Illinois State Redbirds vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 1/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois State Redbirds (12-3) are hitting the road to Athletics-Recreation Center on Wednesday where they will take on the Valparaiso Beacons (7-8).

The Illinois State Redbirds played Evansville and went home with a win by a final score of 73-47 in their last contest. Illinois State ended the contest having earned a 46.6% FG percentage (27 out of 58) and buried 7 of their 22 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the Redbirds made 12 of their 19 attempts for a percentage of 63.2%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 34 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 12 dimes in this matchup as well as forcing 23 turnovers and getting 10 steals. Regarding defending, Illinois State let their opponent shoot 31.4% from the floor on 16 out of 51 shooting. Evansville recorded 7 dimes and had 3 steals in this game. In addition, Evansville had 33 boards (6 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Evansville finished 69.2% from the free throw line by burying 9 of their 13 tries. They also converted 6 of 20 shots from downtown. When talking about personal fouls, the Redbirds ended up finishing with 10 and Evansville accounted for 17 personal fouls.

Chase Walker is a guy who came through for the game. He finished the contest at 56.3% from the field but wasn't able to get a dime. He played 28 minutes and pulled down 8 boards. He totaled 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting.

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Illinois State comes into this game with a win-loss record of 12-3 on the season. They have an average of 79.9 points per outing (129th in Division 1) while hitting 49.5% from the field. The Redbirds are hitting 36.6% on shots from distance (132 of 361) and 66.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Illinois State is collecting 37.4 rebounds per game and is sitting with 219 dimes for the campaign, which is 167th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 10.9 times per game and as a team are committing 16.5 fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Redbirds are forcing 11.9 turnovers every game and they draw 17.8 fouls. They rank 49th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 166 conceded on the season. The Redbirds defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 40.7% (347 of 853) and they concede 32.0 boards per contest as a squad. They are relinquishing 30.1% on 3-point shots and they are 24th in D-1 in points per game allowed (65.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the Valparaiso Beacons went home victorious with a score of 66-59 against UIC. The Beacons were able to corral 16 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 22 in this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 3 steals in the game. UIC was called for 26 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Beacons to the free throw line for 40 attempts. They were able to convert 31 of the free throw tries for a rate of 77.5%. With regard to 3-pointers, Valparaiso knocked down 5 of 11 tries (45.5%). When all was said and done, the Beacons ended up shooting 15 for 41 from the floor which had them shooting 36.6%. The Beacons allowed UIC to knock down 23 out of 48 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.9% for this game. They finished shooting 16.7% from 3-point land by hitting 2 out of 12 and ended up shooting 11 out of 17 at the charity stripe (64.7%). Regarding how they rebounded, Valparaiso allowed UIC to get 29 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

JT Pettigrew ended up being a major contributor for the Beacons in the game. He buried 5 out of 12 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 41.7%, and had 7 rebounds. He totaled 21 points in his 35 minutes on the court and had 3 assists for this contest.

Valparaiso has a record of 7-8 on the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Beacons are connecting on 40.0% from the field, which is 349th in college. Valparaiso has totaled 1,064 points for the campaign (70.9 per game) and they pull down 38.1 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 11.7 times per game (331st in the country) and they turn the ball over 10.7 times per game. The Beacons are responsible for committing 18.5 fouls per game and they hit 72.2% from the free throw line.

The Valparaiso defense concedes 30.1% on three-point shots (91 of 302) and opponents are converting on 72.0% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 11.3 assists and 37.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 46th and 298th in the nation. The Beacons on defense are ranked 101st in Division 1 in points given up per game with 69.7. They are able to force 12.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.3% from the floor (121st in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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