Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Illinois State looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 35-31 lead against Belmont.
Illinois State came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Belmont Bruins @ Illinois State Redbirds
Current Records: Belmont 15-6, Illinois State 12-9
How To Watch
- When: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: CEFCU Arena — Normal, Illinois
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $12.10
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting Missouri Valley matchup on schedule as the Belmont Bruins and the Illinois State Redbirds are set to tip at 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at CEFCU Arena. The Redbirds are favored, but seeing as the odds didn’t stop the Bruins in their last game, maybe the team has another upset up their sleeve.
Last Saturday, Belmont strolled past Murray State with points to spare, taking the game 95-77.
Drew Scharnowski was the offensive standout of the match as he went 7 for 9 en route to 20 points plus eight rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in offensive rebounds (six). Carter Whitt was another key player, posting 17 points plus six assists and three steals.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 85 points the game before, Illinois State faltered in their matchup on Saturday. They fell to Bradley 61-57. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Redbirds in their matchups with the Braves: they’ve now lost six in a row.
Despite the defeat, Illinois State had strong showings from Ty Pence, who had 12 points, and Johnny Kinziger, who had 16 points in addition to five assists. Pence continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played.
Belmont has been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. As for Illinois State, their loss dropped their record down to 12-9.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday’s contest: Belmont has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 10.3 threes per game. However, it’s not like Illinois State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 10.3. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Belmont came out on top in a nail-biter against Illinois State when the teams last played back in December of 2024, sneaking past 99-97. The rematch might be a little tougher for Belmont since the squad won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
Illinois State is a 3.5-point favorite against Belmont, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Redbirds as a 2.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 155 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Belmont has won 4 out of their last 7 games against Illinois State.
- Dec 04, 2024 – Belmont 99 vs. Illinois State 97
- Jan 23, 2024 – Illinois State 77 vs. Belmont 67
- Jan 10, 2024 – Belmont 67 vs. Illinois State 60
- Feb 04, 2023 – Belmont 90 vs. Illinois State 75
- Dec 04, 2022 – Illinois State 87 vs. Belmont 77
- Nov 06, 2019 – Illinois State 79 vs. Belmont 72
- Nov 10, 2018 – Belmont 100 vs. Illinois State 89
