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| Illinois State Redbirds | Missouri State Bears |
| 7-5 | January 02, 2014, 08:05 | JQH Arena | 10-2 |
The Missouri State Bears will try to pay off for their supporters on Thursday when they play host to the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in NCAA basketball action.
The Bears bring a 10-2 record (2-4 ATS) to this tilt against the 7-5 Redbirds, who are 5-6 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have witnessed Missouri State go 6-0 so far and the Redbirds go 6-4.
View Illinois State Redbirds vs Missouri State Bears Odds and Stats.
The Redbirds were listed as 5.5-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks, including Sportsbook.
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Bears at No. 246 and the Redbirds at No. 167 heading into this contest.
Illinois State won its last outing, a 69-64 result against DePaul on December 22. They covered in that game as a 1.5-point favorite. Illinois State earned a 69-64 victory over DePaul on Sunday, getting 16 points from Daishon Knight at Redbird Arena.
Missouri State was an 81-78 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against SE Missouri State. They failed to cover the 8-point spread as favorites. Marcus Marshall scored 19 points leading the Bears to an 81-78 victory over SE Missouri State at JQH Arena on Sunday.
How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Missouri State has the nation's No. 107-rated offensive output, at 75.25 PPG. The visiting Redbirds defense ranks No. 195 allowing on average 73.42 PPG. The Bears FG% has averaged 43.57% so far, more than the Redbirds marksmen have achieved on the year, 40.09% per game.
A few Redbirds at Bears trends to consider:
Illinois State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Illinois State is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Illinois State is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Illinois State is 10-3-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Missouri State
Missouri State is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
Missouri State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Missouri State is 3-10-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Illinois State
Missouri State is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Illinois State
Next up:
Illinois State home to Southern Illinois, Sunday, January 5th
Missouri State at Loyola of Chicago, Sunday, January 5th
