Free Pick | NCAA | Wednesday | Jan. 1

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#683 Drake -6.5 over Illinois-Chicago 2:00 PM CT

Illinois-Chicago has won four straight including three road wins, but it has been a fortunate run with two overtime wins plus Sunday’s narrow upset over Illinois State in which one of Illinois State’s key players didn’t play. UIC will face a big leap in competition Wednesday to start 2025. The Flames did post a top 100 win vs. Yale early in the season but has lost the past two top 100 tests by a combined 36 points including a blowout home loss in the MVC opener vs. Northern Iowa. Turnovers are a huge issue in the season statistics for Illinois-Chicago while the Flames have been a very poor 3-point defense. Luck has been on the side of the Flames in an 8-4 start, as opponents have inexplicably shot just 66 percent on free throws against them. That won’t likely happen against Drake, with the 12-0 Bulldogs an excellent shooting team. Drake has three top 100 wins plus a win over Miami FL, as it has been a decent schedule so far. Drake has gone 2-0 in MVC play including winning by 19 Sunday against Belmont. Drake forces turnovers at a high rate on defense and owns tremendous rebounding numbers. Drake needed triple-overtime to win on the road in this matchup last February as this game won’t be overlooked.