Who's Playing

Illinois-Chicago @ Cleveland State

Current Records: Illinois-Chicago 8-13; Cleveland State 16-5

What to Know

The Cleveland State Vikings have been on the wrong side of a one-way rivalry with the Illinois-Chicago Flames and are hoping to record their first win since Feb. 10 of 2018. Cleveland State and Illinois-Chicago will face off in a Horizon League battle at 7 p.m. ET Thursday at Wolstein Center. The Vikings are out to keep their five-game home win streak alive.

Cleveland State had enough points to win and then some against the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers on Sunday, taking their contest 84-71.

Meanwhile, it was close but no cigar for Illinois-Chicago as they fell 66-64 to the Youngstown State Penguins on Saturday. The matchup was as close as the oddsmakers predicted, but Illinois-Chicago had been the slight favorite coming in.

This next game looks promising for Cleveland State, who are favored by a full 10 points. They are currently two-for-two against the spread in their most recent games, a trend bettors might want to take into account.

The Vikings' victory brought them up to 16-5 while the Flames' loss pulled them down to 8-13. A pair of stats to keep an eye on: Cleveland State enters the matchup with a 47.80% field goal percentage, good for 26th best in college basketball. Less enviably, Illinois-Chicago has allowed their opponents to shoot 46.70% from the floor on average, which is the 12th highest shooting percentage allowed in college basketball. So the cards are definitely stacked against Illinois-Chicago.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 7 p.m. ET
  • Where: Wolstein Center -- Cleveland, Ohio
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $20.00

Odds

The Vikings are a big 10-point favorite against the Flames, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 10-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -112

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Series History

Illinois-Chicago have won seven out of their last ten games against Cleveland State.

  • Feb 01, 2020 - Illinois-Chicago 64 vs. Cleveland State 62
  • Dec 28, 2019 - Illinois-Chicago 71 vs. Cleveland State 66
  • Feb 14, 2019 - Illinois-Chicago 81 vs. Cleveland State 77
  • Jan 12, 2019 - Illinois-Chicago 73 vs. Cleveland State 56
  • Feb 10, 2018 - Cleveland State 86 vs. Illinois-Chicago 78
  • Jan 20, 2018 - Illinois-Chicago 87 vs. Cleveland State 80
  • Feb 11, 2017 - Cleveland State 66 vs. Illinois-Chicago 63
  • Jan 12, 2017 - Illinois-Chicago 59 vs. Cleveland State 54
  • Jan 30, 2016 - Illinois-Chicago 72 vs. Cleveland State 70
  • Jan 18, 2016 - Cleveland State 70 vs. Illinois-Chicago 53