Who’s Playing
UIC Flames @ Missouri State Bears
Current Records: UIC 9-5, Missouri State 7-8
How To Watch
What to Know
UIC is 0-4 against Missouri State since November of 2022 but things could change on Tuesday. Both will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 8:00 p.m. ET at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Flames are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 80 points per game this season.
UIC is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Belmont just ended the team’s five-game winning streak on Saturday. They opened the new year with a less-than-successful 92-87 loss to the Bruins. The Flames’ season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Ahmad Henderson II, who went 7 for 13 en route to 18 points. He had some trouble finding his footing against Drake on Wednesday, so this was a nice turnaround. Tyem Freeman was another key player, earning 13 points in addition to five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Missouri State’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight defeat. They took a 69-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of Bradley.
The losing side was boosted by Vincent Brady II, who went 12 for 21 en route to 29 points plus eight rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Makhai Valentine, who went 5 for 9 en route to 13 points plus two steals.
Even though they lost, Missouri State smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.
UIC’s loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-5. As for Missouri State, they now have a losing record at 7-8.
UIC is hoping to beat the odds on Tuesday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a five game streak of covering the spread when playing as the underdogs on the road.
While UIC and Missouri State both let their fans down in their last outings, both still covered. Looking ahead, Missouri State is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a four-game streak of failing to cover when expected to win.
Odds
Missouri State is a slight 2.5-point favorite against UIC, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 139.5 points.
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Series History
Missouri State has won all of the games they’ve played against UIC in the last 3 years.
- Mar 03, 2024 – Missouri State 69 vs. UIC 59
- Mar 02, 2023 – Missouri State 74 vs. UIC 57
- Jan 24, 2023 – Missouri State 63 vs. UIC 59
- Nov 30, 2022 – Missouri State 66 vs. UIC 51
