Who’s playing
Illinois State Redbirds @ Evansville Aces
Current record: Illinois State 10-5, Evansville 5-10.
How to watch
What you need to know
Another exciting Missouri Valley matchup is on the schedule as the Illinois State Redbirds and Evansville Aces are scheduled to take on the Ford Center on Wednesday at 8pm ET. The Redbirds are averaging 79.1 points per game this season and are demonstrating their offensive power.
Illinois State bounces back heading into Wednesday’s matchup by (finally) defeating Southern Illinois, which was 2-8 in their previous 10 meetings. Illinois State defeated Southern Illinois, winning 85-54. With the Redbirds leading 44-23 at the half, the game was almost over.
Illinois State’s success was the result of a balanced attack with several players stepping up, but Johnny Kinziger led the offense with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting down the stretch . With this dominant performance, Kinziger also set a career high in 3-point shooting accuracy (75%). Jordan Davis was also a key player, recording a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Illinois State played well as a team, finishing the game with 19 assists. S. Illinois easily outscored their opponents in that department, as they only scored 10 points.
Evansville, on the other hand, was within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap Saturday, losing 66-62 to Indiana State. Unfortunately, the Aces continued their disappointing streak against the Sycamores, with this being their seventh straight loss.
Despite the loss, several Evansville players rose to the challenge and had notable plays. Tayshaun Comer was probably the best, scoring 24 points along with seven assists and two steals. Another player who made a difference was Joshua Hughes, who nearly achieved a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Illinois State has been on a roll lately. They have won six of the past seven contests, significantly improving on their 10-5 record this season. As for Evansville, the loss drops their record to 5-10.
This contest is shaping up to be a close one. With a field goal percentage of 49.8% per game, Illinois State can’t afford to miss this season. Evansville, however, is a different story, shooting just 41.7 percent from the field this season. Considering Illinois State has a significant advantage in this area, Evansville will need to find a way to close the gap.
Illinois State last faced Evansville in March 2024, losing 59-53. Will Illinois State be able to avenge the loss or is history destined to repeat itself? We’ll soon find out.
Series history
Illinois State has won six of its last 10 games against Evansville.
March 7, 2024 – Evansville 59 vs. Illinois State 53 February 18, 2024 – Illinois State 86 vs. Evansville 79 January 27, 2024 – Evansville 58 vs. Illinois State 54 February 26, 2023 Sun – Illinois State 72 vs. Evansville 53 January 7, 20242023 – Illinois State 69 vs. Evansville 61 January 23, 2022 – Evansville 56 vs. Illinois State 53 January 21, 2022 – Illinois State 94 vs. Evansville 56 January 2021 10th – Illinois State 73 vs. Evansville 68 January 9, 2021 – Evansville 57 vs. Illinois State 48 February 29, 2020 – Illinois State 71 vs. Evansville 60
