Illinois State vs St. Mary’s Prediction 11/2/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

Illinois State vs Saint Mary’s Prediction

I’ll stick with Illinois State. The expectations are high once again for the Redbirds this year, and rightfully so after retaining their top two scorers and a nice core group of players from last season. Illinois State will have Mason Klabo (5.5 PPG) back in the fold in addition to Kinziger and Walker. The team should be able to gel quickly and start racking up wins ahead of a very important conference slate.

As for Saint Mary’s, it’s tough telling what they’re going to look like this season. That said, the team does have the highest-rated recruit in program history coming in this year in Bivins. He’ll match up with junior returnee Josh Dent, who managed 13.2 PPG and 5.6 APG last season. That duo should inject some quickness and flow to an offense which will be fun to watch.

Game Info, Stats and Previews

The Illinois State Redbirds and the Saint Mary’s Gaels meet Monday in college basketball action from McKeon Pavilion. Here’s an Illinois State vs Saint Mary’s prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Illinois State vs Saint Mary’s pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Illinois State Redbirds Betting Preview

The Redbirds had a pretty decent season in 2025-26 but didn’t quite make it to the heights they wanted. Illinois State ultimately went 23-13 overall with a 12-8 run in Missouri Valley Conference play. That would put the Redbirds in third place behind Belmont and Bradley. The team took out Kent State, Wake Forest and Dayton in the NIT before a loss to Auburn sent them home for good.

Looking ahead to 2026-27, the Redbirds are going into head coach Ryan Pedon’s fifth year at the helm. Illinois State has some great news roster-wise: they retain three of their starters from last season and also their top two scorers. Chase Walker (13.7 PPG) is back after a first-team honors last season, and Johnny Kinziger will join him on the floor after 11.5 PPG in 2025-26.

Saint Mary’s Gaels Betting Preview

Over on the St. Mary’s side, they were able to earn a West Coast Conference co-championship last season on the strength of a 16-2 run and a 27-6 record overall. The Gaels were behind only Gonzaga after that effort. St. Mary’s had quick exits from both the conference tournament (losing in the first game to Santa Clara) and the NCAA Tournament (losing in the first game to Texas A&M).

This year the Gaels get a new head coach in Mickey McConnell. He’ll take over a team that has six straight seasons with 26 wins or more and 134 wins over the last five seasons total. Saint Mary’s does have some interesting and talented players on the roster, including McDonald’s All-American selection Darius Bivins, who posted 17.4 PPG at Bishop O’Connell/Washington, D.C.

Illinois State Redbirds @ Saint Mary’s Gaels Betting Trends: November 2, 2026

Why the Saint Mary’s Gaels will win

• Saint Mary’s has won each of its last 29 night games at University Credit Union Pavilion.

Why the Illinois State Redbirds will win

• Illinois State has won 10 of its last 12 games against non-Conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Illinois State’s last eight Monday night games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 139 or fewer points.
• Seven of Saint Mary’s’ last eight night games at University Credit Union Pavilion have produced a total of 148 or fewer points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Saint Mary’s ranked 3rd for opponent points per game (63.0) in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
• Saint Mary’s ranked 4th among Division 1 teams for rebound percentage last season (57.9%).
• Illinois State ranked 46th among Division 1 teams for opponent points per game last season (68.5).
• Illinois State ranked 50th among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game last season (20.2).

Andrew Jett's Pick: Illinois State Redbirds +7