Evansville Aces vs Illinois State Redbirds Matchup

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

Illinois State vs Evansville Prediction

The Redbirds and Aces are set to face off at 8:00 ET on ESPN+. The Aces will host the game at Ford Center in Evansville, IN. Illinois State is favored by -5.5 in this Missouri Valley conference contest against Evansville. The game's over/under currently sits at 134 points.

Illinois State vs. Evansville Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Illinois State Redbirds at Evansville Aces
Where: Evansville at Ford Center
Date: Wednesday, January 8th
Betting Odds ILLST -5.5, ILLST -212 | EVANS +172 O/U 134

Redbirds Preview: Can the Redbirds Offense Score Enough in Evansville?

Illinois State Redbirds Recent Game/Games

Illinois State improved to 9-5 on the season with a dominant 85-54 win over Southern Illinois on Sunday. Playing at home, the Redbirds were -7.5 favorites and covered the spread. The total points for the game were 139, just under the O/U line of 140.5.

Illinois State took control early, leading 44-23 at halftime. They kept up the pressure in the second half, scoring 41 points while allowing 31.

Redbirds Offense Breakdown

Illinois State's offense was on fire in their latest game, putting up 85 points with a field goal percentage of 60.8% (31/51). Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 74.5%, thanks in part to their 78.3% shooting from two-point range (18/23) and 46.4% from beyond the arc (13/28).

Johnny Kinziger and Jack Daugherty each contributed 17 points, with Kinziger shooting 85.7% overall and 75.0% from three. Daugherty hit 5 of 9 threes, finishing with a 54.5% shooting percentage. Jordan Davis added 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, hitting 50% from deep.

Redbirds Team Defense

Despite Illinois State's defensive struggles, giving up 54 points on 60% shooting, they couldn't capitalize offensively. The Redbirds allowed 31 field goals, including 13 threes, with the opponent shooting 46% from beyond the arc.

Illinois State also sent the other team to the line 13 times, where they converted 10 free throws. The Redbirds did limit offensive rebounds, giving up just 6 in the game.

Aces Preview: Can the Aces Pull the Upset at Home?

Evansville’s season record dropped to 4-10 after a 66-62 home loss to Indiana State on Saturday. The Aces entered the game as +3 underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 128, falling short of the 150.5 O/U line.

Evansville led 36-31 at halftime but struggled in the 2nd half, scoring just 26 points while allowing 35.

Aces Offense Breakdown

In their latest game, the Evansville Aces put up 62 points, shooting 40.7% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 48.1%, with 35% shooting from beyond the arc (7/20) and 44.1% on two-point attempts (15/34). They struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 61.1% of their shots (11/18).

Jaden Daughtry led the way with 26 points in 24 minutes, shooting 52.9% from the field. Tayshawn Comer added 24 points and 7 assists, connecting on 50% of his three-point attempts (3/6). Tanner Cuff contributed 11 points, making all of his three-point attempts and shooting 62.5% overall.

Aces Team Defense

Evansville's defense held their opponent to 66 points on 40% shooting from the field, with 22 made baskets on 54 attempts. They allowed 15 two-point field goals on 34 tries, a 44% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, Evansville's defense gave up 7 threes on 20 attempts, a 35% success rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 18 times, where they converted 11, shooting 61%. The Aces allowed 10 offensive rebounds.

Redbirds vs Aces Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Illinois State has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 83 points per game while allowing 81. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-0.
Across the Aces last five home games, the team averaged 51 points per game while allowing 71. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 2-3, while going 1-4 straight-up.
Evansville has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Redbirds have gone 4-6 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 5-5.