Who’s Playing
UIC Flames @ Illinois State Redbirds
Current Records: UIC 7-4, Illinois State 8-4
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET
- Where: CEFCU Arena — Normal, Illinois
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $16.50
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting Missouri Valley matchup on schedule as the Illinois State Redbirds and the UIC Flames are set to tip at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at CEFCU Arena. Both worked hard to overcome the odds in their previous battles and are surely both feeling confident heading into this clash.
UIC is hoping to do what Cornell couldn’t on Sunday: put an end to Illinois State’s winning streak, which now stands at four games. Illinois State narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Cornell 80-77. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest win the Redbirds have posted since January 30th.
Illinois State got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Chase Walker out in front who scored 14 points plus seven rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Daugherty, who went 5 for 8 en route to 16 points.
UIC’s season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They walked away with a 79-68 win over Seattle last Friday. The victory was nothing new for the Flames as they’re now sitting on three straight.
Among those leading the charge was Ahmad Henderson II, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine assists. His performance made up for a slower matchup against Little Rock two weeks ago. Modestas Kancleris was another key player, posting 12 points in addition to seven rebounds and two blocks.
Even though they won, UIC struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in February.
Illinois State’s win bumped their record up to 8-4. As for UIC, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s game: Illinois State has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 11 threes per game. However, it’s not like UIC struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 8.6. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Looking ahead, Illinois State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last five times they’ve played.
Odds
Illinois State is a solid 5.5-point favorite against UIC, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Redbirds as a 6.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 145.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Illinois State has won 5 out of their last 8 games against UIC.
- Feb 07, 2024 – UIC 61 vs. Illinois State 56
- Nov 30, 2023 – Illinois State 69 vs. UIC 64
- Feb 01, 2023 – Illinois State 68 vs. UIC 62
- Dec 28, 2022 – UIC 55 vs. Illinois State 51
- Dec 18, 2019 – Illinois State 67 vs. UIC 66
- Dec 05, 2018 – UIC 94 vs. Illinois State 75
- Dec 19, 2017 – Illinois State 71 vs. UIC 70
- Dec 16, 2015 – Illinois State 72 vs. UIC 60
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