The UIC Flames (2-17) will try to put an end to their nine-game skid when they meet the Youngstown State Penguins (8-13) at UIC Pavilion. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28 and can be seen on ES3.
The Flames are hoping to rebound after their 80-66 loss to Wright State on Sunday. Dikembe Dixson was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points. The Penguins, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-55 win against Cleveland State on Sunday. Francisco Santiago played well for Youngstown State, accounting for 12 points, six rebounds, and five steals.
Cameron Morse has been hot for the Penguins, averaging 25.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.0 three-pointers over the past five games.
Youngstown State takes on UIC as a four-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 151 points. The Flames come into this game 2-17 Straight Up (SU) and 4-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for UIC in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.5 offensive boards per game.
In the other locker room, the Penguins have records of 9-8 ATS and 8-13 SU. The Penguins average 81.1 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 87.6 points per game during that span. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Penguins, who rank 43rd in the nation with 7.8 steals per game. One advantage for the Penguins could be UIC’s high fouls per game average of 22.8.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Youngstown State came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. The Flames lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – UIC, ATS Winner – UIC, O/U – Over
Notes
Illinois-Chicago is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Illinois-Chicago’s last 9 games.
Illinois-Chicago is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Illinois-Chicago is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Youngstown State.
Youngstown State beats UIC in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Penguins average 74.3 possessions and 1.003 points per possession, while the Flames average 71.5 possessions with .919 points per possession.
The UIC Flames average an effective field goal percentage of 42.3% this season. The Youngstown State Penguins have a poor record of 7-13 when opponents have an eFG% of 42.3% or greater.
UIC attempts an average of 14.0 three pointers per game and Youngstown State attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the UIC Flames have a losing 1-3 record while the Youngstown State Penguins have a 6-9 record.
UIC, the 63rd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.6 per game. Youngstown State does worse, ranked 308th with 2.2.
UIC ranks 30th in offensive rebounding. Youngstown State ranks 221st in defensive rebounding.
UIC has forced an average turnover percentage of 16.6% this season. Youngstown State has an underachieving 3-7 record when its TO% is 16.6% or higher.
