Illinois State vs Jackson State 12/4/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Jackson State Tigers will travel to Redbird Arena to take on the Illinois State Redbirds this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Jackson State Tigers dropped to 1-6 on the season after being defeated by the Marquette Golden Eagles, 83-54, this past Tuesday. Jackson State went into halftime tied at 29-all, however, the Tigers struggled on both ends of the court in the 2^nd half and could not fight back after Marquette took a 66-42 lead with 7:31 left in regulation. Jackson State shot 30.4% from the field & 23.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Marquette to shoot 52.6% from the field & 38.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Tigers was Jayveous McKinnis who had a double-double with 13 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, & 2 steals.

On the season, Jackson State is averaging 58.4 ppg on 37.0% shooting from the field. The Tigers are averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game on 31.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Jackson State has been led by Gabe Watson (15.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg), Jayveous McKinnis (12.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.9 spg, 2.7 bpg), Chance Moore (8.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.5 apg), & Ken Evans (5.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, Jackson Stateis allowing their opponents to average 74.4 ppg on 47.6% shooting from the field. The Tigers have a rebound margin of -6.3 and a turnover margin of -0.3.

The Illinois State Redbirds won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 4-4 on the season after defeating the Missouri State Bears, 79-74 (OT), this past Wednesday. Illinois State was able to fight back from a 62-53 deficit with just 4:14 left in regulation to force OT and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 71-66 lead with 1:32 left in OT. Illinois State shot 45.6% from the field & 56.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Missouri State to shoot 45.6% from the field & 28.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Redbirds was Antonio Reeves who had 22 points, 6 rebounds, & 3 assits.

On the season, Illinois State is averaging 82.8 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Redbirds are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 37.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Illinois State has been led by Antonio Reeves (21.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg), Sy Chatman (16.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.9 bpg), Mark Freeman (13.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.4 apg), & Josiah Strong (11.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, Illinois State is allowing their opponents to an average of 84.5 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Redbirds have a rebound margin of -1.1 and a turnover margin of -1.4.

The Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games. The Redbirds are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400 and 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 home games.

Jackson State comes into this game ranked just 341^st in scoring offense, 340^th in FG%, & t-286^th in scoring defense. Illinois State has been solid offensively as their fast-paced offense has the Redbirds ranked t-25^th in scoring offense, however, the defense has struggled as Illinois State currently ranks just 346^th in scoring defense.

Jackson State might be just 1-6 on the season, however, the Tigers have played a brutal schedule to start the season and did recently pick up a solid 75-70 win at Louisiana. Illinois State is a team that likes to play fast, however, they really struggle in terms of slowing down opposing offenses and as I think this type of game favors a Jackson State team that can struggle running half-court offense, I think Jackson State does enough with the points to cover in this one. Good Luck!