Belmont Bruins vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 3/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Belmont Bruins vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026

Location: CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL

TV: ESPN+

CEFCU Arena is the site where the Illinois State Redbirds (19-11) will meet the Belmont Bruins (26-4) on Sunday.

The Belmont Bruins took the court against Evansville and notched a win by a score of 98-64 in their last game. Belmont ended having earned a 57.4% field goal percentage (35 of 61) and buried 21 out of their 37 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bruins knocked down 7 of their 9 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 32 with 5 of them being offensive. They also dished out 24 assists in this matchup while forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When talking about defending, Belmont let their opponent shoot 45.6% from the floor on 26 of 57 shooting. Evansville totaled 10 assists and had 3 steals for the contest. Additionally, Evansville grabbed 22 rebounds (4 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Evansville finished the contest at 60.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 6 of their 10 attempts. They made 6 of 26 shots from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Bruins walked away with 13 while Evansville accounted for 10 fouls.

Tyler Lundblade is one guy who was a contributor for this game. He recorded 15 points on 5 out of 10 shooting. He played 28 mins and also collected 2 boards. He shot 50.0% from the field and recorded 4 assists.

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Belmont steps onto the hardwood with a record of 26-4 so far this season. They are averaging 84.4 points per outing (26th in Division 1) while hitting 51.8% from the floor. The Bruins are hitting 40.4% on shots from distance (324 of 801) and 68.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Belmont is pulling down 36.5 rebounds per game and has accounted for 554 assists this year, which ranks 4th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 12.7 times per contest and as a group they are committing 17.4 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Bruins are forcing 12.6 turnovers every game and they draw 17.5 fouls. They are ranked 204th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 391 surrendered on the season. The Bruins defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 40.3% (737 of 1,828) and they relinquish 33.1 boards per game as a team. They surrender 33.0% on 3-pointers while they are 133rd in college hoops in points per game allowed (72.2).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Illinois State Redbirds got the victory with a final of 71-69 against UNI. In regard to attacking the glass, Illinois State allowed UNI to snag 26 in all (4 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 56.3% from downtown via 9 out of 16 and walked away from this one shooting 12 of 19 at the free throw line (63.2%). The Redbirds permitted UNI to make 24 of 48 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0% for this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Redbirds went 26 for 53 from the floor which had them sitting at 49.1%. In regard to shots from downtown, Illinois State made 10 of 27 attempts (37.0%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 81.8%. UNI committed 12 fouls for the game which took the Redbirds to the free throw line for 11 attempts. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Redbirds were able to corral 24 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 in the game.

Boden Skunberg was important for the Redbirds for this contest. He converted 6 of 10 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and tallied 8 rebounds. He earned 14 points in his 36 mins on the court, but finished this game without an assist.

Illinois State has a record of 19-11 so far this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Redbirds are shooting 47.0% from the floor, which is 75th in D-1. Illinois State has totaled 2,271 pts for the season (75.7 per game) and they pull in 36.2 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.6 times per game (206th in college) and they turn it over 11.5 times per contest. The Redbirds are committing 16.8 fouls per game and they hit 69.8% from the free throw line.

The Redbirds on defense are ranked 43rd in college in points per game surrendered with 68.1. They are forcing 11.1 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 43.1% from the floor (118th in the country). The Illinois State defense gives up 32.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (190 of 591) and opponents are knocking down 68.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 12.1 assists and 32.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 79th and 60th in those defensive categories.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois State and under the total points

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