Drake Bulldogs vs. Illinois State Redbirds: How to watch NCAA Basketball online, TV channel, live stream info, start time

How to watch Drake vs. Illinois State basketball game

By Scout Staff

Jan 2, 2024 at 9:51 pm ET • 3 min read

Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Drake looks much better today on their home court. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Illinois State 47-28.

Drake already has four blowout wins this season, but why stop there? Barring a freak comeback, they will be celebrating another huge win in the locker room very soon.

Who's Playing

Illinois State Redbirds @ Drake Bulldogs

Current Records: Illinois State 8-5, Drake 11-2

How To Watch

When: Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Knapp Center -- Des Moines, Iowa
TV: CBS Sports Network
Follow: CBS Sports App
Watch on Connected TV: CBS Sports App on Roku and Fire TV
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $19.00

What to Know

Drake is 8-2 against Illinois State since February of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. Both teams will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 9:00 p.m. ET at Knapp Center. Drake will be looking to keep their 12-game home win streak (dating back to last season) alive.

Drake fought the good fight in their overtime contest against UAB last Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 79-78 to the Blazers. Drake didn't live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.

Drake's loss came about despite a quality game from Atin Wright, who scored 20 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Darnell Brodie, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Drake were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, it's hard to win when you don't work as a unit and post ten fewer assists than your opponent, a fact Illinois State found out the hard way on Friday. It's going to take some time for them to recover from the 96-70 bruising that the Wildcats dished out on Friday. Illinois State was surely aware of their disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result.

Myles Foster put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a double-double on 20 points and 15 rebounds. Those 15 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Less helpful for Illinois State was Jordan Davis' abysmal 0-6 three-point shooting.

The Bulldogs' defeat dropped their record down to 11-2. As for the Redbirds, their loss dropped their record down to 8-5.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Drake just can't miss this season, having made 46.8% of their shots per game. It's a different story for Illinois State, though, as they've only made 41.8% of their shots per game this season. Given Drake's sizeable advantage in that area, Illinois State will need to find a way to close that gap.

Everything came up roses for Drake against Illinois State in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 as the team secured a 82-51 victory. Will Drake repeat their success, or does Illinois State have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.