Belmont Bruins vs Illinois State Redbirds Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Belmont vs Illinois State NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Normal.

Belmont vs Illinois State Prediction

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Bruins versus the Redbirds? Tip off is at at 9:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on Gray. The game will be played at CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL. The over/under for this game is set at 152.5 points, and Illinois State is favored by -3.5 vs. Belmont in a Missouri Valley conference matchup.

Belmont vs. Illinois State Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Belmont Bruins at Illinois State Redbirds
Where: Normal at CEFCU Arena
Date: Wednesday, January 29th
Betting Odds ILLST -3.5, BELM +139 | ILLST -167 O/U 152.5

Bruins Preview: Can the Bruins Pull Off a Road Win?

Belmont Bruins Recent Game/Games

Belmont improved to 14-6 on the season with a 95-77 road win over Murray State on Saturday. The Bruins entered the game as +4 point underdogs but not only pulled off the upset, they covered the spread in the process.

Belmont set the tone early, taking a 55-37 lead into halftime. Both teams scored 40 points in the second half. The combined points of 172 went over the pre-game O/U line of 150.5.

Bruins Offense Breakdown

Belmont put up 95 points in their last game, shooting 50.8% from the field and 45% from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 57.1%, and they hit 81.5% of their free throws, going 22-for-27 from the line.

JaCobi Wood connected on 5-of-8 threes, finishing with 19 points and 6 assists. Drew Scharnowski led the team with 20 points and 8 rebounds, hitting 7-of-9 shots in just 18 minutes.

Bruins Team Defense

Belmont's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 77 points on 50% shooting from the field. They allowed their opponent to hit 61% of their two-point attempts, with 19 makes on 31 tries.

From beyond the arc, Belmont's opponent shot 37%, connecting on 10 of 27 three-point attempts. They also sent them to the free-throw line 15 times, where they made 9. Belmont gave up 15 offensive rebounds in the game.

Redbirds Preview: Are Illinois State Ready for a Home Win?

Illinois State Redbirds Recent Game/Games

Illinois State dropped to 11-9 on the season after a 61-57 loss to Bradley on Saturday. The Redbirds were +8.5 point underdogs going into the game, but they managed to keep it closer than expected.

Trailing 28-26 at halftime, Illinois State scored 31 points in the second half but allowed 33. The total points for the game were 118, well under the O/U line of 141.5.

Redbirds Offense Breakdown

Illinois State struggled offensively, scoring just 57 points with a field goal percentage of 31% in their last game. They connected on only 29.4% of their three-point attempts, hitting 10 of 34 from deep, and their effective field goal percentage was 39.7%.

Johnny Kinziger led the way with 16 points and 5 assists, while Ty Pence added 12 points, going 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from three-point range. The Redbirds also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and finished with 10 assists as a team.

Redbirds Team Defense

Illinois State's defense held their opponent to 61 points, allowing them to shoot 42% from the field on 21 of 50 attempts. Inside the arc, the Redbirds gave up 17 two-point baskets on 32 tries, a 53% shooting rate.

From three-point range, Illinois State limited their opponent to just 4 made threes on 18 attempts, a 22% success rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 17 times, where they converted 15 free throws, shooting 88%. The Redbirds allowed 7 offensive rebounds.

Bruins vs Redbirds Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across their ten previous road games, Belmont has an ATS mark of 6-4. Their straight up record in these matchups was 7-3 while averaging 77 points per game.
Across their last three home contests, Illinois State has a 2-1 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 0-3, while averaging 56 points per game.
Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Belmont has an ATS mark of 2-3 while going 2-3 straight up.
Against the spread, the Redbirds have put together of 1-4 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 3-2 straight up.