Who's Playing

Illinois State @ Valparaiso

Current Records: Illinois State 10-16; Valparaiso 10-16

What to Know

The Valparaiso Beacons are 9-2 against the Illinois State Redbirds since January of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success Saturday. The Beacons and Illinois State will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 7 p.m. ET at Athletics-Recreation Center. Valpo is the favorite in this one, with an expected 3.5-point margin of victory.

Things couldn't have gone much worse for Valpo as they lost 84-62 to the Indiana State Sycamores on Wednesday. Valpo was surely aware of their 13-point disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result. Guard Kobe King wasn't much of a difference maker for Valpo; King finished with 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting in his 33 minutes on the court.

Meanwhile, the matchup between the Redbirds and the Bradley Braves on Wednesday was not particularly close, with Illinois State falling 79-61. The top scorer for Illinois State was guard Malachi Poindexter (15 points).

The losses bumped both teams down to an identical 10-16. A couple numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Valpo is stumbling into the game with the 52nd fewest takeaways in college basketball, having accrued only 11.4 on average. Illinois State has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 17th worst in college basketball in turnovers per game, with 14.8 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Saturday at 7 p.m. ET
  • Where: Athletics-Recreation Center -- Valparaiso, Indiana
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $22.05

Odds

The Beacons are a 3.5-point favorite against the Redbirds, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 3.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Valparaiso have won nine out of their last 11 games against Illinois State.

  • Jan 21, 2023 - Valparaiso 71 vs. Illinois State 51
  • Feb 09, 2022 - Illinois State 78 vs. Valparaiso 75
  • Jan 02, 2022 - Valparaiso 81 vs. Illinois State 76
  • Jan 24, 2021 - Valparaiso 70 vs. Illinois State 66
  • Jan 23, 2021 - Valparaiso 69 vs. Illinois State 60
  • Feb 15, 2020 - Valparaiso 65 vs. Illinois State 62
  • Feb 01, 2020 - Valparaiso 80 vs. Illinois State 70
  • Feb 05, 2019 - Valparaiso 69 vs. Illinois State 53
  • Jan 02, 2019 - Valparaiso 58 vs. Illinois State 56
  • Feb 11, 2018 - Valparaiso 74 vs. Illinois State 58
  • Jan 27, 2018 - Illinois State 76 vs. Valparaiso 65