The No.1-seeded Old Dominion Monarchs (24-6) take on the No.4-seeded Illinois State Redbirds (20-11) in the second round of the NIT tournament at Constant Convocation Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 23 and will air on ESPN U.
The Monarchs beat Charleston Southern 65-56 in the first round. Trey Freeman was the game’s high scorer with 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting. The Redbirds, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-56 win over Green Bay in the first round. Paris Lee stood out, accumulating 12 points, six assists, and four steals.
Freeman has been playing at a high level as of late for the Monarchs, averaging 23.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers over the last five games.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Redbirds won the first game 64-45. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell was a top performer in the victory with 12 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Monarchs enter the game with records of 25-7 Straight Up (SU) and 16-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Monarchs, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the nation at .309.
On the other side, Illinois State has a SU record of 22-12 and an ATS record of 16-16-1.
Illinois State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Monarchs to 1-0. The Redbirds also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – IllSt, ATS Winner – IllSt
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Old Dominion’s last 9 games.
Old Dominion is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Old Dominion’s last 5 games at home.
The Old Dominion Monarchs rank 83rd for their offensive rating of 106.8. The Illinois State Redbirds have a defensive rating of 173.1 (ranked 95th).
The Illinois State Redbirds average 64.9 possessions per game and 1.061 points per possession. The Old Dominion Monarchs earn fewer possessions with 61.6, but they score more points with 1.068.
Illinois State has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.1%. Old Dominion is an even 4-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Old Dominion attempts 18.1 three pointers and Illinois State attempts 17.4. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Old Dominion Monarchs sit at 9-2 and the Illinois State Redbirds are 5-2.
Illinois State, the 73rd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.3 per game. Old Dominion does worse, ranked 183rd with 3.3.
Old Dominion ranks 53rd in offensive rebounding. Illinois State ranks 234th in defensive rebounding.
The Old Dominion Monarchs make an average of 6.4 steals per game. When the Illinois State Redbirds allow 6 or more steals, they are a solid 11-6.
