Wisconsin vs Illinois State 12/29/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Illinois State Redbirds will travel to the Kohl Center to take on the 24^th ranked Wisconsin Badgers this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Illinois State Redbirds won their 4^th straight game and improved to 8-5 on the season after defeated the UTSA Roadrunners, 81-64, on December 21^st. Illinois State was solid defensively against UTSA and was able to pull away after a 13-0 Redbirds run gave Illinois State a 62-39 lead with 10:09 left in the 2^nd half. Illinois State shot 55.0% from the field & 39.1% from beyond the arc while holding UTSA to just 37.9% shooting from the field & 15.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Redbirds was Antonio Reeves who had a double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, & 4 assists.

On the season, Illinois State is averaging 80.4 ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field. The Redbirds are averaging 8.9 three-pointers per game on 38.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Illinois State has been led by Antonio Reeves (20.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg), Sy Chatman (14.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.6 bpg), Josiah Strong (12.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg), & Mark Freeman (9.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, Illinois State is allowing their opponents to average 76.8 ppg on 42.5% shooting from the field. The Redbirds have a rebound margin of -0.5 and a turnover margin of -1.1.

The 24^th ranked Wisconsin Badgers improved to 9-2 on the season after defeating the Nicholls Colonels, 71-68, on December 15^th. Wisconsin had all they could handle from Nicholls, however, the Badgers were able to fight back from a 37-28 halftime deficit with a strong offensive 2^nd half to avoid the upset loss. Wisconsin shot 43.6% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Nicholls to shoot 48.4% from the field & 26.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Badgers was Brad Davison who had 19 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Wisconsin is averaging 68.6 ppg on 40.2% shooting from the field. The Badgers are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 29.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wisconsin has been led by Johnny Davis (20.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg), Brad Davison (15.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg), Tyler Wahl (8.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 bpg), & Chucky Hepburn (7.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg). Johnny Davis missed the Nicholls game due to a non-Covid illness, however, as it’s been two weeks since their last game, I’m expect Davis to be available for this matchup.

Defensively Wisconsin is holding their opponents to an average of 61.2 ppg on 41.2% shooting from the field. The Badgers have a rebound margin of -0.5 and a turnover margin of 4.5.

The Redbirds are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win, however, are just 9-19 ATS in their last 28 road games. The Badgers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win and 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.

Illinois State is a team that likes to push the pace and are led by their offense which ranks 35^th in scoring offense & 90^th in FG%, however, the Redbirds have struggled defensively as they rank just 322^nd in scoring defense. Wisconsin has been led by their defense which ranks 44^th in scoring defense, however, the offense has struggled at time and currently ranks just t-257^th in scoring offense, 315^th in FG%, & 300^th in 3P-FG%.

Wisconsin is no doubt the better team and is going to win this game, however, I just can’t trust a Wisconsin offense, even with Johnny Davis back in the lineup, to cover this large of a number against an Illinois State team that knows how the score the basketball and showed they can be competitive against decent teams with an OT win over Missouri State & competitive loss to St. Louis. I think Wisconsin wins this won by double-digits but won’t do enough to cover this spread. Take Illinois State and the points.