The UIC Flames (4-7) square off with the UIW Cardinals (5-6) at Credit Union 1 Arena. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, December 17, 2018.
UIW Cardinals at UIC Flames ATS Prediction
The Cardinals are hoping for a better outcome after their 87-37 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in their last matchup. Texas Tech’s 0.675 effective field goal percentage was their biggest strength over UIW, who had a mark of 0.286. Antoine Smith Jr. led UIW in scoring with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
In the Flames’ last outing, they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 84-67. Notre Dame was effective at getting to and converting from the free throw line. The Fighting Irish made 36 of their 38 free throws (94.7 percent), while the Flames were just 13-20 (65.0 percent). With 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting, Marcus Ottey was the top scorer from either team.
Tarkus Ferguson and Ottey have been playing well over the last five games for UIC. Ferguson has averaged 0 points per game. Not to be outdone, Ottey has put up 0 points a game during that span.
Contrasting tempos will be on display in this battle. UIC prefers a fast-breaking style of play (35th in possessions per game), while UIW is methodical (321st in possessions per game). Moreover, the Cardinals are among the country’s elite at getting to the line, ranking sixth in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.349). The Flames, meanhwile, rank 340th at keeping opponents off the charity stripe with an opponents’ FTA rate of 0.332.
UIW Cardinals at UIC Flames Pick
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Notes
Betting Notes:
UIC ranks 40th in three pointers attempted per game (26.5) while UIW ranks 284th (13.5).
The Flames rank 107th in assists per game (14.3) while the Cardinals rank 254th (9.8).
UIW ranks 43rd in rebounds allowed per game (32.0) while UIC ranks 183rd (36.2).
The Flames rank 112th in steals per game (6.4) while the Cardinals rank 157th in steals allowed per game (6.9).
Bettings Trends:
The Cardinals’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 8.0, down from 8.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Flames have scored an average of 80.8 points per game (1.4 above their season average) and allowed an average of 85.2 points per game (2.4 above their season average).
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