Valparaiso Beacons vs UIC Flames Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs UIC Flames

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

Credit Union 1 Arena is where the UIC Flames (16-12) will try to beat the Valparaiso Beacons (15-13) on Saturday.

The Valparaiso Beacons stepped onto the hardwood against Bradley and notched a win by a score of 79-72 in their last contest. Valparaiso ended the contest with a 51.0% field goal percentage (26 of 51) and converted 7 of 16 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Beacons buried 20 of their 33 attempts for a percentage of 60.6%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they earned 25 with 6 of them being offensive. They also dished out 15 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 3 steals. With regard to the defense, Valparaiso allowed the other team to shoot 46.2% from the field on 24 of 52 shooting. Bradley earned 14 assists and had 2 steals in this game. In addition, Bradley pulled down 27 rebounds (7 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Bradley ended up shooting 70.6% at the free throw line by converting 12 of their 17 attempts. They buried 12 of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter. When talking about personal fouls, the Beacons walked away with 16 while Bradley recorded 27 personal fouls.

JT Pettigrew is one guy who was important in this matchup. He recorded 22 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He played for 31 minutes and collected 5 boards. He finished the contest at 53.8% from the floor and also recorded 2 assists.

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Valparaiso heads into this one with a win-loss record of 15-13 on the year. They average 71.6 points per outing (285th in D-1) while shooting 42.2% from the field. The Beacons are hitting 33.1% on shots from 3-point land (195 of 589) and 69.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Valparaiso is grabbing 36.6 rebounds per game and has totaled 321 assists for the season, which is 306th in the nation in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 10.5 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.7 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Beacons have forced 11.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 108th in college in allowing assists with 334 conceded so far this season. The Beacons defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 44.2% (702 of 1,590) and they concede 35.2 rebounds per contest as a team. They give up 32.0% on shots from distance and they are 103rd in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (71.0).

The last time they took the court, the UIC Flames walked away with a victory by a final of 84-46 against Evansville. The Flames were able to corral 30 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 42 for this game. They turned it over 14 times, while earning 8 steals for the contest. Evansville was called for 10 fouls in the game which took the Flames to the charity stripe for a total of 5 attempts. They were able to make 4 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 80.0%. With regard to three-point attempts, UIC converted 16 out of their 27 tries (59.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Flames ended up going 32 for 60 from the floor which had them sitting at 53.3%. The Flames permitted Evansville to convert 17 out of 52 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 32.7% in the matchup. They wrapped up this game 21.9% from downtown by shooting 7 out of 32 and finished the contest at 5 out of 8 from the charity stripe (62.5%). When it comes to rebounding, UIC allowed Evansville to collect 21 overall (6 on the offensive side).

Andy Johnson ended up being a factor for the Flames in the game. He buried 6 out of 8 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and had 7 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 22 mins on the court and tallied 1 assist for this contest.

UIC has a win-loss record of 16-12 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Flames are connecting on 45.1% from the floor, which ranks them 188th in the nation. UIC has tallied 2,111 pts so far this year (75.4 per contest) and they collect 36.7 boards per game. They are getting an assist 14.8 times per contest (127th in the country) and they turn the ball over 12.2 times per contest. The Flames are committing 16.6 personal fouls per contest and they hit 73.6% from the charity stripe.

The Flames on the defensive side of the court are 64th in college in PPG surrendered with 68.9. They are forcing their opponents into 14.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.1% from the field (74th in Division 1). The UIC defense surrenders 31.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (230 of 725) and opponents are connecting on 74.5% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 15.5 dimes and 32.8 rebounds every game, which is 314th and 79th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UIC

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