CHICAGO -- UIC will open its longest homestand of the season Saturday, a six-game stint that begins with a visit from the Loyola Chicago Ramblers. The contest between crosstown foes will tip off at 3 p.m. CT from inside the UIC Pavilion.
The Flames (5-5) are seeking their second consecutive win over a Chicago-based squad after they took down the DePaul Blue Demons in come-from-behind fashion on Wednesday night, 80-75. UIC won its other tilt against a local rival this season when it brought down the Chicago State Cougars at the UIC Pavilion on Nov. 30, 74-58. Overall, the Flames are 3-2 against in-state foes heading into Saturday's game against the Ramblers.
UIC's rotation will have a different look on Saturday after sophomore
Dikembe Dixson sustained a season-ending knee injury just six minutes into the game against the Blue Demons. The Preseason All-Horizon League honoree entered Wednesday's game ranked 19
th in the NCAA with 22.2 points per game and as the top rebounder for the Flames. Entering Saturday's game vs. Loyola, UIC has used nine different players in the starting lineup through 10 games with
Tarkus Ferguson,
Tai Odiase and Dixson as the only three Flames to open every game thus far. Freshmen
Marcus Ottey and
K.J. Santos started the first six games of the season, while
Godwin Boahen,
Kyle Guice,
Dominique Matthews and
Clint Robinson each have two starts to date.
Loyola (9-2) has matched its best start its six years under the guidance of head coach Porter Moser. The Ramblers, who are beginning a three-game road trip on the Near West Side, are currently ranked No. 17 in this week's
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top 25 poll. The team also received a vote in the Associated Press top 25 poll that was released on Dec. 12. It is the first vote the Ramblers have garnered since the 1984-85 campaign when Loyola finished the year ranked No.14.
Loyola, a former member of the Horizon League, is playing its third consecutive opponent from its one-time conference Saturday. The Ramblers hosted Wright State on Dec. 7 and they took down the Raiders, 77-64. In the last game before final exams, Loyola shot an eye-popping 67.5 percent (27-of-40) from the field to get past the Milwaukee Panthers at Gentile Arena on Dec. 10, 72-56.
More notes, statistics and information about Saturday's game can be found in the UIC Game Notes PDF linked above.
