and an ATS record of 14-14. Illinois State has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 8-2. Offensively, the Redbirds have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 67.8 points per game by averaging 74.1 during that stretch. The Illinois State defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 38th in Division I with only 65.8 points allowed per game.
Following the Redbirds’ latest win over Wichita State, Illinois State is still behind in the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 3-7 SU. The Shockers also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Wichita State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five games, while Illinois State wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wich, ATS Winner – Wich
Notes
“Wichita State is 13-2 ATS in its last 15 games “.
“Wichita State is 17-2 SU in its last 19 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Wichita State’s last 8 games “.
“Wichita State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Wichita State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Wichita State’s last 12 games at home”.
“Wichita State is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Illinois State”.
“Wichita State is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing Illinois State”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Wichita State’s last 12 games when playing Illinois State”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Wichita State’s last 7 games when playing at home against Illinois State”.
Wichita State scores an average of just 74.2 points per game (ranked 124th). Illinois State ranks 38th in points allowed, giving up 65.8 points per game.
Wichita State scores just 73.4 points per home game (ranked 181st). Illinois State ranks 64th in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.5 points.
In its last game, Illinois State won by a margin of 23 points. Wichita State is 16-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Illinois State has a 2-0 record in blowouts.
The Wichita State Shockers have a defensive rating of 89.9 (ranked second), while the Illinois State Redbirds have an offensive rating of 100.8 (ranked 267th).
Illinois State has an average field goal percentage of 41.8%. Wichita State is an even 4-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Wichita State Shockers and the Illinois State Redbirds both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Wichita State is 189th and 171st in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Illinois State is 280th and 253rd in these categories.
Wichita State ranks 100th in assists, registering 14.6 per game. Illinois State performs worse at 214th with 12.8 assists per game.
Illinois State makes an average of 6.5 steals per game. Wichita State has a winning 6-3 record when it allows at least 6 steals.
