Illinois State (11-11) vs Bradley (16-6)
February 3, 2024 at 02:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Illinois State Redbirds +6.5 — Over/Under:
The Bradley Braves and the Illinois State Redbirds meet Saturday in college basketball action from CEFCU Arena. Bradley is sitting at 16-6 overall after a win over Northern Iowa on Wednesday. As for Illinois State, they beat Murray State in their last game to move the Redbirds to 11-11 so far. Let’s get into our Bradley vs. Illinois State prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Pick Dawgz.
Bradley Braves
The Braves didn’t play all that well in their first 11 games, stumbling to a 6-5 record. Bradley would take wins over SIU Edwardsville, Truman State, Valparaiso, Missouri State, Evansville, UIC, Southern Illinois, Belmont and Murray State before a loss to Indiana State and a win over Northern Iowa in the next 11 games.
Back on Wednesday versus Northern Iowa, the Braves jumped out to a 46-30 edge by the break. Bradley kept the pace on a 39-39 run from there and took the victory 85-69. Connor Hickman led the team on his 22 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Illinois State Redbirds
Over on the Illinois State side, they were 8-4 through 12 games to start the year. Losses to Kentucky, Drake, Southern Illinois, Belmont, Valparaiso and Drake again came in the next six. The Redbirds have beaten Missouri State, Belmont and Murray State in the last four games, though.
Matched up against Murray State on Tuesday, Illinois State was down 26-24 going into the second half. The Redbirds hit a 37-33 run from there and took the comeback win 61-59 in the end. Chase Walker came off the bench to hit 5-of-5 from the field and lead the way on 12 points.
ANDREW’S FREE BRADLEY VS ILLINOIS STATE PREDICTION
I’ll stay with Bradley. The Braves didn’t have a ton of issues versus Northern Iowa in their last game, hitting 48.3 percent from the field with a 36-31 rebounding edge and just nine turnovers. Bradley has now scored 69 or more points in 11 straight games—a 10-1 run.
As for Illinois State, they’re 3-1 over their last four outings but they’ve also been below 70 points in three of those four. Unless the Redbirds catch fire on offense, I don’t see them keeping pace with Bradley if the Braves are playing to their capabilities. Should still be an interesting matchup, though.