UIC Flames vs Southern Illinois Salukis Prediction, 2/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UIC Flames vs Southern Illinois Salukis

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025

Location: Banterra Center in Carbondale, IL

TV: ESPN+

Banterra Center is the location where the Southern Illinois Salukis (11-13) will attempt to defeat the UIC Flames (14-9) on Saturday.

The UIC Flames stepped onto the hardwood against Illinois State and ended up losing by a score of 81-79 in their last contest. In the matter of personal fouls, the Flames finished with 22 while Illinois State totaled 18 personal fouls. They made 11 out of their 23 attempts from 3-point range. Illinois State ended up shooting 76.2% at the free throw line by converting 16 of 21 attempts. Moreover, Illinois State totaled 26 boards (4 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Illinois State earned 17 dimes and had 3 steals in the matchup. With respect to the defense, UIC allowed the other team to go 51.9% from the field on 27 out of 52 shooting. They also distributed 16 assists for the game as well as forcing the opposition into 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When discussing rebounding, they compiled a total of 24 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Flames knocked down 19 of 25 shots for a percentage of 76.0%. UIC wrapped up the game having earned a 49.1% field goal percentage (26 out of 53) and made 8 of their 21 three-point attempts.

Tyem Freeman is a guy who played a role in the matchup. He ended up shooting 75.0% from the floor and dished out 2 dimes. He saw the court for 33 mins and collected 3 boards. He ended up with 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting.

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UIC comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 14-9 for the season. They are averaging 80.7 points per contest (42nd in D-1) on 47.5% from the floor. The Flames are connecting on 36.6% on shots from 3-point land (203 of 554) and 71.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, UIC is collecting 37.3 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 381 assists on the year, which is 26th in the country in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.2 times per contest and as a group they commit 18.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Flames are forcing 11.7 turnovers every game while drawing 17.8 personal fouls. They are ranked 324th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 349 relinquished so far this season. The Flames are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.7% (615 of 1,377) and they relinquish 32.6 boards per contest as a team. They are surrendering 33.7% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 274th in D-1 in PPG allowed (74.8).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Southern Illinois Salukis got the victory with a final of 68-59 when they faced Evansville. The Salukis were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 39 in the matchup. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 6 steals for the contest. Evansville was called for 15 personal fouls in the game which took the Salukis to the free throw line for 15 tries. They were able to convert 11 of those for a percentage of 73.3%. When talking about 3-point attempts, Southern Illinois knocked down 15 out of their 29 attempts (51.7%). Overall, the Salukis finished 21 for 56 from the floor which had them at 37.5%. The Salukis permitted Evansville to knock down 21 of their 61 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 34.4% in this contest. They finished shooting 33.3% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 9 out of 27 and finished the game at 8 of 14 from the charity stripe (57.1%). When it comes to how they attacked the glass, Southern Illinois allowed Evansville to get 32 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Ali Abdou Dibba was important for the Salukis in this contest. He earned 18 points in his 36 mins of playing time and accounted for 1 assist in this game. He converted 6 out of 19 for the matchup for a rate of 31.6%, and had 7 rebounds.

Southern Illinois has a mark of 11-13 for the year. The Salukis have committed 17.2 personal fouls every game and they go 68.7% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.3 times per contest (136th in college) and they cough up possession 12.9 times per game. Southern Illinois has accumulated 1,751 points this season (73.0 per game) and they pull in 35.5 boards per contest. As an offense, the Salukis are shooting 45.6% from the field, which ranks them 136th in college.

The Southern Illinois defense concedes 35.4% on shots from 3-point land (189 of 534) and their opponents are converting on 71.1% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 13.7 dimes and 33.4 total boards per game, which is 236th and 124th in Division 1. The Salukis on the defensive end are ranked 243rd in the country in PPG given up with 73.6. They are forcing 11.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.6% from the field (249th in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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