The Illinois State Redbirds and the Bradley Braves meet in college basketball action from the Carver Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Illinois State Redbirds will look to rebound from back-to-back losses after a 72-70 loss to Northern Iowa in their last game. Antonio Reeves leads the Redbirds in scoring with 20.1 PPG along with 3.4 RPG while Sy Chatman has 13.6 PPG and a team-high 6 RPG to lead Illinois State on the glass. Josiah Strong has 11.9 PPG to make up the trio of double-digit scorers for Illinois State up to this point in the season while Kendall Lewis has 9.3 PPG with 5.9 RPG and Mark Freeman has 8.7 PPG with a team-high 3.6 APG to lead the Redbirds in the assist category. As a team, Illinois State is averaging 76.1 PPG on 45.2% shooting from the field, 36.2% from three and 74.2% from the foul line while allowing 75.9 PPG on 44.2% shooting from the field and 35.1% from three this season.
The Bradley Braves will try to rebound from a 65-57 loss to Southern Illinois last time out. Terry Roberts leads the Braves in scoring and assists with 14.9 PPG and 4.2 APG while Ja’Shon Henry has 10.4 PPG with 4.9 RPG. Rienk Mast also leads the Braves in rebounding with 11.2 PPG along with 8.4 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Bradley so far this season while Malevy Lyons has 9.7 PPG and 6 RPG this season. As a team, Bradley is averaging 71 PPG on 44.7% shooting from the field, 34.9% from three and 67.7% from the foul line while allowing 64.9 PPG on 39.7% shooting from the field and 31.5% from three this season.
Illinois State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games and 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games against a team with a winning record while the over is 7-2 in their last 9 games as a road underdog. Bradley is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a home favorite and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a loss while the under is 4-0 in their last 4 games overall.
I get the case to be made for Illinois State and the points here, as the Redbirds have played in a few close road losses. The problem is that those road losses are coming against teams like Indiana State and Evansville, teams around the bottom half of the MVC. Bradley is In the top 5 and every win is crucial for positioning in the MVC tournament, and on the road against stiffer competition, the Redbirds have been flattened. I’ll take my shot with Bradley laying the points here.