Illinois State Redbirds vs Bradley Braves Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs Bradley Braves

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Carver Arena in Peoria, IL

TV: ESPN+

Carver Arena is the location where the Bradley Braves (18-10) will compete against the Illinois State Redbirds (18-10) on Saturday.

The Illinois State Redbirds faced Murray State and went home with a win by a final score of 78-61 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Redbirds walked away with 14 while Murray State finished the game with 12 personal fouls. They knocked down 5 out of their 20 attempts from three-point range. Murray State went 57.1% from the charity stripe by knocking down 8 of 14 tries. Additionally, Murray State had 24 rebounds (10 offensive, 14 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Murray State earned 10 assists and had 8 steals in this matchup. When it comes to the defense, Illinois State allowed the other team to go 42.1% from the floor on 24 out of 57 shooting. They also distributed 16 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. When discussing pulling down rebounds, they collected a total of 32 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Redbirds knocked down 5 of 11 shots for a percentage of 45.5%. Illinois State finished having earned a 55.2% FG percentage (32 out of 58) and converted 9 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land.

Ty'Reek Coleman is one guy who came through in this matchup. He totaled 22 points on 10 of 16 shooting. He was on the court for 27 mins played and also grabbed 5 boards. He finished the game at 62.5% from the floor and dished out 4 assists.

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Illinois State heads into this contest with a record of 18-10 this year. They are turning it over 11.3 times per game and as a team are committing 16.8 fouls every game. As a team, Illinois State is pulling down 36.6 boards per contest and has accounted for 390 dimes this season, which is 139th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Redbirds are connecting on 35.3% on 3-point shots (242 of 685) and 69.3% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 76.4 points per outing (168th in college) while going 47.1% from the floor.

On defense, the Redbirds are able to force 11.4 turnovers per game while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. They rank 128th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 339 conceded on the season. The Redbirds are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.6% (680 of 1,595) and they relinquish 32.5 rebounds per contest as a team. They are giving up 32.0% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 39th in college hoops in points per game allowed (67.8).

In their last game, the Bradley Braves took a loss by a score of 79-72 against Valparaiso. In relation to cleaning the glass, Bradley permitted Valparaiso to collect 25 in total (6 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 43.8% from 3-point land by going 7 out of 16 and ended up going 20 of 33 from the free throw line (60.6%). The Braves allowed Valparaiso to knock down 26 of 51 tries from the field which had them shooting 51.0% for this game. When the final whistle blew, the Braves ended up going 24 for 52 from the field which had them at 46.2%. When discussing shooting from 3-point land, Bradley made 12 out of their 24 tries (50.0%). They were able to convert 12 of the free throw tries for a clip of 70.6%. Valparaiso committed 16 personal fouls for the game which got the Braves to the charity stripe for a total of 17 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while recording 2 steals for the contest. The Braves pulled down 20 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 in the matchup.

Alex Huibregtse was important for the Braves in the matchup. He buried 7 of 11 in the game for a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and had 2 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 32 minutes on the court and earned 1 assist in the game.

Bradley has a record of 18-10 this season. When it comes to offense, the Braves are hitting on 43.5% from the floor, which ranks 283rd in the country. Bradley has accounted for 2,154 pts for the year (76.9 per contest) and they grab 34.4 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 12.9 times per game (269th in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 9.8 times per game. The Braves are responsible for committing 18.6 personal fouls every game and they shoot 73.3% from the charity stripe.

The Braves on the defensive end are ranked 144th in college in PPG given up with 72.6. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.7% from the field (223rd in D-1). The Bradley defense gives up 35.1% on three-point shots (224 of 639) and their opponents are making 70.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 13.2 assists and 36.5 boards on a nightly basis, which is 157th and 299th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois State

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