Indiana State Sycamores vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 12/21/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Indiana State Sycamores vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Sunday, December 21, 2025

Location: CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Indiana State Sycamores (7-5) are hitting the road to CEFCU Arena on Sunday where they will go up against the Illinois State Redbirds (9-3).

The Indiana State Sycamores faced off with Bradley and took a loss by a score of 108-99 in their last game. Indiana State ended having earned a 40.0% FG percentage (28 of 70) and buried 13 of their 38 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Sycamores knocked down 30 of their 43 shots for a percentage of 69.8%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 42 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 19 assists in the game while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 5 steals. Pertaining to defending, Indiana State allowed the other team to go 44.9% from the floor on 40 out of 89 shooting. Bradley earned 13 assists and had 7 steals in the game. Furthermore, Bradley totaled 46 boards (9 offensive, 37 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Bradley finished the game at 63.0% from the free throw line by burying 17 of 27 tries. They knocked down 11 out of their 34 tries from 3-point range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Sycamores finished with 19 while Bradley finished the game with 28 personal fouls.

Ian Scott is a player who was a contributor in this matchup. He recorded 24 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 49 minutes and totaled 12 rebounds. He finished the game at 58.3% from the field and distributed 3 dimes.

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Indiana State will enter this game with a win-loss record of 7-5 for the campaign. They are turning it over 13.7 times per contest and as a team they are committing 15.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Indiana State is snagging 38.0 boards per game and has accounted for 211 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 26th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Sycamores are shooting 30.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (102 of 339) and 73.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 77.3 points per outing (190th in college) while hitting 45.5% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Sycamores are able to force 12.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.6 fouls. They are ranked 85th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 132 relinquished so far this year. The Sycamores defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.8% (330 of 789) and they relinquish 38.4 rebounds per game as a team. They are giving up 29.4% on shots from distance and they rank 163rd in D-1 in opponents PPG (72.3).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Illinois State Redbirds walked away with a victory by a final of 75-68 when they played Southern Illinois. The Redbirds collected 23 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for this game. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while getting 8 steals in this contest. Southern Illinois was called for 15 fouls for this contest which got the Redbirds to the charity stripe for 18 shots. They were able to knock down 7 of them for a rate of 38.9%. Regarding shooting from distance, Illinois State converted 8 out of 29 attempts (27.6%). When the final whistle was blown, the Redbirds walked away from this one shooting 30 out of 61 from the field which gave them a rate of 49.2%. The Redbirds permitted Southern Illinois to make 26 of their 53 tries from the field which left them shooting 49.1% in this matchup. They shot 30.8% from beyond the arc via 4 out of 13 and ended up shooting 12 of 22 at the free throw line (54.5%). Concerning cleaning up the glass, Illinois State allowed Southern Illinois to collect 31 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Ty Pence was important for the Redbirds for this game. He scored 22 points in his 33 mins of playing time, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He buried 9 out of 13 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 69.2%, and had 4 rebounds.

Illinois State has a mark of 9-3 so far this season. As an offensive team, the Redbirds are connecting on 48.7% from the field, which ranks 55th in college hoops. Illinois State has earned 968 points on the year (80.7 per contest) and they pull down 37.8 rebounds per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 14.7 times per game (174th in college) and they are turning it over 10.7 times per contest. The Redbirds have committed 16.8 fouls per contest and they hit 66.3% from the free throw line.

The Illinois State defense gives up 29.8% on shots from beyond the arc (78 of 262) and their opposition makes 65.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 11.5 assists and 32.9 rebounds per game, which ranks them 62nd and 109th in college hoops. The Redbirds defensively are ranked 59th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 67.5. They are forcing 11.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.7% from the field (102nd in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Illinois State

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