Horizon League Basketball: Northern Kentucky vs. Illinois-Chicago game preview

By Bryan Mauro | Feb 22, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 17: Lavone Holland II #30 of the Northern Kentucky Norse dribbles against Dominique Hawkins #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 17: Holland II (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

Score Prediction

This game has so many implications for both teams and it is going to be a hard-fought game that could get a little chippy. The Flames are going to try and grab a share of the conference title and they need two wins against the league’s best, with both games at home. The Flames have the offensive firepower to take down both Northern Kentucky and Wright State.

Star players Dikembe Dixson and Tarkus Ferguson paired with Odiase give the Flames a nice trio that is really hard to stop once they get going. Fellow frontcourt mate Jordan Blount, when paired with Odiase, can make it hard for teams in his own right. UIC has all the pieces to pull off the potential upset but can they get it done against a team with the talent of Northern Kentucky?

The Norse have the talent and the ability to make this a blowout, especially if they are hitting shots early. McDonald and guard LaVone Holland II are going to provide the bulk of the scoring for the Norse. The problem is no team has figured out how to stop this duo yet.

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Northern Kentucky will play with a ton of confidence, especially knowing they beat UIC by 35 in their first meeting. UIC should be looking for revenge as well. It is hard for any team to beat a team twice especially when the first meeting was such a lopsided score.

Final prediction: UIC – 82 NKU- 79