College Basketball Picks

Drake vs Illinois State Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 2/22/23

Illinois State Redbirds (10-19) vs. Drake Bulldogs (23-6)
February 22, 2023 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Drake Bulldogs -15.5 / Illinois State Redbirds +15.5 ; Over/Under: 139
(Get latest betting odds)

The Illinois State Redbirds and the Drake Bulldogs meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Knapp Center. Illinois State is sitting at 10-19 overall. The Redbirds lost to Indiana State in their last game. As for Drake, they’re sitting at 23-6 following a win over Belmont on Sunday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Illinois State Redbirds

Illinois State got off to a rough 8-14 stretch over their first 22 games this year. The Redbirds are just 2-5 since then, falling to Belmont, Bradley, Valparaiso, Murray State and Indiana State after wins over Southern Illinois and UIC in that time. 

On Saturday versus Indiana State, the Redbirds trailed 37-26 by halftime. Illinois State didn’t get any closer on a 43-38 second half and lost 80-64. Darius Burford put up 23 points with five rebounds in the defeat. 

Drake Bulldogs 

Over on the Drake side, they opened up the year with a 16-6 stretch through 22 games. The Bulldogs have since beaten Belmont, Northern Iowa, Valparaiso, Murray State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa again and Belmont again in succession. 

In the Belmont rematch on Sunday, Drake didn’t have much trouble in the first half with a 42-23 edge. The Bulldogs cruised on another 28 points from there and won 70-56. Roman Penn led the team on 22 points and six rebounds. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ve got to stay with Drake here. Probably not touching this one, though; the line’s pretty thick. The Bulldogs have been on a tear lately with nine straight wins, scoring 70 or more points in each of those matchups. As for Illinois State, it’s been the opposite effect with a five-game losing streak. The good news for the Redbirds is that they’re still scoring well with 68 or more points in five of the last seven outings. This one’s probably going to be a high-scoring finish, and I like Drake to dominate the whole way. 

Andrew's Free Pick: Drake Bulldogs -15.5

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Andrew

Andrew has been writing about college, professional and fantasy sports betting since 2013. Andrew's goal is to break down the complicated numbers and trends into a language that's easily accessible to novice sports bettors and seasoned professionals alike.

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