Table of Contents
Who’s playing
Illinois State Redbirds @ McNeese Cowboys
Current records: Illinois State 3-1, McNeese 2-2
How to watch
What you need to know
The Illinois State Redbirds will take on the McNeese Cowboys on Friday at 3:00 PM ET at the Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center. The Redbirds have been dropping the ball more often lately, as they’ve increased their point totals in each of their last three games.
Illinois State comes in fresh and scores the most points they have all season. They blew past Trinity (Ill.) for a 107-52 victory. With the Redbirds leading 44-23 at halftime, the game was all but over.
Illinois State worked as a unit and finished the game with 26 assists. That’s the most assists they’ve given since the start of last season.
In the meantime, there’s no better place than home for McNeese, who bounced back from a tough road loss last Monday. They walked away with a 68-61 victory over North Texas on Monday. The over/under was set at 129 points, so nice work oddsmakers; you were right on the money.
McNeese relied on the efforts of Joe Charles, who nearly posted a double-double on 10 points and nine rebounds, and Sincere Parker, who recorded 18 points. Charles had some trouble finding his footing against Alabama last Monday, so this was a step in the right direction.
Illinois State’s win increased their record to 3-1. As for McNeese, their win was their 19th in a row at home dating back to last season, moving their record to 2-2.
There is likely to be some serious foul play as the two teams are among the highest scoring teams in the league. Illinois State has had no problem running up the scoring this season, averaging 83.5 points per game. It’s not like McNeese is struggling in that area, though, as they’ve averaged a 79. With both teams able to score points so easily, the only question that remains is who can increase the score.