Illinois State Redbirds vs. Pacific Tigers: How to watch NCAA Basketball online, TV channel, live stream info, start time

How to watch Illinois State vs. Pacific basketball game

By Scout Staff

Dec 7, 2024 at 7:50 pm ET • 3 min read

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 33-29 lead against Pacific.

If Illinois State keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 5-4 in no time. On the other hand, Pacific will have to make due with a 5-6 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Pacific Tigers @ Illinois State Redbirds

Current Records: Pacific 5-5, Illinois State 4-4

How To Watch

When: Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7 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: $11.00

What to Know

After four games on the road, Illinois State is heading back home. They will welcome the Pacific Tigers at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at CEFCU Arena. The Redbirds are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 80.9 points per game this season.

Illinois State fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Belmont on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They lost 99-97 to the Bruins on a last-minute jump shot From Carter Whitt. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.

Despite their loss, Illinois State saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Caden Boser, who went 6 for 9 en route to 17 points, was perhaps the best of all. Boser had some trouble finding his footing against George Wash. two weeks ago, so this was a step in the right direction. Another player making a difference was Ty Pence, who went 5 for 8 en route to 15 points plus seven rebounds and two steals.

Meanwhile, Pacific came up short against Colorado on Monday and fell 75-66.

Elias Ralph put forth a good effort for the losing side as he had 24 points plus seven rebounds and two blocks. He is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last four games he's played.

Pacific struggled to work together and finished the game with only eight assists. They were smoked by their opponents in that department as Colorado racked up 20.

Illinois State has not been sharp recently as the team has lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-4 record this season. As for Pacific, they dropped their record down to 5-5 with the defeat, which was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season.

Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's game: Illinois State has been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 40.2% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Pacific, though, as they've only made 28.4% of their threes this season. Given Illinois State's sizable advantage in that area, Pacific will need to find a way to close that gap.

Looking forward, Illinois State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 7.5 points. Be careful betting them against the spread as while they're 5-2 ATS overall, they're only 0-1 when playing as the favorites at home.