Kent State Golden Flashes vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 3/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Location: CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Illinois State (-6)

CEFCU Arena is the location where the Illinois State Redbirds (20-12) will meet the Kent State Golden Flashes (24-9) on Wednesday in the 1st round of the NIT. Kent State opens this contest as 6-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The total comes in at 153.

The Kent State Golden Flashes stepped onto the hardwood against Akron and ended up losing by a score of 75-68 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Golden Flashes ended up with 24 while Akron recorded 20 fouls. They also converted 8 out of their 24 tries from 3-point land. Akron ended up going 63.0% from the charity stripe by converting 17 of their 27 shots. In addition, Akron snagged 33 rebounds (7 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Akron doled out 11 dimes and had 3 steals in this contest. In terms of defense, Kent State let their opponent shoot 43.9% from the floor on 25 out of 57 shooting. They also distributed 5 assists in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 42 with 17 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Golden Flashes made 21 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 84.0%. Kent State finished with a 29.4% FG percentage (20 of 68) and converted 7 out of their 27 3-point shots.

Rob Whaley Jr. is a guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He accumulated 15 points on 5 out of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 22 mins and also pulled down 1 rebound. He walked away from this one shooting 45.5% from the floor but had no dimes when the game ended.

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Kent State comes into this game with a mark of 24-9 this season. They average 85.1 pts per game (18th in college) while shooting 45.2% from the field. The Golden Flashes are connecting on 35.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (325 of 909) and 74.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Kent State is collecting 39.6 rebounds per contest and has totaled 529 assists this season, which ranks 63rd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 13.2 times per contest and as a group they are committing 19.7 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Golden Flashes are forcing 12.2 turnovers per game while drawing 20.9 personal fouls. They surrender 34.2% on 3-point attempts while they are 325th in college in points per game allowed (79.6). The Golden Flashes are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.7% (883 of 2,022) and they concede 34.2 rebounds per game as a squad. They are 282nd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 477 conceded on the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Illinois State Redbirds went home defeated by a final of 74-52 against UNI. The Redbirds recorded 18 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 25 for the matchup. They also coughed it up 10 times, while earning 7 steals in the game. UNI committed 25 personal fouls in the game which got the Redbirds to the charity stripe for a total of 28 tries. They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 67.9%. With regard to shots from downtown, Illinois State made 3 of their 20 tries (15.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Redbirds ended up shooting 15 for 46 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 32.6%. The Redbirds permitted UNI to bury 29 out of 54 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 53.7% for the contest. They finished 42.1% from 3-point land by shooting 8 out of 19 and ended up shooting 8 out of 11 from the free throw line (72.7%). With respect to cleaning the glass, Illinois State permitted UNI to grab 31 overall (7 on the offensive glass).

Chase Walker was important for the Redbirds in the game. He had 11 points in his 24 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes in the matchup. He converted 2 of 7 for the game for a field goal rate of 28.6%, and had 5 rebounds.

Illinois State has a mark of 20-12 so far this season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Redbirds are hitting on 46.7% from the floor, which is ranked 87th in college hoops. Illinois State has tallied 2,404 points so far this season (75.1 per contest) and they grab 35.7 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 13.5 times per game (207th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.3 times per contest. The Redbirds have committed 16.8 fouls every game and they hit 70.2% from the free throw line.

The Illinois State defense concedes 32.9% on 3-point shots (209 of 636) and opponents are making 68.3% of their free throw shots. They have allowed 12.6 assists and 32.3 total boards per game, which has them ranked 108th and 60th in Division 1. The Redbirds defensively are ranked 47th in college in PPG given up with 68.4. They are able to force 11.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (142nd in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois State (-6)

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