Southern Illinois Salukis vs UIC Flames Prediction, 1/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Illinois Salukis vs UIC Flames

Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Location: Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Illinois Salukis (8-8) are traveling to Credit Union 1 Arena on Wednesday where they will play the UIC Flames (5-10).

The Southern Illinois Salukis faced Belmont and notched a win by a score of 68-67 in their last contest. Southern Illinois finished the contest having earned a 43.3% field goal percentage (26 of 60) and buried 8 out of their 22 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Salukis converted 8 of 13 attempts for a rate of 61.5%. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they collected 31 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 10 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When talking about defending, Southern Illinois let their opponent shoot 54.0% from the field on 27 out of 50 shooting. Belmont distributed 12 dimes and had 6 steals for the game. Additionally, Belmont snagged 29 rebounds (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Belmont finished the game shooting 50.0% at the charity stripe by making 10 of 20 tries. They also buried 3 of their 12 attempts from long range. When discussing fouls, the Salukis walked away with 23 and Belmont recorded 15 fouls.

Quel'Ron House is a player who was a contributor in this matchup. He finished the game shooting 41.7% from the floor and also dished out 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 28 minutes played and grabbed 1 rebound. He accounted for 15 points on 5 out of 12 shooting.

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Southern Illinois heads into this contest with a record of 8-8 for the season. They are averaging 78.0 points per outing (167th in Division 1) while shooting 47.9% from the field. The Salukis are shooting 28.8% on shots from downtown (77 of 267) and 66.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Southern Illinois is grabbing 39.1 boards per game and has 218 dimes this season, which ranks 172nd in D-1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 13.1 times per contest and as a group are committing 18.8 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Salukis are forcing 13.6 turnovers every game while drawing 19.1 fouls. They are giving up 31.6% from beyond the arc and they are 189th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (73.6). The Salukis defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.5% (415 of 976) and they relinquish 35.3 boards per game as a unit. They currently rank 263rd in college hoops in allowing assists with 217 conceded on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the UIC Flames took a loss by a final score of 66-59 against Valparaiso. In relation to how they attacked the glass, UIC allowed Valparaiso to snag 22 in all (6 offensive). They finished the game shooting 45.5% from three-point range by shooting 5 out of 11 and ended up going 31 of 40 at the free throw line (77.5%). The Flames allowed Valparaiso to bury 15 of 41 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 36.6% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Flames finished shooting 23 for 48 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.9%. In the matter of 3-point shots, UIC made 2 out of their 12 tries (16.7%). They were able to make 11 of them for a clip of 64.7%. Valparaiso earned 16 fouls for the game which took the Flames to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They also gave up possession 15 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. The Flames earned 20 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 29 for the matchup.

Abdul Momoh was important for the Flames in the matchup. He tallied 13 points in his 27 minutes on the court, but didn't record an assist. He buried 6 out of 9 in this contest for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and accounted for 6 rebounds.

UIC has a win-loss mark of 5-10 on the season. The Flames commit 18.3 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 76.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 14.1 times per game (205th in the country) and they are turning it over 13.3 times per game. UIC has accounted for 1,147 pts on the season (76.5 per contest) and they average 36.1 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Flames are shooting 44.4% from the field, which is 244th in the nation.

The Flames are ranked 191st in Division 1 in PPG surrendered with 73.7. They are forcing their opponents into 14.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.1% from the field (166th in D-1). The UIC defense allows 34.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (127 of 370) and opponents are connecting on 76.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 15.9 dimes and 33.7 rebounds per contest, which is 316th and 138th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Southern Illinois

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