UIC (14-8) vs Illinois State (14-9)
February 5, 2025 at 08:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: UIC -3.5 — Over/Under: 148.5
The Illinois State Redbirds and the UIC Flames meet Wednesday in college basketball action from the Credit Union 1 Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Illinois State vs. UIC prediction.
Illinois State Recap
The Illinois State Redbirds come into this game looking to build on their 86-78 win over Valparaiso last time out to improve to 14-9 on the year. After this game, Illinois State will head on the road for a game against Northern Iowa.
Redbirds Win Back-To-Back & 4 Of Last 5
Johnny Kinziger leads the Redbirds in scoring with 15 PPG along with 3.3 RPG and 3.3 APG while Chase Walker added 14.7 PPG with 6 RPG to lead the Redbirds on the glass as the only other double-digit scorer for Illinois State so far this season. Dalton Banks also has added 9.5 PPG with 4 RPG and a team-high 3.7 APG to lead the Redbirds in assists while Landon Wolf’s added 7.9 PPG with 3.7 RPG. Ty Pence also has 7.5 PPG with 3.9 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Illinois State is averaging 76.4 PPG on 48.2% shooting from the field, 38.9% from three, and 75.2% from the foul line this season.
Why the Illinois State Redbirds will win
- The road team has won seven of UIC’s last eight games.
- UIC has lost three of its last four home games.
UIC Recap
The UIC Flames come into this game looking to bounce back from an 88-83 loss to Indiana State last time out to sit at 14-8 on the year. After this game, UIC will head on the road for a rematch with Southern Illinois.
Flames Looking For Consistency
Javon Jackson leads the Flames in scoring with 13.3 PPG along with 3 APG and 1.7 SPG while Sasa Ciani has 11.2 PPG with a team-high 8.8 RPG to lead the Flames on the glass so far this season. Ahmad Henderson II has 12.1 PPG with 3.2 RPG and 3 APG while Tyem Freeman added 10.3 PPG with 4 RPG. Jordan Mason added 11 PPG with 3.5 RPG and a team-high 3.5 APG to lead the Flames in assists and to cap off the scoring in double figures for UIC so far this season. Filip Skobalj has 9.8 PPG with 3.5 RPG while Modestas Kancleris also has 7.6 PPG with 6.6 RPG as well on the year. As a team, UIC is averaging 80.8 PPG on 47.5% shooting from the field, 36.6% from three, and 71.5% from the foul line this season.
Why the UIC Flames will win
- Illinois State has lost each of its last 18 Wednesday road games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
- The home team has won each of Illinois State’s last six games.
Illinois State vs. UIC Prediction
I’m on the over in this game. I’m really surprised to see a total in the 140s given that UIC is a team that can go off for 80 points plus on any given night. My concern for UIC is that while I think the Flames are the better and deeper team, the Flames have also had a tendency to give up points in bunches as both teams have hit the 80s in each of UIC’s last two home games, both losses. I think this could end up being higher-scoring as well so give me the over in this one.