NORMAL, Ill. (Interstat) — A pivotal Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball showdown is set for Sunday at Redbird Arena, where the surging Belmont Bruins visit the Illinois State Redbirds in a late-season clash with postseason implications.

The Bruins (26-4, 14-3 MVC) enter as one of the nation’s hottest teams, winners of seven of their last eight games. Their potent offense, averaging 86.2 points per game, is led by guard Tyler Lundblade. The standout senior is coming off a 15-point, 4-assist performance in a 98-64 rout of Evansville on Wednesday and has scored 20 or more points in three of his last seven contests, including a 31-point outburst against Northern Iowa on Feb. 12.

Belmont’s only recent stumble was an overtime loss at Bradley on Feb. 9. They handily defeated Illinois State 80-69 in Nashville just over five weeks ago on Jan. 24.

The Illinois State Redbirds (19-11, 11-6) look to protect their home court and bolster their conference tournament seeding. They are coming off a narrow 71-69 road win at Northern Iowa on Wednesday, fueled by 13 points and 5 assists from guard Chase Walker. Walker has provided a scoring spark off the bench, notching 18 points in a win over Drake on Feb. 6.

Illinois State’s form has been inconsistent, with a 2-2 record in its last four games, including a 56-point outing in a loss at Illinois-Chicago. Defense will be paramount against the high-scoring Bruins.

Despite Interstat’s ELO system giving Belmont a 65.8% probability to win, Illinois State has been installed as a slight 1-point pregame favorite by oddsmakers. The total over/under is set at 150.5 points.

Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST Sunday. A Belmont victory would solidify its hold on a top conference seed, while an Illinois State win would complete a season split and provide a crucial resume-building result ahead of Arch Madness.