UNI Panthers vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 1/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UNI Panthers vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Location: CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL

TV: ESPN+

CEFCU Arena is the location where the Illinois State Redbirds (13-6) will attempt to beat the UNI Panthers (12-7) on Wednesday.

The UNI Panthers took the court against Valparaiso and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 54-44 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Panthers walked away with 18 while Valparaiso recorded 12 fouls. They also buried 5 out of their 19 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Valparaiso finished the contest at 75.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 15 of 20 tries. Furthermore, Valparaiso pulled down 35 rebounds (5 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Valparaiso doled out 4 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. When it comes to the defense, UNI allowed the other team to go 33.3% from the floor on 17 of 51 shooting. They also dished out 7 assists in this game while forcing 6 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In relation to rebounding, they earned 29 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Panthers buried 2 of their 7 attempts for a percentage of 28.6%. UNI finished having earned a 33.3% FG percentage (19 of 57) and converted 4 out of their 20 3-point attempts.

Ben Schwieger is a player who came through for the contest. He ended up going 44.4% from the field and also distributed 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins and grabbed 4 boards. He ended up walking away with 10 points on 4 out of 9 shooting.

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UNI heads into this one with a win-loss record of 12-7 this year. They are losing possession via turnover 9.2 times per contest and as a unit they commit 15.5 fouls every game. As a unit, UNI is collecting 33.4 boards per contest and has totaled 286 assists so far this year, which is 105th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Panthers are connecting on 33.7% on 3-point shots (148 of 439) and 67.6% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 67.8 points per outing (336th in Division 1) while hitting 45.1% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Panthers are able to force 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 14.8 fouls. They are 43rd in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 207 surrendered so far this season. The Panthers are giving up a shooting percentage of 39.7% (408 of 1,029) and they relinquish 35.2 rebounds per game as a group. They give up 25.6% on shots from downtown while they are 2nd in D-1 in points per game allowed (59.7).

The last time they took the court, the Illinois State Redbirds went home victorious with a score of 88-62 when they faced Bradley. When it comes to rebounding, Illinois State permitted Bradley to collect 28 in all (10 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 35.7% from three-point range by shooting 5 out of 14 and ended up shooting 17 of 23 at the charity stripe (73.9%). The Redbirds allowed Bradley to bury 20 out of 57 tries from the floor which had them shooting 35.1% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Redbirds went 34 for 64 from the field which had them sitting at 53.1%. In relation to 3-point shots, Illinois State knocked down 10 of 23 attempts (43.5%). They were able to knock down 10 of the free throw tries for a clip of 76.9%. Bradley was called for 16 fouls in the game which took the Redbirds to the free throw line for a total of 13 attempts. They coughed up the ball 6 times, while earning 3 steals in this game. The Redbirds earned 26 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 38 in the matchup.

Boden Skunberg was important for the Redbirds for this game. He earned 23 points in his 31 minutes of playing time and accounted for 1 assist for this contest. He buried 9 of 15 for the contest for a rate of 60.0%, and had 4 rebounds.

Illinois State has a win-loss mark of 13-6 on the season. When it comes to offense, the Redbirds are shooting 48.4% from the floor, which is ranked 48th in D-1. Illinois State has totaled 1,506 pts this year (79.3 per game) and they pull in 37.2 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 14.2 times per contest (198th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 10.6 times per contest. The Redbirds are responsible for committing 17.6 fouls every game and they go 67.9% from the charity stripe.

The Illinois State defense surrenders 31.6% on 3-point shots (125 of 396) and their opposition knocks down 67.6% of their free throw shots. They give up 11.6 assists and 32.3 rebounds every game, which is ranked 48th and 67th in D-1. The Redbirds on the defensive end are ranked 36th in the country in points per game surrendered with 67.1. They are able to force 11.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.6% from the field (72nd in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Illinois State

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