Check out our free UIC vs Southern Illinois pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Carbondale. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

UIC vs Southern Illinois Pick & Preview: Wednesday, February 8th Betting Odds

Flames vs Salukis Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: UIC Flames at Southern Illinois Salukis
  • Where: Carbondale at Banterra Center
  • Date: Wednesday, February 8th
  • Betting Odds: UIC +12.5, ILLCHI +586 | SILL -953 O/U 128.5

Flames Preview:

The UIC Flames head into today’s game in what will be their 26th game of the season, posting a record of 10-15. So far, the Flames have played 13 games on the road, with a record of 4-9. For the season, UIC has been the underdog in 16 games, sitting with a mark of 1-15. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Flames being +12.5 point underdogs.

UIC’s leading scorer this season is Jace Carter, who is averaging 16.16 points per contest. So far, Carter has accounted for 24.13% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 6.6 rebounds per game and 1.52 assists. Trevante Anderson is the second leading scorer for the Flames, averaging 12.62 points per game. Between him and Anderson, they are accounting for 42.2% of the team’s scoring.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for UIC this season, as they are currently ranked 174th in college basketball at 72.0 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Flames’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 32.4%, placing them 350th in the NCAA.

Salukis Preview:

Southern Illinois heads into this matchup having played 25 games and have an overall record sitting at 18-7. So far this season, Southern Illinois has played 13 games at home, sitting with a record of 12-1. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Salukis as the -12.5 point favorites. The Salukis have been favored 17 times, going 13-4 straight up.

Marcus Domask comes into today’s game as the Salukis’ leading scorer at 16.84 points per contest. Not only has Domask been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Southern Illinois’ top rebounder at 5.88 boards per contest. Behind Domask, the team has benefited from the strong play of Lance Jones, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.24 points per game. Overall, he has hit 37.2% of his shots and is adding 3.12 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Southern Illinois this season, as they are currently ranked 402nd in college basketball at 64.0 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Salukis’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 35.4%, placing them 158th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: Southern Illinois Salukis -12.5

We are confident in the UIC Flames as +12.5 point underdogs at away because they tend to dictate the pace of the game. UIC has habit of limiting possessions and slowing the game down, which should help them keep the score close against a Southern Illinois team that likes to run. Despite not having a strong record as the underdog against the spread, UIC playing at away and presenting a mismatch for the heavily favored Salukis make them a good bet.