UIC Flames (6-10, 1-4 MVC) at Illinois State Redbirds (12-4, 4-1 MVC)
Normal, Illinois; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Redbirds -11.5; over/under is 142.5
BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State hosts UIC after Chase Walker scored 20 points in Illinois State’s 77-71 loss to the Valparaiso Beacons.
The Redbirds are 7-0 on their home court. Illinois State ranks fifth in the MVC with 8.9 offensive rebounds per game led by Walker averaging 2.0.
The Flames are 1-4 against MVC opponents. UIC is 3-4 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 12.1 turnovers per game.
Illinois State makes 49.1% of its shots from the field this season, which is 5.8 percentage points higher than UIC has allowed to its opponents (43.3%). UIC averages 6.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.6 fewer makes per game than Illinois State allows.
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brandon Lieb is averaging 4.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Redbirds. Boden Skunberg is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Ahmad Henderson II is scoring 13.3 points per game with 1.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the Flames. Andy Johnson is averaging 12.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 35.7% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Redbirds: 8-2, averaging 79.0 points, 32.4 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.1 points per game.
Flames: 2-8, averaging 72.4 points, 32.3 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 41.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.4 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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