Illinois State (14-15) vs Missouri State (15-14)
February 28, 2024 at 08:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Illinois State -4.5 — Over/Under:
The Missouri State Bears need a win after losing 5 of their last 6 games. The Illinois State Redbirds look for a win after splitting their last 10 games. Let’s preview this game and give out a Missouri State Bears vs Illinois State Redbirds prediction.
Missouri State Bears Betting Preview
The Missouri State Bears are coming off losses to Bradley and Belmont. The Missouri State Bears are averaging 72 points on 44.1 percent shooting and allowing 72.7 points on 42.1 percent shooting. Alston Mason is averaging 18 points and 3.1 rebounds, while Donovan Clay is averaging 12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds. Chance Moore is the third double-digit scorer and Matthew Lee is grabbing 2.6 rebounds. The Missouri State Bears are shooting 31.9 percent from beyond the arc and 70.5 percent from the free throw line. The Missouri State Bears are allowing 33.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 35.6 rebounds per game.
Illinois State Redbirds Betting Preview
The Illinois State Redbirds recently beat Evansville and Northern Iowa while losing to Bradley. The Illinois State Redbirds are averaging 66.5 points on 42 percent shooting and allowing 67.5 points on 44.1 percent shooting. Darius Burford is averaging 13.2 points and 2.5 rebounds, while Myles Foster is averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds. Dalton Banks is dishing 3.6 assists and Kendall Lewis is grabbing 6.4 rebounds. The Illinois State Redbirds are shooting 29 percent from beyond the arc and 70.8 percent from the free throw line. The Illinois State Redbirds are allowing 33.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32.1 rebounds per game.
Missouri State Bears vs Illinois State Redbirds prediction
The Missouri State Bears have gone ice-cold at the worst possible time as they’ve lost 5 of their last 6 games, and they’ve been kind of terrible on the road this season, so I don’t expect a turnaround here. The Illinois State Redbirds beat Missouri State on the road a month ago despite being 7 point underdogs. It’s hard to get behind Missouri State on the road in its current form. Give me Illinois State at home and the reasonable chalk.