UIC Flames vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UIC Flames vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Valparaiso Beacons (10-8) will try to beat the UIC Flames (11-6) at Athletics-Recreation Center on Saturday.

The UIC Flames faced off with Murray State and notched a win by a score of 97-93 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Flames ended up with 22 and Murray State finished the game with 22 fouls. They converted 9 out of their 30 tries from long range. Murray State shot 80.0% at the free throw line by making 20 of their 25 tries. On top of that, Murray State grabbed 39 rebounds (14 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Murray State doled out 23 dimes and had 10 steals in this matchup. In regard to the defense, UIC allowed the other team to shoot 40.0% from the floor on 32 out of 80 shooting. They also dished out 21 assists for the matchup as well as forcing 11 turnovers and getting 6 steals. Regarding rebounding, they compiled 35 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Flames made 18 of their 25 attempts for a rate of 72.0%. UIC walked away from the contest having earned a 55.6% FG percentage (35 of 63) and buried 9 of their 22 shots from downtown.

Javon Jackson is someone who was a contributor in this contest. He finished 60.0% from the floor and totaled 5 dimes. He saw the court for 44 mins and snagged 1 rebound. He walked away with 30 points on 12 out of 20 shooting.

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UIC will enter this matchup with a record of 11-6 so far this year. They lose possession via turnover 13.3 times per contest and as a group are committing 18.1 fouls every game. As a team, UIC is collecting 38.4 boards per game and has earned 287 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 48th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Flames are hitting 36.0% on shots from beyond the arc (145 of 403) and 70.7% from the free throw line. They have an average of 79.8 points per outing (72nd in Division 1) while hitting 47.6% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Flames are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers per game and they draw 17.7 personal fouls. They rank 274th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 249 relinquished for the season. The Flames defense is allowing a FG percentage of 43.4% (444 of 1,022) and they surrender 32.2 rebounds per game as a group. They are relinquishing 34.0% on shots from downtown and they are 245th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (73.6).

In their last game, the Valparaiso Beacons took a defeat with a final score of 71-64 when they faced Belmont. When discussing cleaning the glass, Valparaiso allowed Belmont to collect 37 in all (9 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 20.0% from distance by shooting 6 of 30 and finished the game at 21 out of 30 from the free throw line (70.0%). The Beacons allowed Belmont to convert 22 of 61 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 36.1% for the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Beacons shot 24 out of 66 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.4%. In relation to shooting from beyond the arc, Valparaiso made 9 out of their 29 tries (31.0%). They were able to knock down 7 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 77.8%. Belmont earned 12 fouls for the game which took the Beacons to the free throw line for a total of 9 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 16 times, while earning 8 steals for the contest. The Beacons were able to collect 31 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 42 in this game.

Justus McNair ended up being a factor for the Beacons in this matchup. He tallied 19 points in his 25 mins on the court and accounted for 1 assist in this contest. He made 6 of 11 for the contest giving him a rate of 54.5%, and had 3 rebounds.

Valparaiso has a win-loss record of 10-8 this year. As an offense, the Beacons are connecting on 43.2% from the floor, which is 268th in the country. Valparaiso has tallied 1,402 points for the campaign (77.9 per game) and they pull down 37.3 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.2 times per contest (306th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per game. The Beacons are responsible for committing 17.1 personal fouls every game and they go 79.3% from the charity stripe.

The Valparaiso defense gives up 30.8% on three-point shots (119 of 386) and their opposition makes 68.0% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 12.1 assists and 34.9 boards per contest, which is ranked 102nd and 209th in those categories on the defensive end. The Beacons on the defensive end are ranked 227th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 72.8. They are able to force 12.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 44.6% from the floor (257th in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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