CBI presented by FIVE FOUR Bracket

***Schedule Update: UIC announced on Monday, March 13, that the first game of the CBI presented by FIVE FOUR has been postponed until Thursday, March 16. With the winter storm expected to slam the East Coast this week, Stony Brook's anticipated arrival to Chicago has been delayed. The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

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CHICAGO – UIC will continue its 2016-17 season this week as it has accepted an invitation to play in the College Basketball Invitational presented by FIVE FOUR. The Flames will open the postseason tournament on Wednesday night at the UIC Pavilion against Stony Brook at 7 p.m. CT.
 
Tickets in the lower bowl of the UIC Pavilion will be available for only $10 and floor seats can be purchased for $15. Tickets will go on sale Monday, March 13 at 10 a.m. CT. To purchase, please call the UIC Ticket Office at 312-413-UIC1 (8421).
 
"This team has earned an incredible opportunity to extend this season," said UIC head coach Steve McClain. "The players have worked very hard since we came together for the first time over the summer and they have received the opportunity to play in the postseason.
 
"This year we have accomplished a lot of things that had not been done in a long time at UIC, and this is another great achievement," added McClain. "We are looking forward to playing a very talented Stony Brook team on Wednesday night."
 
This is UIC's (15-18, 7-11 Horizon League) first postseason berth in two seasons under McClain, and the first since the 2012-13 team participated in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). It is the sixth postseason opportunity in program history, and the first in the CBI.
 
The Flames are the youngest team in the country, according to KenPom.com. Out of 351 NCAA Division I teams, no squad has less Division I experience than UIC with an average of 0.69 years per player on the roster. In spite of that, McClain's group has also been one of the nation's most improved units. For the first time in the program's Division I history, the team has tripled its win total from the previous season by going from five to 15. According to NCAA data, which incorporates both wins and losses, the Flames are the 10^th most-improved team in the country through March 6 with a mark of +9.0.
 
UIC advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament earlier this month for the second time in three seasons, but only the third time since 2008. The sixth-seeded Flames toppled No. 3 Green Bay in the semifinals, snapping a 10-game skid against the Phoenix.
 
Stony Brook (18-13, 12-4 America East) is in its first season under head coach Jeff Boals. The Seawolves advanced to the semifinals of the America East playoffs, where they fell to Albany on March 6, 63-56. Stony Brook has three players averaging in double figures, led by Lucas Woodhouse and his 15.1 points per game. Woodhouse has drained a team-high 66 3-pointers on the year and he shoots 45.8 percent from beyond the arc. He is an All-America East First Team selection.
 
The CBI presented by FIVE FOUR is a single-elimination tournament up until the best-of-three Finals, with all games played at campus sites. After the First Round games, the Quarterfinal Round will take place on Monday, March 20, followed by the Semifinal Round on Wednesday, March 22. Prior to the semifinals, the remaining teams will be re-bracketed. The Finals series is a best-of-three in which one team will host two of the three games. Those games will be played on March 27, March 29, and March 31.
 
Stay tuned to UICFlames.com for a full preview of Wednesday night's game against the Seawolves and more exclusive content throughout the CBI presented by FIVE FOUR.