The Detroit Titans (8-5) look to extend their eight-game home winning streak when they take on the UIC Flames (2-10), who have dropped six in a row on the road. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 8 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Titans beat Cleveland State 88-80 on Monday. With 28 points and 13 rebounds, Paris Bass recorded his first double-double this season. The Flames, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 75-47 loss at the hands of Valparaiso on Saturday. Lance Whitaker had a good shooting night, leading the team with eight points.
Detroit is a heavy 17-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 159 points. The Titans look to build on their records of 8-5 Straight Up (SU) and 6-5 Against The Spread (ATS). The Titans have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 85.2 points per game. The Titans are an impressive shooting team from three-point range with a .403 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Across the court, the Flames head into the game with records of 2-8 ATS and 2-10 SU.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, UIC came out on top, but Detroit still leads the head-to-head record, 8-2 SU, over their most recent matchups. However, UIC leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Detroit held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. UIC never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Det, ATS Winner – Det, O/U – Over
Notes
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 6 games.
Detroit is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games at home.
Detroit is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Illinois-Chicago.
Detroit is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Illinois-Chicago.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit’s last 7 games when playing at home against Illinois-Chicago.
Detroit is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 85.2 points per game (ranked 14th). UIC, on the other hand, allows 75.9 points per game (ranked 263rd).
UIC lost its last game by a 28-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Detroit is 2-1. UIC is 1-5 in blowouts this season.
On average, Detroit has 76.6 possessions per game and scores 1.112 points on each possession. UIC has both fewer possessions (71.6) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.922).
The Detroit Titans average an effective field goal percentage of 53.4% this season. The UIC Flames are a winless 0-3 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.4% or greater.
Detroit ranks 82nd in blocks per game with 4.5 and UIC ranks 66th with 4.8 blocks per game.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, UIC ranks 11th. Detroit ranks 88th in defensive rebounds.
On average, UIC forces a turnover rate of 17.0%. When Detroit turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 5-3 record.
