Evansville Aces (15-16) vs. Illinois State Redbirds (15-16)
March 7, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Illinois State Redbirds -3.5; Over/Under: +137.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Evansville Aces and the Illinois State Redbirds meet in college basketball action from the Enterprise Center on Thursday night. Who advances in this Missouri Valley Conference First Round matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Evansville vs. Illinois State Prediction.
Evansville Team Preview
The Evansville Aces come into the conference tournament as the 10-seed, finishing the year with an overall record of 15-16 including a 6-14 mark in MVC conference play. Ben Humrichous leads the Aces in scoring with 15 PPG along with 4.5 RPG while Yacine Toumi has 10.8 PPG with a team-high 6.3 RPG to lead the Aces on the glass and to finish off the scoring in double figures for Evansville up to this point in the year. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. has 9.9 PPG and a team-high 2.6 APG to lead the Aces in the assist department this season. As a team, Evansville is averaging 72.4 PPG on 45.3% shooting from the field, 34.5% from three and 72.2% from the foul line this season.
More College Basketball Picks: Rutgers vs Wisconsin Prediction!
Illinois State Team Preview
The Illinois State Redbirds come into the conference tournament as the 7-seed, finishing the year with an overall record of 15-16 including a 9-11 mark in MVC conference play. Darius Burford leads the Redbirds in scoring with 13.2 PPG while Myles Foster has 12.2 PPG with a team-high 8 RPG to lead the Redbirds on the glass while rounding out the pair of double-digit scorers for Illinois State up to this point in the year. Dalton Banks also has 8.6 PPG with 3.7 APG to lead Illinois State in assists. As a team, Illinois State is averaging 66.9 PPG on 42.5% shooting from the field, 29.3% from three and 71.2% from the foul line this season.
Evansville vs. Illinois State Prediction
I’m on Illinois State in this one. The Redbirds are the better team in my opinion and down the stretch, Evansville started to look like the Evansville team we’ve come to expect the last couple of years, and that’s a team that’s been a joke at the bottom of the MVC standings. Illinois State was much better and much more competitive down the stretch and they’re the better defense here although that’s not saying much with how bad Evansville’s defense has been. Give me the Redbirds at home.
