Valparaiso Crusaders vs UIC Flames Prediction, 12/1/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Valparaiso Crusaders vs UIC Flames

Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Location: Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Valparaiso (-1)

The Valparaiso Crusaders (0-1) go to Credit Union 1 Arena on Tuesday where they'll meet the UIC Flames (2-0). UIC opens this game as 1-point dogs. The O/U opens at 140.5.

Valparaiso will enter this game with a record of 0-1 so far this season. They are turning it over 17 times per contest and as a squad they commit 20 personal fouls per game. As a team, Valparaiso is grabbing 34 boards per contest and has tallied 18 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 196th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Crusaders are connecting on 31.4% on three-point attempts (11 of 35) and 50.0% from the charity stripe. They average 71 points per outing (157th in the country) while going 42.4% from the field. On defense, the Crusaders are able to force 19 turnovers per game while drawing 11 fouls. The Crusaders defense is allowing a FG percentage of 40.4% (23 of 57) and they relinquish 44.0 boards per contest as a group. They are ranked 154th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 14 relinquished on the season. They give up 33.3% on 3-point shots while they are 289th in college basketball in PPG allowed (77).

The Valparaiso Crusaders played the Vanderbilt Commodores and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-71 in their last contest. Valparaiso finished the contest having earned a 42.4% field goal percentage (28 out of 66) and made 11 out of their 35 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Crusaders converted 4 of 8 attempts for a percentage of 50.0%. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 30 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 18 dimes for the matchup as well as earning 10 steals and 5 blocked shots. In the matter of defending, Valparaiso allowed their opponent to shoot 42.4% from the floor on 28 out of 66. Vanderbilt totaled 14 assists and 10 steals in the matchup. Additionally, the Commodores snagged 42 rebounds (10 offensive, 32 defensive) and earned 5 blocks. Vanderbilt finished the game at 85.2% at the charity stripe by knocking down 23 of 27 shots. They also knocked down 8 out of their 24 tries from 3-point range.

Ben Krikke is a player who was pivotal for this game. He accounted for 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting. He played 34 mins and also collected 3 rebounds. Krikke went 50.0% from the floor and also recorded 2 assists. Someone else that was a major contributor in this game for the Crusaders was Donovan Clay. He pulled down 5 rebounds and also accumulated 2 dimes. He shot 50.0% from the floor for the game by going 6-of-12 (14 points). Overall, Clay played for 32 min.

UIC has a win-loss record of 2-0 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Flames are connecting on 40.8% from the floor, which is ranked 187th in the country. UIC has totaled 139 points so far this season (69.5 per contest) and they collect 39.5 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 16.0 times per game (77th in D-1) and they turn it over 14.0 times per contest. The Flames are responsible for committing 16.5 personal fouls per game and they shoot 67.6% from the free throw line. The Flames on defense are ranked 196th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 66.5. They are able to force 9.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 39.5% from the floor (174th in college hoops). The UIC defense allows 17.9% on 3-point shots (5 of 28) and their opposition makes 66.7% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 7.5 assists and 37.5 boards per contest, ranking them 117th and 259th in those categories.

The last time they took the court, the UIC Flames walked away with a victory by a final of 74-72 when they played the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Flames corralled 32 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 43 in the game. They turned away 7 shots while recording 4 steals in this game. The Chippewas had 22 fouls for the game which got the Flames to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They were able to bury 17 of the free throws for a rate of 68.0%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, UIC made 7 out of their 16 attempts (43.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Flames finished the game shooting 25 for 60 from the floor which had them at 41.7%. The Flames allowed the Chippewas to bury 26 of 67 tries from the field which left them shooting 38.8% in the game. They finished 11.1% from three-point range by connecting on 2 of 18 and finished the contest at 18 of 28 from the free throw line (64.3%). In the matter of cleaning the glass, UIC allowed Central Michigan to snag 30 in all (9 offensive).

RayQuawndis Mitchell pitched in for the Flames for this contest. He converted 6 out of 10 in this game giving him a rate of 60.0%, which gave him 23 points. Mitchell pulled down 4 rebounds in his 37 mins played and had 3 dimes for the game. An additional guy that ended up being a major factor for UIC was Jamie Ahale. He notched 3 points in his 31 minutes played via 1 of 4 from the floor for the contest. Ahale walked away from this one going 25.0% from the field while collecting 2 dimes and 6 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Valparaiso (-1)

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