Halftime Report
Illinois State is on the road but looking no worse for wear. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Illinois State leads 29-27 over George Wash.
If Illinois State keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 5-2 in no time. On the other hand, George Wash. will have to make due with a 5-2 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Illinois State Redbirds @ George Wash. Revolutionaries
Current Records: Illinois State 4-2, George Wash. 5-1
How To Watch
What to Know
The Illinois State Redbirds’ road trip will continue as they head out to face the George Wash. Revolutionaries at 3:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center. The Redbirds pulled off an upset win in their last outing, and are hoping to pull that off once more against the 1.5-point favorite Revolutionaries.
Illinois State’s offense and defense might be a bit winded after their high-scoring matchup with UAB on Saturday. Illinois State skirted by UAB 84-83 thanks to a clutch free throw from Johnny Kinziger with 5 seconds left in the second quarter.
Illinois State got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kinziger out in front who went 8 for 12 en route to 21 points plus two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Chase Walker, who went 5 for 7 en route to 16 points plus eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, George Wash. beat Louisiana 83-74 on Saturday.
George Wash.’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Darren Buchanan Jr. led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Buchanan Jr. had some trouble finding his footing against Kansas State on Friday, so this was a step in the right direction. Trey Autry was another key player, earning 16 points.
Illinois State’s victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for George Wash., their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Illinois State hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 81 points per game. However, it’s not like George Wash. struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 80.2. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Not only did both teams in this Monday’s game win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking forward, George Wash. is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. Illinois State might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a four game streak of covering the spread when playing as the underdog.
Odds
George Wash. is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Illinois State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 149.5 points.
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