College Basketball Picks

Illinois State vs Evansville 1/21/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

Evansville Aces (4-12) vs. Illinois State Redbirds (9-9)
January 21, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Illinois State Redbirds -7 / Evansville Aces +7; Over/Under: 140.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Evansville Purple Aces will travel to Redbird Arena to take on the Illinois State Redbirds this Friday night in College Basketball action.

The Evansville Purple Aces lost their 5th straight game and dropped to 4-12 on the season after being defeated by the 22nd ranked Loyola Chicago Ramblers, 77-48, this past Tuesday night. Evansville was able to get out to an early lead of Loyola Chicago and trailed by just a 30-24 margin at halftime, however, Loyola Chicago dominated Evansville on both sides of the court in the 2nd half and the Purple Aces could not fight back after falling behind by a 51-31 margin with 11:36 left in regulation. Evansville shot just 32.7% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Loyola Chicago to shoot 62.8% from the field & 58.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Purple Aces was Shamar Givance who had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Evansville is averaging 59.8 ppg on 39.5% shooting from the field. The Purple Aces are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Evansville has been led by Shamar Givance (14.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.5 spg), Jawaun Newton (14.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 apg), Noah Frederking (7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 spg), & Evan Kuhlman (6.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.8 apg).

Defensively, Evansville is allowing their opponents to average 68.0 ppg on 48.0% shooting from beyond the arc. The Purple Aces have a rebound margin of -4.8 and a turnover margin of 0.5.

The Illinois State Redbirds snapped a 3-game losing streak and improved to 9-8 on the season after defeating the Bradley Braves, 74-65, this past Sunday. Illinois State trailed by a 40-26 margin at halftime, however, the Redbirds dominated Bradley on both ends of the court in the 2nd half and was able to pull away after taking a 59-52 lead with 4:32 left in regulation. Illinois State shot 43.9% from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Bradley to shoot 41.4% from the field & 32.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Redbirds was Antonio Reeves who had 24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Illinois State is averaging 79.7 ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field. The Redbirds are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 38.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Illinois State has been led by Antonio Reeves (20.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg), Sy Chatman (14.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg), Josiah Strong (13.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 spg), & Kendall Lewis (9.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.2 bpg).

Defensively, Illinois State is allowing their opponents to average 77.6 ppg on 43.2% shooting from the field. The Redbirds have a rebound margin of -0.5 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Purple Aces are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games & 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games vs. Illinois State. The Redbirds are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs MVC opponents.

Evansville has struggled on both ends of the court this season as the Purple Aces come into this game ranked just 344th in scoring offense, 333rd in FG%, & 341st in defensive FG%. Illinois State has been led by their offense which ranks 37th in scoring offense, 119th in FG%, & 28th in 3P-FG%, however, the defense has struggled a bit and currently ranks just 333rd in scoring defense.

Evansville has really struggled on the road as of late, losing their last two road games to Northern Iowa & Bradley by an average of 27 ppg, and it’s hard to see Evansville having much success in this one against an Illinois State that is 8-2 at home. Illinois State can score with the best of them and as I just don’t see Evansville being able to keep up with them offensively in this one, I think the Redbirds win this one by double-digits and cover this spread. Good Luck!

Brett Nault's Free Pick: Illinois State Redbirds -7

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Brett Nault

Brett has been involved with sports his entire life, whether playing them or betting on them, and loves using his education in data analytics to break down all matchups to get you a competitive edge. Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05

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