Murray State Racers vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Murray State Racers vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois State Redbirds (17-10) welcome the Murray State Racers (19-9) at CEFCU Arena on Wednesday.

The Murray State Racers took the court against Belmont and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 87-70 in their last game. Murray State walked away from the contest having earned a 38.3% field goal percentage (23 out of 60) and made 11 out of their 32 3-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Racers made 13 of 21 attempts for a rate of 61.9%. With regard to grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 33 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 9 assists in this game while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In relation to defense, Murray State allowed the other team to go 51.7% from the floor on 30 of 58 shooting. Belmont earned 17 assists and had 8 steals for the game. Additionally, Belmont totaled 34 rebounds (6 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Belmont shot 85.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 17 of 20 tries. They also converted 10 of 22 shots from long range. In reference to personal fouls, the Racers finished with 20 and Belmont had 22 personal fouls.

KJ Tenner is one guy who was a major factor in this matchup. He racked up 21 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 23 mins and also pulled down 1 rebound. He finished shooting 70.0% from the field and also distributed 1 assist.

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Murray State enters this one with a record of 19-9 this season. They cough up possession 12.1 times per contest and as a unit they commit 18.6 fouls per game. As a unit, Murray State is collecting 37.1 boards per game and has totaled 387 dimes this season, which ranks 119th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Racers are shooting 34.8% on shots from 3-point land (267 of 768) and 75.9% from the free throw line. They are averaging 84.3 points per game (28th in the nation) on 46.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Racers are able to force 11.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.0 personal fouls. They are giving up 35.9% on three-point shots while they are 321st in Division 1 in points per game allowed (79.5). The Racers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 46.6% (822 of 1,764) and they surrender 34.9 rebounds per game as a squad. They are ranked 187th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 349 relinquished so far this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Illinois State Redbirds took a loss by a final score of 83-56 when they played UIC. The Redbirds earned 19 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards for a total of 23 in the game. They turned it over 17 times, while recording 6 steals in this game. UIC earned 13 fouls in this contest which got the Redbirds to the free throw line for 6 tries. They were able to make 5 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 83.3%. In regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Illinois State knocked down 9 of their 35 attempts (25.7%). In all, the Redbirds went 21 out of 59 from the floor which had them at 35.6%. The Redbirds permitted UIC to bury 38 of their 69 tries from the floor which left them shooting 55.1% for this game. They finished 23.1% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 3 out of 13 and ended up shooting 4 of 8 from the free throw line (50.0%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Illinois State allowed UIC to collect 41 in total (12 offensive).

Johnny Kinziger ended up having an impact for the Redbirds for the game. He converted 5 out of 11 in the matchup giving him a rate of 45.5%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He recorded 12 points in his 33 minutes on the court and accumulated 3 dimes for this contest.

Illinois State has a record of 17-10 this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Redbirds are connecting on 46.8% from the floor, which ranks 90th in the country. Illinois State has scored 2,062 points this season (76.4 per contest) and they average 36.5 boards per contest. They are getting an assist 13.9 times per game (191st in college hoops) and they cough up possession 11.1 times per game. The Redbirds have committed 16.9 fouls per contest and they connect on 69.8% from the charity stripe.

The Illinois State defense surrenders 32.2% on shots from distance (173 of 537) and opponents are converting on 69.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 12.2 assists and 32.7 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 85th and 79th in those defensive categories. The Redbirds are ranked 44th in D-1 in points given up per game with 68.1. They are forcing their opponents into 11.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.7% from the floor (104th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Murray State

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