Illinois State Redbirds (2-6) vs Belmont Bruins (5-3)
Sunday, December 04, 2022 at 2:00 pm
My math model only favors Belmont by 2.22 points in this game and the Bruins are a money-burning 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a win, 1-6-1 ATS in their last eight road affairs, and 0-4 ATS in their previous four games versus .399 or worse opposition. Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon arrived from Ohio State and used the transfer portal to improve the Redbirds' talent. Illinois State’s backcourt is deep with the addition of transfers Darius Burford (Elon), Malachi Poindexter (Virginia), and Seneca Knight (BYU). Burford led Elon in scoring, assists, and steals last season and is averaging 10.5 points and 2.5 assists per game for the Redbirds. Poindexter and Knight are averaging 7.8 and 9.9 points per game, respectively, and are joined on the court by returning starter Kendall Lewis, who leads the team with 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Pedon spent the past five seasons serving as Chris Holtmann’s assistant and can make Illinois State a contender in the Missouri Valley Conference. With Illinois State standing at 9-2 ATS off a road loss and 8-1 ATS off a conference road loss over the last two seasons, grab the points with the Redbirds and invest with confidence.