Pick details
UIC (10-6) vs Murray State (10-7)
Game Info: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 8:00 pm (Credit Union 1 Arena)
The Line: Betting Odds: UIC +1 — Over/Under:
The Murray State Racers and the UIC Flames meet Wednesday in college basketball action from UIC Pavilion. Here’s a Murray State vs UIC prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Murray State vs UIC pick. We will examine:
The Murray State Racers’ recent form and player performance
The UIC Flames’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Murray State Racers
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UIC Flames
Recent betting trends in games played between Murray State and UIC
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Murray State vs UIC game
Murray State Racers Betting Preview
The Racers opened up the 2024-25 season with a nice run, then had a spotty December before getting back to business in the win column recently. Murray State went 6-2 in their first eight, falling to Pittsburgh and Utah Valley with wins otherwise versus Bethel TN, Middle Tennessee, MD Eastern Shore, TX Arlington, Evansville, and SEMO in that time. After a 1-5 stretch that included a win over Loyola among losses to Western Kentucky, Indiana State, Nebraska, Charlotte, and Illinois State, the Racers have since won three straight. Those victories have come over Drake, Northern Iowa, and Valparaiso for a 10-7 overall record.
In the Valparaiso game over the weekend, the Racers came out of the break with a 26-21 edge. Murray State hit a 32-26 run in the second half for a 58-47 victory in the end. Tops in scoring was Nick Ellington with 15 points and eight rebounds. Also in double-figures was Terence Harcum with 11 points and three rebounds. KyeRon Lindsay (two rebounds) and Alden Applewhite (one rebound; one assist) each came off the bench for eight points.
UIC Flames Betting Preview
Over on the UIC side, they hit a shaky run over their first eight games this year but they’ve since straightened out quite a bit. The Flames lost to Northwestern, James Madison, East Carolina, and Northern Iowa in those opening eight with wins over St. Francis IL, Yale, Saint Mary’s MN, and La Salle otherwise. A win streak over Dartmouth, Little Rock, Seattle U, Illinois State, and Drake came in the next five, then a 1-2 run with a win over Missouri State among losses to Belmont and Bradley for a 10-6 overall record so far this season.
Matched up against Bradley back on Saturday, the Flames were up by a comfortable 34-25 margin at the break. UIC was overtaken on a 36-26 run the rest of the way, however, losing a tough one 61-60 in the end. Jordan Mason was the team’s top scorer with 15 points, three rebounds and two steals. Ahmad Henderson came off the bench for 13 points and 10 boards, while Sasa Ciani also doubled up on 11 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes of work.
Why the UIC Flames will win
- UIC has won five of its last six games at Credit Union 1 Arena following a home loss.
- Murray State has lost four of its last five road night games against Conference opponents.
Why the Murray State Racers will win
- UIC has lost eight of its last 10 home night games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
- Murray State has won four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Murray State vs UIC Prediction
I’m staying with UIC, but you could obviously argue this one either way. The Flames had a miserable second half against a good Bradley team in their last outing, eventually shooting a feeble 2-of-23 (8.7 percent) from outside and 35.5 percent from the field. The rebounding was good (a 46-33 advantage) however, and UIC had just eight turnovers. Still, they couldn’t buy a bucket from anywhere. The 60-point total broke a string of 69 or more points in seven straight games, so if the Flames can get back to that threshold they’ll be in much better shape here.
As for Murray State, they’re going to rely on defense here. The Racers have given up fewer than 69 points in three straight games (all wins) with two of those totaling fewer than 60 points. UIC is really going to need to assert themselves on the boards and get that shooting percentage up, but I think they can pull it off.
Andrew Jett's Pick: UIC Flames +1
