Illinois State Redbirds vs Murray State Racers Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs Murray State Racers

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: CFSB Center in Murray, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Murray State Racers (16-5) will compete against the Illinois State Redbirds (14-7) at CFSB Center on Wednesday.

The Illinois State Redbirds took the court against Belmont and took a loss by a final of 80-69 in their last game. In regard to personal fouls, the Redbirds ended up finishing with 18 while Belmont accumulated 16 personal fouls. They buried 9 of their 16 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Belmont shot 61.9% from the free throw line by making 13 of 21 attempts. Moreover, Belmont snagged 23 boards (3 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Belmont earned 19 assists and had 7 steals for this game. Pertaining to defense, Illinois State allowed 58.0% from the floor on 29 of 50 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. Concerning getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 35 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Redbirds knocked down 17 of their 20 shots for a rate of 85.0%. Illinois State finished the game with a 37.9% FG percentage (22 out of 58) and knocked down 8 of their 28 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Johnny Kinziger is one player who had an impact for this contest. He finished 28.6% from the floor and also distributed 5 dimes. He played for 33 mins played and pulled down 2 boards. He walked away with 13 points on 4 out of 14 shooting.

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Illinois State will enter this game with a mark of 14-7 this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.0 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Illinois State is collecting 37.3 rebounds per game and has accumulated 288 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 196th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Redbirds are hitting 35.2% on shots from 3-point land (179 of 509) and 69.6% from the free throw line. They have an average of 77.8 points per game (152nd in D-1) while going 47.5% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Redbirds are able to force 11.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.0 fouls. They concede 31.9% on 3-point shots while they are 36th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (67.0). The Redbirds defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.0% (494 of 1,176) and they surrender 31.9 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 77th in the nation in giving up assists with 243 relinquished this year.

The last time they took the court, the Murray State Racers took a defeat with a final score of 81-76 when they played UNI. Regarding rebounding, Murray State permitted UNI to collect 29 in all (5 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 46.7% from distance by shooting 7 of 15 and finished the game at 12 out of 21 from the free throw line (57.1%). The Racers permitted UNI to make 31 of their 54 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 57.4% for the game. In all, the Racers walked away from this one shooting 26 out of 62 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.9%. In terms of shots from beyond the perimeter, Murray State made 7 of their 26 tries (26.9%). They were able to make 17 of them for a rate of 85.0%. UNI earned 16 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Racers to the charity stripe for 20 shots. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 5 steals in the matchup. The Racers corralled 21 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for the contest.

Roman Domon was important for the Racers for the contest. He knocked down 7 out of 12 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and had 2 rebounds. He tallied 29 points in his 26 minutes on the hardwood, but went home with no dimes.

Murray State has a mark of 16-5 for the campaign. The Racers are committing 19.0 fouls per contest and they shoot 76.0% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 15.0 times per contest (127th in college) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per game. Murray State has accounted for 1,834 pts this year (87.3 per contest) and they pull down 38.1 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Racers are hitting on 47.3% from the floor, which is ranked 74th in D-1.

The Racers defensively are ranked 300th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 78.6. They have forced 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.5% from the field (270th in college). The Murray State defense gives up 34.5% on 3-point shots (111 of 322) and their opposition knocks down 73.5% of their free throw shots. They have given up 11.6 assists and 35.2 rebounds per contest, which is 53rd and 220th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Murray State

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