The UIC Flames and the Loyola Ramblers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Joseph J. Gentile Center. UIC enters this one at 2-1 so far. The Flames took out Trinity IL in their last game. As for the Ramblers, they’re rolling along at 3-0 and fresh off a win over Chicago State. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UIC started out slow against Dayton in their opener this year, blowing a 32-25 halftime lead in a 64-54 loss. The Flames got it together in game two versus Valparaiso. In that one, UIC bagged a 15-11 overtime edge on the way to a 74-70 win.
In their last game versus Trinity IL, the Flames didn’t have a whole lot of trouble getting the win. UIC was up 53-23 at the break, and coasted to a 91-50 blowout victory. Jalen Warren led the team on 15 points with seven rebounds and eight assists.
Over on the Loyola side, they got off to a hot start this year against Coppin State. The Ramblers bagged a 54-19 first-half advantage during a 103-45 opener win. In game two, Loyola kept it going against Florida Gulf Coast with an 89-77 victory.
Loyola managed 46 points in both the first and second halves in their game against Chicago State. The result was a nice 92-56 win to move to 3-0 so far. The Ramblers’ top scorer was Ryan Schwieger with 22 points and three assists to his credit.
The Ramblers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight at home and 7-2 ATS in their last nine overall. Loyola is 6-2 ATS in their last eight as a favorite.
Meanwhile, UIC is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 Saturday games. The Flames are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 overall.
PICK: I’m sticking with Loyola. The Ramblers have been quite impressive this year so far. They’re coming off a sweltering 56.9 percent shooting with 47.8 percent from 3-point range in the Chicago State game, getting contributions from up and down the roster.
As for UIC, they’ve had a choppy campaign so far but the winning record is encouraging. Still, I don’t think the Flames have the legs to keep up.