Evansville Purple Aces vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 3/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Evansville Purple Aces vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2024

Location: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois State Redbirds (15-16) host the Evansville Purple Aces (15-16) at Enterprise Center on Thursday.

The Evansville Purple Aces stepped onto the hardwood against Belmont and took a loss by a score of 83-66 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Purple Aces ended up walking away with 18 while Belmont finished the game with 11 fouls. They also made 11 of their 27 attempts from three-point range. Belmont finished the game shooting 69.6% at the free throw line by knocking down 16 of their 23 attempts. Moreover, Belmont grabbed 37 rebounds (5 offensive, 32 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Belmont recorded 18 assists and had 7 steals in the game. When it comes to the defense, Evansville allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the field on 28 out of 56 shooting. They also dished out 11 assists in this game in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In relation to getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 36 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Purple Aces knocked down 9 of 10 attempts for a percentage of 90.0%. Evansville finished with a 36.8% FG percentage (25 of 68) and converted 7 of their 28 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Kenny Strawbridge is a guy who had an impact for the matchup. He totaled 14 points on 5 of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 31 minutes and grabbed 8 boards. He finished shooting 35.7% from the field and dished out 3 assists.

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Evansville heads into this contest with a mark of 15-16 this season. They are averaging 72.4 points per contest (227th in the country) while connecting on 45.3% from the field. The Purple Aces are hitting 34.5% on shots from distance (213 of 617) and 72.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Evansville is pulling down 33.9 boards per game and is sitting with 411 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 148th in college hoops in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 11.6 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 14.9 fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Purple Aces are forcing 12.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.1 fouls. They relinquish 35.8% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 248th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (74.1). The Purple Aces defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 44.4% (821 of 1,849) and they relinquish 35.3 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 321st in college hoops in allowing assists with 442 relinquished on the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Illinois State Redbirds walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-72 against Valparaiso. The Redbirds were able to snag 21 defensive boards and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 24 in this matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while getting 5 steals for the contest. Valparaiso committed 12 fouls for the contest which took the Redbirds to the free throw line for 5 shots. They were able to bury 4 of them for a rate of 80.0%. With regard to 3-point attempts, Illinois State knocked down 8 out of 21 attempts (38.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Redbirds finished 30 out of 56 from the field which gave them a percentage of 53.6%. The Redbirds permitted Valparaiso to convert 31 of their 59 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 52.5% for the game. They went 40.0% from distance via 10 out of 25 and ended up going 3 of 6 at the charity stripe (50.0%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Illinois State permitted Valparaiso to collect 29 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Kendall Lewis ended up having an impact for the Redbirds in this game. He made 8 out of 12 for this contest giving him a rate of 66.7%, and had 9 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 37 minutes of playing time and had 2 dimes in this game.

Illinois State has a win-loss record of 15-16 on the campaign. As an offense, the Redbirds are connecting on 42.5% from the floor, which has them ranked 288th in the nation. Illinois State has earned 2,075 pts for the season (66.9 per game) and they collect 34.8 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.5 times per game (240th in D-1) and they are turning it over 11.2 times per game. The Redbirds commit 15.6 fouls per contest while shooting 71.2% from the free throw line.

The Illinois State defense allows 33.1% on shots from 3-point land (222 of 671) and their opposition knocks down 73.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 12.7 assists and 33.1 boards every game, which ranks 167th and 89th in college basketball. The Redbirds on defense are ranked 73rd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 67.9. They are forcing 10.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 44.6% from the field (236th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Evansville

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