The Illinois State Redbirds and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons meet Sunday in NIT college basketball action from LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem. Here’s a Wake Forest vs. Illinois State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Wake Forest vs. Illinois State pick.
Illinois State Redbirds Betting Preview
The Redbirds were sitting pretty comfortably on a 12-3 record through their first 15 games, then hit a rocky 3-5 stretch with losses to Valparaiso, UIC, Indiana State, Belmont and Southern Illinois. A 5-3 run came next with wins over Drake, Valparaiso, Murray State, Northern Iowa and Belmont. After losing to Northern Iowa in the conference tournament, the Redbirds beat Kent State this past week.
In the Wednesday First Round NIT matchup versus Kent State, the Redbirds came back out on the floor after halftime with a sizable lead, 45-25. Illinois State hit a 34-33 run in the second half, cruising to the big victory in the end, 79-58. Landon Wolf was tops on the team with his 24 points, seven boards and one steal. Chase Walker added 19 points with seven boards and three assists.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview
Over on the Wake Forest side, they weren’t looking so good after 23 games, sporting an 11-12 overall record in the books. The Deacons beat Georgia Tech, Stanford and Clemson after that, then hit a 3-3 run with losses to Virginia Tech, Boston College and Virginia alongside wins over Syracuse, California and Virginia Tech. After a loss to Clemson in the conference tournament, the Deacons beat Navy in NIT action.
Matched up against the Midshipmen on Wednesday in the NIT First Round game, the Demon Deacons were sitting in the locker room at the break with a 38-34 advantage. Wake Forest hit a 44-38 run the rest of the way and finished off with an 82-72 victory in the end. The Deacons’ Juke Harris had 26 points with six rebounds and five assists, while Omaha Biliew added 15 points with two rebounds.
Why the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will win
- Wake Forest has won 45 of its last 48 games against non-Conference opponents at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
- Illinois State has lost each of its last five road games following a home win.
- Wake Forest has won the first half in 15 of its last 18 day games against non-Conference opponents at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Why the Illinois State Redbirds will win
- Illinois State has won seven of its last eight games against non-Conference opponents.
- Wake Forest has lost the first half in each of its last six day games.
Total Points Facts
- Ten of Wake Forest’s last 11 home games have produced a total of 153+ points.
- Six of Illinois State’s last seven games have produced a total of 140 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Wake Forest ranks 28th among Division 1 teams for free throw percentage this season (77.1%).
- Wake Forest ranks 49th among Division 1 teams for steals per game this season (8.0).
- Illinois State ranks 11th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw percentage this season (68.3%).
- Illinois State ranks 41st among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goals made per game this season (6.5).
Wake Forest vs Illinois State Prediction
I’m going to stick with the Deacons here. Wake Forest got past Navy on Wednesday thanks to 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 95.2 percent (20-of-21) at the line. The Deacons added a 33-26 rebounding advantage but did have 13 turnovers for 14 Midshipmen points. Wake Forest has scored 80 or more points in three of the last four games (all three were wins) but they’re not the most consistent team in the world this year.
As for Illinois State, they shot 42.2 percent from the field with just four turnovers while holding Kent State to just 32.8 percent shooting in their most recent win. The Redbirds are 4-2 over their last six games with 71 or more points in each win. Illinois State has just 112 combined points in the two losses over that stretch, though.