The Illinois State Redbirds (3-4) travel to Rupp Arena to play the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats (6-0). The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 30 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Wildcats enter this game hoping for similar success after thoroughly outplaying South Florida 84-63 on Friday. Skal Labissiere was a key piece with 17 points, four rebounds, and three blocks. The Redbirds, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-63 win over Quincy on Friday. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell was the game’s top scorer, registering 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Kentucky, a big 19-point favorite, takes on Illinois State. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 141 points for this matchup. The Wildcats enter the game with records of 6-0 Straight Up (SU) and 2-4 Against The Spread (ATS). The Wildcats are an incredibly accurate shooting team with a .499 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Kentucky is known to control the offensive glass, where it racks up an impressive 14.7 offensive rebounds per game. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Kentucky’s stingy defense. The Wildcats are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 62.2 points per game. Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Wildcats, who have allowed only 4.0 three-pointers to opponents per game. An area where the Wildcats are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.8 blocks per game, 24th in Division I.
On the other side, the Redbirds have records of 1-4 ATS and 3-4 SU.
This game will be the first meeting for Kentucky and Illinois State in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kty, ATS Winner – Kty, O/U – Over
Notes
Kentucky is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games.
Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Kentucky is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Kentucky averages 80.5 points per game (ranked 80th). Illinois State, on the other hand, allows 69.6 points per game (ranked 147th).
Ranked 37th, the Kentucky Wildcats have an offensive rating of 117.5. The Illinois State Redbirds rank 122nd with a defensive rating of just 97.9.
The Illinois State Redbirds average 70.9 possessions per game and .937 points per possession. The Kentucky Wildcats earn fewer possessions with 68.5, but they score more points with 1.175.
Illinois State has an average effective field goal percentage of 46.5%. Kentucky is undefeated (1-0) when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Kentucky attempts an average of 14.0 three pointers per game and Illinois State attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Kentucky Wildcats are undefeated at 1-0 while the Illinois State Redbirds are winless at 0-1.
Kentucky, the 68th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 41.0 rebounds per game. Illinois State does worse, ranked 281st with 34.0.
Illinois State makes 6.4 steals per game. In games where it allows 6 or more steals, Kentucky is undefeated at 3-0.
