Illinois State vs Evansville Prediction Basketball Picks 2-18-24

The Evansville Aces and the Illinois State Redbirds meet Sunday in college basketball action from CEFCU Arena. Evansville is sitting at 15-11 so far following a loss to Drake in their last game. As for Illinois State, they’re 12-14 on the season after a win over Indiana State on Tuesday. Let’s get into our Evansville vs. Illinois State prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Evansville Aces

The Aces started off the season on a pretty uneven run. Evansville was sitting at just 11-9 through 20 games, but they’ve been better since then. Following a win streak over Illinois State, UIC, Valparaiso and Bradley, the Aces have since lost to Murray State and Drake.

In Tuesday’s matchup versus Drake, the Aces had things all knotted up at 37-37 by halftime. Evansville fell behind on a 41-38 second-half run however, losing 78-75 in the end. Ben Humrichous led the team with his 18 points, six rebounds and two assists in the defeat.

Illinois State Redbirds

Over on the Redbirds’ side, they were 8-10 through 18 games but hit a 3-1 stretch in January that featured wins over Missouri State, Belmont and Murray State. Illinois State is 1-3 since then with losses to Bradley, UIC and Southern Illinois before a win over Indiana State.

In the Indiana State matchup on Tuesday, the Redbirds were up 35-29 in the locker room. Illinois State hit a 45-38 stretch in the second half and powered out the win 80-67. Johnny Kinziger led the team with his 31 points, while Myles Foster doubled on 19 points and 12 rebounds.

ANDREW’S FREE EVANSVILLE VS ILLINOIS STATE PREDICTION

I’ll stick with Evansville. The Aces were able to hang around with a good Drake team in their last outing but fell just short. Evansville shot well in that one (50 percent) with 29 rebounds, 15 assists and just eight turnovers. The Aces have hit 70 or more points in three straight but they’re just 1-2 in that time.

The last time these teams et back on January 27 was a tight 58-54 home win for the Aces. Evansville shot 43.8 percent from the field in that one but just 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) from outside. The Redbirds were even worse shooting, with 32 percent from the field and 1-of-21 (4.8 percent) from 3-point range. Illinois State will certainly be better in the home rematch, but I think the Aces can keep a cover pace if all goes well.