Illinois State Redbirds vs Belmont Bruins Prediction, 1/10/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs Belmont Bruins

Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Location: Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Belmont Bruins (10-5) will go up against the Illinois State Redbirds (8-7) at Curb Event Center Arena on Wednesday.

The Illinois State Redbirds stepped onto the hardwood against Southern Illinois and took a loss by a score of 71-64 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Redbirds ended up finishing with 15 and Southern Illinois recorded 17 personal fouls. They also knocked down 11 of their 21 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Southern Illinois ended up shooting 90.9% from the charity stripe by knocking down 10 of their 11 attempts. In addition, Southern Illinois totaled 26 rebounds (6 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Southern Illinois doled out 20 assists and had 3 steals for the game. In reference to defense, Illinois State allowed their opponent to shoot 53.2% from the floor on 25 of 47 shooting. They also recorded 14 assists in the matchup in addition to creating 10 turnovers and having 2 steals. In reference to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 26 with 11 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Redbirds buried 9 of 15 tries for a percentage of 60.0%. Illinois State finished the game having earned a 44.1% FG percentage (26 out of 59) and made 3 of their 18 3-point attempts.

Myles Foster is a player who was a major factor in this matchup. He was able to score 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He played 35 mins and collected 9 boards. He went 61.5% from the field and totaled 4 dimes.

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Illinois State will enter this game with a record of 8-7 for the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.3 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Illinois State is pulling down 36.3 boards per game and has totaled 176 dimes so far this year, which ranks 295th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Redbirds are hitting 28.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (96 of 338) and 68.7% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 68.5 points per game (314th in college hoops) while shooting 42.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Redbirds are forcing 11.9 turnovers every game while drawing 19.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 200th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 194 conceded so far this season. The Redbirds are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 44.1% (371 of 841) and they concede 33.8 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 35.7% on 3-point shots while they are 135th in the nation in points per game allowed (69.3).

When they last stepped on the court, the Belmont Bruins walked away with a victory by a final of 87-65 against Drake. The Bruins pulled down 20 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 27 in this contest. They also turned it over 13 times, while recording 8 steals in this matchup. Drake was called for 20 fouls in this game which got the Bruins to the free throw line for a total of 24 tries. They were able to make 19 of them for a percentage of 79.2%. In reference to shooting from 3-point land, Belmont converted 12 out of their 22 tries (54.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Bruins went 28 for 49 from the field which gave them a rate of 57.1%. The Bruins permitted Drake to bury 26 of 52 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0% for the game. They wrapped up this game 21.7% from distance by connecting on 5 out of 23 and ended up going 8 out of 13 from the free throw line (61.5%). With respect to how they rebounded, Belmont allowed Drake to snag 21 in total (5 offensive).

Malik Dia ended up having an impact for the Bruins for the matchup. He buried 10 of 16 for the matchup giving him a rate of 62.5%, and had 7 rebounds. He had 32 points in his 28 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 3 assists for this contest.

Belmont has a record of 10-5 for the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Bruins are shooting 49.0% from the field, which is 26th in the country. Belmont has tallied 1,204 points on the year (80.3 per contest) and they snag 34.0 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 14.9 times per game (107th in the country) and they turn it over 13.3 times per game. The Bruins are responsible for committing 15.1 fouls per contest while shooting 70.4% from the free throw line.

The Bruins defensively are ranked 322nd in the country in PPG allowed with 77.8. They are forcing 12.8 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.5% from the field (310th in the nation). The Belmont defense surrenders 30.7% on 3-pointers (116 of 378) and opponents are converting on 70.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 15.5 assists and 36.0 rebounds per contest, ranking them 339th and 231st in college basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Belmont

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