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Bradley vs Illinois State: Odds, Predictions & Key Insights | February 19, 2025
Written by: Colby Marchio
Last Updated:
Read Time: 4 minutes
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Illinois State looks to snap its three-game losing streak as it hosts Bradley in a pivotal Missouri Valley Conference matchup. The Braves enter riding high after a statement road win over Drake, but oddsmakers have made a notable adjustment to the opening line. With a drastic shift in the odds and a potential letdown spot for Bradley, this game sets up as a fascinating battle in Bloomington-Normal.
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Bradley vs Illinois State Odds
Can Illinois State snap its losing streak and catch Bradley off guard after its big win against Drake?
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Spread
Bradley: PK (-110)
ILL State: PK (-110)
Total
Over: 144.5 (-105)
Under: 144.5 (-115)
Bradley vs Illinois State Best Bet
The Red Birds host the Braves on this marvelous Wednesday night matchup in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Bradley is coming off a big win over Drake as 5.5-point underdogs on the road. Meanwhile, Illinois State is currently on a three-game losing streak.
Revenge Spot
This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season. The first came back on January 25, when the Braves took down the Red Birds 61-57, but did not cover the 8.5-point spread. Last night, this line opened with Illinois State as slight home favorites, but it has since dropped to a pick’em, with some books now listing the Red Birds as underdogs. With such a drastic line movement and the Braves coming off a big road win, I lean toward Illinois State at home.
Illinois State has a fantastic offense paired with a very mediocre defense. They excel at scoring both inside and outside, take care of the ball, and are efficient from the free-throw line. Defensively, their only notable strength is rebounding, ranking 40th in the country at home. Outside of that, they are 328th in effective field goal percentage defense, 314th in three-point defense, and 288th in two-point defense. Their offense has to be nearly perfect for them to succeed.
Fortunately for the Red Birds, Bradley has struggled on the road this season when it comes to generating second-chance points, ranking 24th worst in offensive rebounding. On top of that, they foul at a high rate, ranking 306th in free throw rate defense. Per Haslametrics, Bradley is also ranked 22nd worst in momentum and 280th in consistency. This is the toughest team the Braves have faced on the road since Northern Iowa, where they lost 83-69.
With a letdown spot looming for the Braves, this feels like a great opportunity for the Red Birds to snap their losing streak and secure a win at home.
Best Bet: Illinois State ML (-110) on BetOnline
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Former D1 (club) baseball player, Colby has been betting since his college days at DePaul, where he had to endure the worst collegiate basketball the Big East has ever seen. He is an advanced analytics nerd who spends his free time on Bart Torvik, Ken Pom and Batters-Box.com. He has never seen an underdog he has not liked. Hot. Corn. Bull. It does not matter the dog he loves them all.
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