It should be a lively atmosphere at Redbird Arena on Saturday as Illinois State welcomes Bradley in a Missouri Valley showdown. The first whistle blows at 8:05 EST and you can see it on CSN-CHI.
Bradley is in 10th place in the conference and Illinois State is in 3rd place. The Redbirds check in at 14-9 overall including 6-6 in the Missouri Valley. Meanwhile, the Braves have a record of 6-18 including 1-11 in the conference.
We think Illinois State has a huge advantage in this game. Illinois State will use its home-court advantage and look to improve its 11-2 home record, while Bradley is 1-11 on the road. We're going with the RPI for this one, which has the Redbirds ranked #118 and above the Braves at #211. Also, Bradley has lost five straight, and Illinois State believes it can extend that. Last year, the Redbirds had a record of 2-0 against the Braves, with an average one point margin of victory. In four seasons, Illinois State has a record of 6-2 against Bradley, and 4-0 at home.
StatSmack! Illinois State is better than Bradley
- Illinois State has a better rebound defense (32.2 allowed per game vs 36.6 allowed per game) than Bradley this season.
- John Wilkins is ranked 10th in the Missouri Valley in blocks
- Illinois State has a better conference record than Bradley this season (6-6 vs 1-11).
- At least you keep showing up. Illinois State has an average margin of victory of 7 over Bradley in 33 wins since 1980.
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