UIC Flames vs Evansville Purple Aces Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UIC Flames vs Evansville Purple Aces

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: Ford Center in Evansville, IN

TV: ESPN+

The UIC Flames (15-12) are en route to Ford Center on Wednesday where they will play the Evansville Purple Aces (6-20).

The UIC Flames took the court against Illinois State and went home with a win by a final score of 83-56 in their last game. UIC ended having earned a 55.1% FG percentage (38 out of 69) and converted 3 of their 13 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Flames converted 4 of their 8 attempts for a percentage of 50.0%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 41 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 26 assists for this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 17 turnovers and having 12 steals. Concerning defense, UIC allowed their opponent to shoot 35.6% from the field on 21 of 59 shooting. Illinois State earned 14 assists and had 6 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Illinois State snagged 23 rebounds (4 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Illinois State finished the game at 83.3% from the charity stripe by making 5 of their 6 shots. They also made 9 of 35 attempts from distance. When talking about personal fouls, the Flames ended up finishing with 13 while Illinois State recorded 10 personal fouls.

Ante Beljan is one player who was a contributor for the contest. He left the arena with 16 points on 8 out of 11 shooting. He played 16 mins and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He finished the contest at 72.7% from the field and also dished out 1 assist.

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UIC will play this game with a mark of 15-12 for the campaign. They cough up possession 12.1 times per contest and as a squad are committing 16.9 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UIC is grabbing 36.5 boards per contest and has accounted for 388 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 117th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Flames are connecting on 31.3% on 3-pointers (163 of 520) and 73.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging 75.1 pts per game (215th in Division 1) while hitting 44.8% from the field.

On defense, the Flames are able to force 14.2 turnovers per game while drawing 18.2 fouls. They give up 32.2% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 77th in college hoops in points per game allowed (69.7). The Flames are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.4% (643 of 1,517) and they surrender 33.1 rebounds per game as a group. They currently rank 333rd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 420 conceded for the season.

The last time they took the court, the Evansville Purple Aces took a defeat with a final score of 86-60 when they faced Southern Illinois. When it comes to rebounding, Evansville allowed Southern Illinois to snag 36 in total (11 offensive). They finished 33.3% from 3-point land by connecting on 9 out of 27 and ended up going 9 out of 11 at the charity stripe (81.8%). The Purple Aces allowed Southern Illinois to knock down 34 of 65 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.3% in the matchup. When all was said and done, the Purple Aces shot 24 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.7%. In the matter of shots from distance, Evansville knocked down 9 out of their 31 tries (29.0%). They were able to bury 3 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. Southern Illinois had 8 fouls for the contest which got the Purple Aces to the free throw line for 4 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. The Purple Aces were able to collect 15 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 22 in the game.

Bryce Quinet pitched in for the Purple Aces in the game. He tallied 20 points in his 32 minutes on the court and accounted for 1 assist for the game. He converted 9 of 16 in this game giving him a rate of 56.3%, and added 3 rebounds.

Evansville has a win-loss record of 6-20 on the campaign. As an offensive team, the Purple Aces are shooting 42.9% from the floor, which ranks 300th in the nation. Evansville has scored 1,752 pts for the year (67.4 per game) and they grab 32.1 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.1 times per contest (247th in college hoops) and they turn it over 13.2 times per contest. The Purple Aces are committing 16.0 fouls per contest and they connect on 71.8% from the charity stripe.

The Purple Aces are ranked 222nd in the country in PPG given up with 75.0. They are forcing 11.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.5% from the floor (261st in college). The Evansville defense allows 35.1% on 3-point shots (222 of 632) and opponents are making 72.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 14.6 dimes and 35.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 278th and 253rd in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UIC

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