The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers take on the Illinois State Redbirds in the consolation round of the Cayman Islands Classic in George Town, Grand Cayman, on Tuesday morning. The Hilltoppers (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season on Monday, falling 72-53 to Akron. The Redbirds (2-3), meanwhile, dug a deep first-half hole in their first-round game against LSU and dropped a 77-61 decision. Illinois State has won three of the previous five meetings with Western Kentucky.
The game from John Gray Gymnasium in George Town, Grand Cayman, tips off at 11 a.m. ET. Western Kentucky is favored by 8.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points is set at 135.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page).
Before making any Illinois State vs. Western Kentucky picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns!
The model knows Western Kentucky junior guard Dayvion McKnight has reached double-digit scoring in all four games this year. In Monday's loss to Akron, McKnight scored 12 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out one assist in 30 minutes of action. For the season, he is averaging 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Since beginning his Hilltoppers career in 2020, McKnight has been impressive. In 65 career games at Western Kentucky, he has started in 53, averaging 11.4 points, 4.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds.
The model also knows senior forward Kendall Lewis continues to lead the Illinois State offense. He averages 14.6 points, 10 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He has two games of 20 or more points, including a season-high 24 points in a win at Northwestern State on Nov. 12. He has had a double-double in two games this season, and has started all 38 games he's played at Illinois State. Prior to that, he played two seasons at Appalachian State. For his career, he is averaging 8.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
Now, it has set its sights on Illinois State vs. Western Kentucky. It is leaning Over on the total and it has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.
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