College Basketball Picks

Illinois State vs Ball State 12/18/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

Ball State Cardinals (4-5) vs. Illinois State Redbirds (6-5)
December 18, 2021 4:00 pm EDT
The Line: Illinois State Redbirds -5.5 / Ball State Cardinals +5.5; Over/Under: -154.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Ball State Cardinals and Illinois State Redbirds meet Saturday in college basketball action at the Redbird Arena. The Ball State Cardinals look to get back to a .500 record. The Illinois State Redbirds look for a win after winning four of their last five games.

The Ball State Cardinals are averaging 75.4 points on 44.3 percent shooting and allowing 79.7 points on 45.8 percent shooting. Luke Bumbalough is averaging 13.1 points and 3.4 assists, while Tyler Cochran is averaging 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. Jalen Windham is dishing 1.1 assists and Miryne Thomas is grabbing 4.4 rebounds. The Ball State Cardinals are shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc and 66.3 percent from the free throw line. The Ball State Cardinals are allowing 37.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32 rebounds per game.

The Illinois State Redbirds are averaging 79.9 points on 44.9 percent shooting and allowing 79.2 points on 43.2 percent shooting. Antonio Reeves is averaging 21.1 points and 3.8 rebounds, while Sy Chatman is averaging 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. Josiah Strong is the third double-digit scorer and Mark Freeman is grabbing 2.9 rebounds. The Illinois State Redbirds are shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc and 74.7 percent from the free throw line. The Illinois State Redbirds are allowing 38 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.5 rebounds per game.

The Cardinals are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 road games and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Redbirds are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 home games and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The over is 26-7 in Cardinals last 33 overall. The over is 7-1 in Redbirds last 8 overall.

I’m not running to the window to back either of these teams that have trouble covering numbers. With that said, Illinois State is the better team here and has enough bucket getters to take full advantage of a Ball State defense that hasn’t been good through nine games. We’re not being asked to lay anything crazy. Give me Illinois State and the reasonable line.

Randy Chambers's Free Pick: Illinois State Redbirds -5.5

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Randy Chambers

Randy has covered sports betting since 2014 and writes about everything from NFL to WNBA. Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter.

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