UIC (16-13) vs Valparaiso (13-17)
March 2, 2025 at 03:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: UIC -6.5 — Over/Under:
The Valparaiso Beacons and the UIC Flames meet Sunday in college basketball action from UIC Pavilion. Here’s a Valparaiso vs UIC prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Valparaiso vs UIC pick. We will examine:
The Valparaiso Beacons recent form and player performance
The UIC Flames recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Valparaiso Beacons
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UIC Flames
Recent betting trends in games played between Valparaiso and UIC
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Valparaiso vs UIC game
Valparaiso Beacons Betting Preview
The Beacons started out the year pretty well, but they’ve since fallen to a handful of games below the .500 mark. Valparaiso kicked things off on a 10-6 run with losses to Liberty, Cleveland State, DePaul, Drake, Ohio State and Bradley. After losses to Murray State, Belmont, UIC, Drake, Evansville, Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Indiana State and Murray State from there, the Beacons hit a 3-2 run. Those losses were versus Evansville and Bradley; otherwise it was wins over Belmont, Missouri State and Southern Illinois in that time. That gives Valparaiso a 13-17 overall record across 30 games this year.
In the Bradley home matchup on Wednesday, the Beacons came out of the locker room with a slim 29-28 edge. Valparaiso was outscored 48-36 the rest of the way however, resulting in a 76-65 loss. Leading the team in scoring was Cooper Schwieger with 21 points, three blocks and two rebounds. All Wright added 17 points with three rebounds and two assists, while Tyler Schmidt also finished in double-digits with 11 points and three rebounds in 29 minutes.
UIC Flames Betting Preview
Over on the UIC side, they’ve fared better overall this year but the team had a rough February campaign. The Flames opened on a 9-4 run with losses to Northwestern, James Madison, East Carolina and Northern Iowa. Losses to Belmont and Bradley came over the next three games, then wins over Murray State, Valparaiso and Evansville. Since then it’s been a 3-7 run with wins over Bradley, Missouri State and Evansville among losses to Southern Illinois, Indiana State, Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Murray State, Drake and Northern Iowa. In total that gives the Flames a 16-13 record through 29 games this year.
Matched up against Northern Iowa on Wednesday, the Flames were in trouble with a 41-26 halftime deficit. UIC didn’t end up getting any closer, limping to the finish on a 33-26 deficit for a 74-52 loss. The only player on the team to finish in double-figures was Ahmad Henderson with 13 points, two assists and three steals. both Jordan Mason (two rebounds; two assists) and Tyem Freeman (two steals; four rebounds) finished with eight points apiece as well.
Why the UIC Flames will win
- Valparaiso has lost seven of its last eight day games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
- The home team has won four of the last five games between Valparaiso and UIC.
- UIC has won the first half in each of its last three home games against Valparaiso.
Why the Valparaiso Beacons will win
- UIC has lost six of its last eight games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
- UIC has lost the first half in six of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Valparaiso vs UIC Prediction
I’ll try UIC here, but the Flames need a good bounce-back effort after their loss to Northern Iowa. In that one UIC shot just 37 percent from the field with a 37-26 rebounding disadvantage. The Flames gave up 52.6 percent shooting on the other side and were pretty much cooked after the first half. UIC has been below 58 points in three of the last five games, losing all three of those outings.
The good news for the Flames is that they won 81-74 on the road the last time these teams met up on January 18. Both teams were comparable in a lot of areas, as they each shot 44.1 percent from the field. UIC had 10 of the game’s 19 turnovers but also had a 44-32 rebounding advantage (15-9 offensive). If the Flames can shoot well again here in the home rematch—and stay strong on the boards—UIC should be in control. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some fight out of Valparaiso, though.