ILLINOIS ST REDBIRDS @ NORTH DAKOTA ST BISON

Illinois State needs a steadier scoring night

Illinois State scored 59 in its latest game, a 76-59 loss at Purdue; Johnny Kinziger and Noah Cleveland scored 12 each, and Malik Messina-Moore added 11.

Iversen gives the Bison a recent scoring spark

Max Iversen made his first career start at CSU Bakersfield and led North Dakota State with 20 points; Rob Diaz III, Riley Massey and Andrew Nagy also scored in double figures.

Bison perimeter production came with a paint-cost

North Dakota State made 15 of 34 threes against CSU Bakersfield but was outscored 44-24 in the paint and 27-4 in fast-break points; limiting those areas will matter against Illinois State.

Road and home records favor the host

Entering the matchup, Illinois State was 0-2 away from home and North Dakota State was 1-0 at home, a small-sample venue split.

Pick Ideas

Angles drawn from the matchup analysis above and refreshed as the news changes. They are a separate read from the LineCrush pick for this matchup, so the two can land on different sides.

North Dakota State +3.5

Dimers projected Illinois State by two and preferred North Dakota State +3.5; shop the number because odds can move.

Small over lean, but shop the total

Dimers projected 146 points against a reported 145.5 total, making the over a narrow lean; recheck the market because other listings differed.