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  1. Home
  2. NCAAB Picks
  3. Illinois St. Redbirds vs Murray St. Racers
Thu 8:00 PM ET
Illinois St. Redbirds logo
Illinois St.
Redbirds74
23-13
versus
Murray St. Racers logo
Murray St.
Racers68
20-12
Final
Team12T
Illinois St. Redbirds334174
Murray St. Racers254368
NCAAB · Illinois St. Redbirds at Murray St. Racers

Your Picks on Illinois St. vs Murray St.

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Illinois St. Redbirds vs Murray St. Racers Betting Picks & Predictions

Game time: January 2, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET

Venue: CFSB Center — Murray, KY

Article updated Jan 2, 2:30 AM EST

Published by SportsJaw Editorial Team

The Illinois State Redbirds will face off against the Murray State Racers in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup at the CFSB Center on Thursday. Illinois State will be

Game outlook

The Illinois State Redbirds will face off against the Murray State Racers in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup at the CFSB Center on Thursday. Illinois State will be looking to bounce back from a recent loss to UIC, while Murray State hopes to build on their victory over Loyola-Chicago. Both teams are healthy heading into the game. Murray State is the betting favorite with a -6 point spread that has remained unchanged. Sportsbook promos and betting opportunities for this game are also available.

Betting Odds

Moneyline: Redbirds +202 | Racers -250

Spread: Redbirds +6 (-110) | Racers -6 (-110)

Total: Over/Under 138.5 (-110)

Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Murray St. will win straight-up is 71%.

Illinois St. Redbirds

The Illinois State Redbirds have a strong offense, ranking 85th in scoring with an average of 80.08 points per game. They shoot well, hitting 49.63% of their field goals and 41.77% of their three-pointers. The team is led by Chase Walker, who averages 14.6 points per game, and Dalton Banks, who leads in both assists and steals. Defensively, the Redbirds allow 44.00% of field goals and 32.81% of three-pointers. They are 8-5 this season with a power ranking of 93. For those struggling with handicapping, NCAAB Predictions may prove helpful in analyzing their performance.

Murray St. Racers Analysis

21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Picks are opinions, not guarantees. Past results do not predict future outcomes.

The Murray State Racers have a solid offensive performance, scoring an average of 76.8 points per game and shooting 45.9% overall and 36.1% from 3-point territory. Defensively, they allow an average of 69.1 points per game and hold opponents to 44.1% shooting and 28.3% from 3-point range. Leading scorer Jacobi Wood averages 13.6 points per game, while Kylen Milton follows closely with an average of 12.6 points per game. Wood also leads in assists with an average of 5.3 per game, while Milton leads in steals with an average of 1.3 per game. The team averages 34.0 rebounds per game, with AJ Ferguson leading the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. Overall, Murray State has a power ranking of 244 and ranks 162nd in offense and 124th in defense.

Illinois State's Strong Offense and Defense Set to Challenge Murray State's Home Court Struggles

Illinois State has maintained a strong offensive output, averaging 79.1 points per game, while demonstrating a solid defensive performance by allowing just 72.3 points per game. On the other hand, Murray State has displayed a slightly higher scoring average at 76.8 points per game and a lower points allowed average at 69.1 points per game. Illinois State boasts a 5-1 Against The Spread (ATS) record in the last six games overall, a 4-2 ATS record in the last six games against Murray State, and an impressive 7-1 ATS record in the last eight road games. In comparison, Murray State has struggled to cover the spread in 10 of its last 12 home games and in five of the last six games against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference.

SportsJawGame Predictions
Predicted score

Unavailable for this preview

Projected winnerUnavailableConfidencelow
Pick on the Spread

Published pick: Unavailable

Pick on the Total

Published pick: Unavailable

#IllinoisStRedbirds#MurrayStRacers

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Written by

SportsJaw Editorial Team

SportsJaw published this archived preview from its original game-day article. Its prediction and quoted lines are preserved as written.

About our editorial process

SportsJaw Redbirds vs Racers archived game preview contains historical odds and availability that may no longer be current. View history of past Redbirds vs Racers matchups or learn how our predictions work.

Current matchup data

Lines, trends and availability

Line movement since open

  • Moneyline · Illinois St. Redbirds+215 → +260Moved
  • Moneyline · Murray St. Racers-265 → -320Moved
  • Spread · Illinois St. Redbirds+6 (-110) → +7 (-110)Moved
  • Spread · Murray St. Racers-6 (-110) → -7 (-110)Moved
  • Total · Over138 (-110) → 135.5 (-110)Moved
  • Total · Under138 (-110) → 135.5 (-110)Moved

ATS and O/U trends

Illinois St. Redbirds
23-13 matchup record · 8-2-0 ATS · 5-4-1 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file
Murray St. Racers
20-12 matchup record · 4-5-1 ATS · 6-4-0 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file

Injuries and availability

From the published research (2025-01-02T07:30:24.242Z). Availability may have changed; review the cited sources.

No verified injury or availability note was included in the published matchup research.

Recent head-to-head

  • 2024-01-30Illinois St. Redbirds 61 · Murray St. Racers 59
Final result

Matchup pick recap

Illinois St. Redbirds defeated Murray St. Racers 74-68

Illinois St. Redbirds defeated Murray St. Racers 74-68 on January 2, 2025, a 6-point decision in the series. Illinois St. Redbirds' strongest period was the 1st half, when it outscored its opponent 33-25. Against SportsJaw's recorded Illinois St. Redbirds +7 (-110) spread, Illinois St. Redbirds covered, while the 142 combined points finished over the recorded total of 135.5.

SportsJaw editorial picks

  • Projected winnerNo published selectionUnavailable

Tipster picks

  • ThinkmakegrowTotal · Under 138 (-110)Loss
  • JoeThomasSpread · Illinois St. Redbirds +6 (-110)Win