Illinois State Redbirds vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Prediction, 3/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Date: Sunday, March 22, 2026

Location: LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Illinois State (+7)

The Illinois State Redbirds (21-12) are en route to LJVM Coliseum on Sunday where they will play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-16) in the 2nd round of the NIT. Illinois State opens this matchup as 7-point dogs. The over/under comes in at 149.

The Illinois State Redbirds stepped onto the hardwood against Kent State and took home the win by a score of 79-58 in their last game. Concerning personal fouls, the Redbirds left the arena with 14 while Kent State totaled 16 personal fouls. They also converted 7 of 28 shots from beyond the arc. Kent State finished shooting 75.0% at the free throw line by converting 9 of their 12 shots. Additionally, Kent State totaled 40 rebounds (8 offensive, 32 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Kent State recorded 16 dimes and had 2 steals for the matchup. When talking about defense, Illinois State allowed 32.8% from the floor on 21 out of 64 shooting. They also doled out 21 assists for the matchup as well as creating 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When discussing hauling in boards, they collected 37 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Redbirds buried 12 of 18 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. Illinois State walked away from the contest having earned a 42.2% field goal percentage (27 of 64) and converted 13 of 35 three-point attempts.

Landon Wolf is a player who was a contributor in the game. He totaled 24 points on 8 out of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 26 minutes and also pulled down 7 boards. He went 57.1% from the field but didn't record an assist.

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Illinois State will enter this matchup with a mark of 21-12 this season. They have an average of 75.2 points per game (191st in the country) while going 46.5% from the floor. The Redbirds are connecting on 35.3% on shots from distance (288 of 816) and 70.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Illinois State is snagging 35.9 boards per game and is sitting with 453 assists for the season, which ranks 177th in college in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 11.1 times per contest and as a squad they commit 16.7 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Redbirds are forcing 11.0 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. They give up 32.5% on three-point shots while they are 40th in college in points per game from their opponents (68.1). The Redbirds defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 43.3% (811 of 1,874) and they concede 32.6 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 134th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 418 surrendered this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons went home victorious with a score of 82-72 against Navy. The Demon Deacons pulled down 21 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 33 for the contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 5 steals for the game. Navy was called for 16 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Demon Deacons to the charity stripe for a total of 21 tries. They were able to convert 20 of them for a rate of 95.2%. In regard to 3-point shots, Wake Forest knocked down 8 of 30 attempts (26.7%). When all was said and done, the Demon Deacons shot 27 for 56 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.2%. The Demon Deacons permitted Navy to knock down 28 of their 65 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.1% in this matchup. They wrapped up this game 31.8% from beyond the arc by going 7 out of 22 and finished the game at 9 out of 13 from the charity stripe (69.2%). Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, Wake Forest allowed Navy to collect 26 in total (12 offensive).

Juke Harris pitched in for the Demon Deacons in the game. He converted 7 out of 13 for the game for a field goal rate of 53.8%, and accounted for 6 rebounds. He accumulated 26 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and had 5 assists for this game.

Wake Forest has a win-loss record of 18-16 for the year. The Demon Deacons have committed 18.6 fouls per contest and they shoot 77.9% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 14.4 times per game (138th in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.9 times per contest. Wake Forest has 2,684 pts for the season (78.9 per contest) and they grab 33.2 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Demon Deacons are shooting 45.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 186th in the nation.

The Wake Forest defense allows 33.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (308 of 933) and opponents are knocking down 73.7% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 14.9 assists and 35.0 boards per contest, which is ranked 292nd and 224th in those categories on the defensive end. The Demon Deacons are ranked 262nd in college hoops in PPG given up with 76.9. They are forcing 12.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 44.2% from the floor (180th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Illinois State (+7)

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