The Bradley Braves and the Illinois State Redbirds meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Redbird Arena. Bradley is 17-8 overall this year. The Braves beat Northern Iowa in their last game. As for Illinois State, they’re currently 10-15 following a loss to Belmont on Saturday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Bradley Braves
Bradley kicked off the year on a decent run, going 10-6 over their first 16 outings. The Braves have since mustered a 7-2 stretch with wins over Valparaiso, Evansville, Indiana State, Illinois State, UIC, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa.
Matched up against Northern Iowa on Saturday, the Braves were ahead 37-27 by halftime. Bradley cruised from there with 40 more points and won it 77-69. Malevy Leons was the top team scorer on 19 points.
Illinois State Redbirds
Over on the Illinois State side, they opened up the year on a shaky 6-10 run. The Redbirds are 4-5 in the last nine games. The losses in that time have come to Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Valparaiso, Bradley and Belmont.
In the Belmont matchup on Saturday, the Redbirds took a 44-33 deficit into halftime. Illinois State didn’t get any closer on a 46-42 second-half deficit and lost 90-75. Darius Burford was tops on the team with 15 points.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stay with Bradley. The Braves are on a four-game winning streak right now, scoring 77 or more points in three of those outings. The last time these teams met up back on January 2, Bradley secured a 79-75 overtime win after falling behind 40-36 in the first half. Illinois State will play better at home, so it’s imperative that Bradley gets their offense going early here. Speaking of the Redbirds, they’re 2-1 in their last three games and have hit 68 or more points in four straight outings. I like Illinois State to really push the Braves in this one, with Bradley eking out a cover. Should be a fun matchup.