The Flames will be trying to slam the Youngstown State Penguins on Thursday when the teams tip off at UIC Pavilion in college betting action.

Illinois-Chicago battles the Penguins, currently sitting with a 12-9 mark (9-8 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 11-8 for the Flames and 9-7-1 for the Penguins.



View Youngstown State vs Illinois-Chicago Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're going with the Flames in this one, they're listed as 1.5-point underdogs on the NCAAB betting menu for Monday's contest.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Flames rated this week at No. 221 and the Penguins sitting at No. 226. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 66-60 result in favor of the Penguins.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Illinois-Chicago's No. 308-ranked offense, averaging 61.3 PPG, against a Penguins defense that ranks No. 127 at 65 PPG. The Flames field goal percentage has averaged 39.6% so far, less than the Penguins marksmen have achieved on the year, 41.5% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Youngstown State owns the country's No. 231-rated mark, allowing 72.2 points per game on the highway. Illinois-Chicago, on the other hand, rates No. 324 in scoring at home.

Youngstown State won its last outing, a 73-65 result against Wisc-Milwaukee on January 31. They covered in that game as a 9-point underdog. The Penguins used a 30-point performance from Kendrick Perry to help Youngstown State smack Wisc-Milwaukee 73-65 on Tuesday at U.S. Cellular Arena.

In their last action, Illinois-Chicago was a 70-66 loser on the road against Detroit. They covered the 15.5-point spread as underdogs. Illinois-Chicago got 17 points from Gary Talton but lost anyway, 70-66, to Detroit on Friday at Calihan Hall.


Youngstown State Penguins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 1-9
Before playing Loyola of Chicago are 5-5
After playing Wisc-Milwaukee are 1-9
After a win are 5-5

Illinois-Chicago Flames Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Cleveland State are 1-9
After playing Detroit are 0-10
After a loss are 4-6

A few Penguins at Flames trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Youngstown State's last 8 games when playing on the road against Illinois-Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Youngstown State's last 7 games on the road
Youngstown State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Youngstown State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Illinois-Chicago
Illinois-Chicago is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Youngstown State
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Illinois-Chicago's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Illinois-Chicago's last 6 games when playing Youngstown State
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Illinois-Chicago's last 8 games when playing at home against Youngstown State


Next up:
Youngstown State at Loyola of Chicago, Sunday, February 5
Illinois-Chicago home to Cleveland State, Sunday, February 5