CHICAGO -- UIC will hit the hardwood for the first time on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. CDT, when the Flames host the St. Francis (IL) Fighting Saints in an exhibition game at the UIC Pavilion.

This is a non-ticketed event. All UIC students will be admitted free with a valid iCard, while all monetary contributions are welcome and a suggested donation of $10 will be collected at the gates by representatives of United Way of Metro Chicago and the UIC Lettermen's Club. All lower-level seating will be general admission on Wednesday night.

HOOPING FOR A CAUSE
The exhibition game between the Flames and Fighting Saints is being played to raise money that will go to support hurricane relief efforts in the United States. The UIC Lettermen's Club and United Way of Metro Chicago will be collecting donations that will aid victims of the devastating storms in places such as Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Puerto Rico.

FLAMES PICKED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Entering the third season under head coach Steve McClain, the UIC Flames were picked to finish third in the Horizon League Preseason poll as selected by the conference's head coaches, media members and sports information directors. UIC is coming off a season in which it won 17 games and advanced to semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The Flames returned to the postseason for the first time since 2013 and were the only Horizon League program to win multiple postseason games a year ago with victories over both Stony Brook and George Washington in the first two rounds of the CBI.

DIXSON & ODIASE HONORED
Sophomore Dikembe Dixson and senior Tai Odiase earned spots on the preseason All-Horizon League teams. Dixson was placed on the First Team for the second consecutive season, while Odiase once again earned a Second Team recognition. Dixson was limited by an injury to 10 games last season, however he was an All-Horizon League Second Team pick and the conference's unanimous Freshman of the Year as a freshman in 2015-16. Odiase is the League's reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

YOUTH WAS SERVED
According to KenPom.com, out of 351 teams UIC ranked as the nation's youngest in terms of Division I playing experience last season with an average of 0.67 years per player on the roster. The fresh faces banded together and ranked as one of the NCAA top 10 most improved teams at +9 (difference in wins + difference in losses / 2) and won a total of 12 more games than the previous year. The Flames will face North Carolina Central on opening night, a program that ranked as the nation's most experienced team last season with 2.91 years per player.

WHEN IT COUNTS
The Flames will open the regular season by playing four games in an eight-day span, all at the UIC Pavilion. UIC will welcome 2017 NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina Central on Friday, Nov. 10 before hosting perennial Atlantic 10 contender Saint Joseph's on Nov. 13. Steve McClain's squad then opens the 2017 Adolph Rupp Classic with home games against Delaware State (Nov. 16) and Fort Wayne (Nov. 18). The first road test comes against Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Nov. 26.

HELPING HANDS
Sophomore Tarkus Ferguson led the Horizon League in assists as a true freshman with 4.9 per game during the 2016-17 season. Ferguson's total of 177 helpers on the season were the sixth most in a single season in UIC history, and the most since Martell Bailey dished out 162 assists during the 2001-02 season. Ferguson, who was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team last season, matched a CBI single-game record with a career-high 12 assists in a victory over George Washington on March 20, 2017.

NOT IN TAI'S HOUSE
Senior Tai Odiase has established himself as one of the nation's premier shot blockers, particularly over the past two seasons. The Glenwood, Ill., native owns 249 rejections in a UIC uniform and needs only 25 to become the program's all-time leader in that category. Odiase has averaged 2.65 blocks per game in 94 career contests and he needs 61 blocks to pass Damian Eargle from Youngstown State (2010-2013) and become the Horizon's League all-time leader.

WHO NEEDS TWO?
Season and single-game tickets for UIC's 18-game home slate are on sale now. For more information, or to purchase, call 312-413-UIC1 (8421) or visit the Ticket Office online today.