Who’s Playing

UIC Flames @ Illinois State Redbirds

Current Records: UIC 7-4, Illinois State 8-4

How To Watch

• When: Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET
• Where: CEFCU Arena — Normal, Illinois
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)

What to Know

We’ve got another exciting Missouri Valley matchup on schedule as the UIC Flames and the Illinois State Redbirds are set to tip at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at CEFCU Arena. Both worked hard to overcome the odds in their previous battles and are surely both feeling confident heading into this clash.

Illinois State is hoping to do what Seattle couldn’t on Friday: put an end to UIC’s winning streak, which now stands at three games. UIC walked away with a 79-68 win over Seattle. The Flames’ season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview.

UIC can attribute much of their success to Ahmad Henderson II, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine assists. Henderson II had some trouble finding his footing against Little Rock last Sunday, so this was a nice turnaround. Another player making a difference was Modestas Kancleris, who scored 12 points in addition to seven rebounds and two blocks.

Even though they won, UIC struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in February.

Meanwhile, Illinois State waltzed into their contest on Sunday with three straight wins… but they left with four. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Big Red 80-77. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest win the Redbirds have posted since January 30th.

Illinois State got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Chase Walker out in front who scored 14 points plus seven rebounds and two steals. Jack Daugherty was another key player, going 5 for 8 en route to 16 points.

UIC’s win bumped their record up to 7-4. As for Illinois State, their victory bumped their record up to 8-4.

Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s matchup: UIC has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 8.6 threes per game. However, it’s not like Illinois State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 11. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

UIC was able to grind out a solid win over Illinois State in their previous matchup back in February, winning 61-56. Does UIC have another victory up their sleeve, or will Illinois State turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.

Series History

Illinois State has won 5 out of their last 8 games against UIC.

• Feb 07, 2024 – UIC 61 vs. Illinois State 56
• Nov 30, 2023 – Illinois State 69 vs. UIC 64
• Feb 01, 2023 – Illinois State 68 vs. UIC 62
• Dec 28, 2022 – UIC 55 vs. Illinois State 51
• Dec 18, 2019 – Illinois State 67 vs. UIC 66
• Dec 05, 2018 – UIC 94 vs. Illinois State 75
• Dec 19, 2017 – Illinois State 71 vs. UIC 70
• Dec 16, 2015 – Illinois State 72 vs. UIC 60