The Illinois State Redbirds welcome the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to Redbird Arena. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Nov. 19 and can be seen on ES3.
The Redbirds come into this game on a high note after barely hanging on to beat Morehead State 67-66 on Monday. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting. The Jackrabbits, meanwhile, are coming off an 85-68 win against Weber State on Monday. George Marshall led the team in scoring by registering 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
Illinois State is a three-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 145 points. The Redbirds come into this game 1-1 Straight Up (SU), but 0-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Redbirds are an exceptional shooting team from three-point range with a .462 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I.
On the other side, the Jackrabbits are a perfect 2-0 SU and 1-0 ATS so far. South Dakota State is one of the top shooting teams in the country, hitting .520 of its shots from the floor. The South Dakota State defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 47th in Division I with only 60.0 points allowed per game.
This game marks the first time Illinois State and South Dakota State have ever played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – SDakSt, ATS Winner – SDakSt, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Illinois State’s last 14 games.
Illinois State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Illinois State’s last 6 games at home.
South Dakota State averages 86.0 points per game (ranked 71st). Illinois State, on the other hand, allows 68.5 points per game (ranked 138th).
Ranked 45th, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits have an offensive rating of 121.6. The Illinois State Redbirds rank 203rd with a defensive rating of just 100.9.
The Illinois State Redbirds average a field goal percentage of 39.3% this season. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are a perfect 1-0 in games where opponents have a FG% of 39.3% or greater.
Illinois State, the 71st-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.5 per game. South Dakota State does worse, ranked 126th with 4.0.
The Illinois State Redbirds average 6.0 steals per game. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are undefeated at 1-0 when they allow at least 6 steals.
