North Dakota State Bison vs Illinois State Redbirds Betting Pick & Prediction 12/17/23

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Bison versus the Redbirds? Tip off is at at 4:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ESPN+. The game will be played at CEFCU Arena in Normal, IL. The over/under for this non-conference contest is set at 134.5 points, with the Redbirds being the favored team playing at home against the Bison.

NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON VS ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Illinois State Redbirds -3.5

This game will be played at CEFCU Arena at 4:00 ET on Sunday, December 17th.

WHY BET THE ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-67 in favor of the Redbirds.
• Not only will Illinois State pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -3.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 134.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.

Can the Bison Pull the Upset on the Road?

This will be North Dakota State’s 12th game of the season and their overall record is 7-4. In their previous ten road games, including those from last year, North Dakota State has a 4-6 record. North Dakota State has an ATS record of 2-4, which is below .500. In their last ten games this season, North Dakota State is 2-2 vs. the spread.

Through 11 games, North Dakota State has an over/under record of 4-2-0 with their games averaging a combined 145.5 points per game so far. The Bison’s have recorded an over/under record of 1-1 in their last three games, with their games averaging 142 points per game.

The North Dakota State offense is coming off a game where they scored 65 points against San Jose State. They posted a field goal percentage of 39.3% and connected on 5 threes. Boden Skunberg is leading the team in scoring at 13.5 points per contest. Damari Wheeler-Thomas has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 13.4 going into the game.

So far, the Bison’s defense is ranked 120th in the country at 69.4 points per contest. North Dakota State’s three-point defense is currently 55th in the country at 5.6 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 33.9% of their shots vs. North Dakota State.

Do the Redbirds Have What it Takes to Win as Home Favorites?

Illinois State will be playing their 11th game of the season with an overall record of 6-4. The Redbirds will be 1-3 on the road this season and 2-0 at home. Heading into their game against North Dakota State, Illinois State has a current ATS record of 2-4. In their last five games, the team holds an ATS record of 3-2.

Through 10 games, Illinois State has an over/under record of 2-4-0 with their games averaging a combined 132.7 points per game so far. When looking at the Redbirds’ last three games, their over/under record is 1-2, with their games averaging 130 points per game.

In their latest game, Illinois State offense put up 69 points against UIC. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 58.1% and made 3 threes. The top scorer for the Redbirds was Darius Burford with 20 points, while Dalton Banks also chipped in with 19 points.

This season, the Illinois State defense has been impressive, holding the 62nd position in the country while permitting an average of 65.6 points per contest. Against UIC in their most recent game, the Illinois State defense gave up a total of 64 points while allowing UIC to hit 40% of their shots.