Drake vs Illinois State 1/12/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Illinois State Redbirds will travel to The Knapp Center to take on the Drake Bulldogs this Wednesday night in College Basketball action!

The Illinois State Redbirds lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 8-7 on the season after being defeated by the Valparaiso Crusaders, 81-76 (OT), on January 2^nd. Illinois State fought back from a 59-52 deficit in the 2^nd half to force OT, however, the Redbirds offense stalled out in the OT and could not fight back after the Crusaders took a 77-74 lead. Illinois State shot 43.7% from the field & 23.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Valparaiso to shoot 43.9% from the field & 28.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Redbirds was Antonio Reeves who had 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Illinois State is averaging 80.4 ppg on 46.2% shooting from the field. The Redbirds are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 37.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Illinois State has been led by Antonio Reeves (21.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 spg), Sy Chatman (15.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg), Josiah Strong (13.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg), & Mark Freeman (9.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, Illinois State is allowing their opponents to average 77.9 ppg on 42.5% shooting from the field. The Redbirds have a rebound margin of -0.2 and a turnover margin of -1.5.

The Drake Bulldogs improved to 11-5 on the season after defeating the Evansville Purple Aces, 60-59, this past Saturday. Drake trailed by a 33-27 margin at halftime, however, the Bulldogs were outstanding defensively in the 2^nd half and was able to hang on late for the victory after taking a 57-49 lead with 7:08 left in regulation. Drake shot 47.9% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Evansville to shoot 38.0% from the field & 38.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Tucker Devries who had 15 points, 6 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, Drake is averaging 74.6 ppg on 45.7% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game on 37.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Drake has been led by Tucker Devries (13.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg), Tremell Murphy (10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Garrett Sturtz (9.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg), & Roman Penn (9.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.9 apg).

Defensively, Drake is holding their opponents to an average of 64.0 ppg on 42.0% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of 1.4.

The Redbirds are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Bulldogs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Wednesday games, however, are just 3-14-1 ATS in their last 18 games overall.

Illinois State has been led by their offense which ranks 26^th in scoring offense, 85^th in FG%, & 31^st in 3P-FG%, however, the Redbirds have struggled keeping opponents off the scoreboard, as they come into this game ranked just 328^th in scoring defense. Drake has been solid on both sides of the ball as the Bulldogs come into this game ranked 123^rd in scoring offense, 110^th in FG%, & t-68^th in scoring defense.

Illinois State likes to push the pace and score the basketball and although Drake is a tough place to play, I’ve been impressed what I’ve seen by the Redbirds as of late which included a near upset at Wisconsin. Drake should be able to win this game, however, as the Redbirds have been competitive and have an offense that should be able to keep up with the Bulldogs, I think Illinois State does enough to cover with the points. Good Luck!