Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Illinois State and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 36-28 lead against N. Illinois.

If Illinois State keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 7-4 in no time. On the other hand, N. Illinois will have to make due with a 3-8 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

N. Illinois Huskies @ Illinois State Redbirds

Current Records: N. Illinois 3-7, Illinois State 6-4

How To Watch

What to Know

If the oddsmakers' predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for Illinois State. They will stay at home for another game and welcome the N. Illinois Huskies at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at CEFCU Arena. The Redbirds are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 80 points per game this season.

Last Sunday, Illinois State didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Saint Louis, but they still walked away with a 81-77 victory.

Illinois State can attribute much of their success to Chase Walker, who went 10 for 15 en route to 27 points plus eight rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Walker a new career-high in threes (two). Johnny Kinziger was another key player, posting 20 points plus six rebounds.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 89 points the game before, N. Illinois faltered in their match last Saturday. They were completely outmatched by N. Iowa on the road and fell 101-57. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Huskies in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now lost four in a row.

Illinois State pushed their record up to 6-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for N. Illinois, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Illinois State has been crazy accurate this season, having made 49.6% of their field goals per game. It's a different story for N. Illinois, though, as they've only made 40.9% of their field goals this season. Given Illinois State's sizable advantage in that area, N. Illinois will need to find a way to close that gap.

Odds

Illinois State is a big 15.5-point favorite against N. Illinois, 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 15.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 144 points.

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