CHICAGO -- With the start of a new season just around the corner, UIC head coach Steve McClain released the team's 2017-18 schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 6. The slate features five contests against in-state foes, 15 games at the UIC Pavilion and 18 Horizon League competitions.  
The Flames will take the floor at the UIC Pavilion for an exhibition game against Olivet Nazarene on Monday, Nov. 6, before kicking off the campaign in earnest on Friday, Nov. 10 vs. North Carolina Central. During the 2016-17 season NCCU was the most experienced team in the nation according to kenpom.com, while UIC was the least experienced. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
On Thursday, Nov. 16, the Flames begin the Adolph Rupp Classic with a home game against Delaware State. UIC defeated DSU in the only previous meeting, which came in the program's second Division I season on Dec. 12, 1982. The Flames also host Fort Wayne on Saturday, Nov. 18 as part of the event. UIC is 2-0 against the Mastadons with the last meeting coming at the UIC Pavilion on Feb. 15, 2003.
 
The first of three consecutive road tests on the docket for the Flames is a tall one with a trip to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., to face the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, Nov. 26. UK reached the Elite Eight of the 2017 NCAA Tournament before bowing out against the eventual national champions, North Carolina, at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.
 
From the Bluegrass State, UIC will travel to Alabama, where it will go up against Troy in the final game of the Rupp Classic on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The Flames have never faced Kentucky or Troy.
 
December opens up with back-to-back games that have Windy City bragging rights on the line. The Flames will travel to Rogers Park to tangle with Loyola University Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 2. On Saturday, Dec. 9, UIC will welcome the DePaul Blue Demons to the corner of Harrison and Racine for a nonconference clash.
 
After a break for exams, the Flames will welcome Dartmouth to the Pavilion on Friday, Dec. 15, for the first-ever meeting against the Big Green. Then it's a swing through the Land of Lincoln with visits to Illinois State (Dec. 19) and Northern Illinois (Dec. 21) on the schedule. The final nonconference game of the schedule brings UIC back home where it will host Trinity Christian on Saturday, Dec. 23.
 
 
Horizon League play begins with three consecutive road games beginning on Thursday, Dec. 28 at Wright State. From there, UIC will make the short drive to Highland Heights, Ky., for a game against the League's reigning champion, Northern Kentucky, on Dec. 30. The Flames will ring in 2018 on the hardwood in Indianapolis against the conference's newest member, IUPUI, on Thursday, Jan. 4.
 
UIC will play its first Horizon League home game on Wednesday, Jan. 10 against Green Bay. The Flames eliminated the Phoenix in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Horizon League Championship at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich. McClain's squad will also host Milwaukee (Jan. 12) and Oakland (Jan. 15) as part of the three-game homestand.
 
The Flames will play five of their next six games away from the UIC Pavilion, beginning on Thursday, Jan, 18 at Youngstown State. On Saturday, Jan. 20, UIC will take on Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center, where the Flames won last season for the first time since 2006.
 
IUPUI will visit the UIC Pavilion for the first time as a member of the Horizon League on Jan. 27. It will be the third visit to play the Flames in Chicago and the first since Nov. 30, 1999, when UIC walked away with a 70-65 victory.
 
On Monday, Jan. 29, the Flames will play at Milwaukee before carrying on to Michigan, where they will play against both Oakland (Feb. 2) and Detroit Mercy (Feb. 4).
 
After playing on the road for a stretch, UIC will play five of its final six regular season games at the UIC Pavilion. The Flames host Youngstown State on Thursday, Feb. 8 and Cleveland State on Saturday, Feb. 10 before traveling to Green Bay for a Friday-night affair on Feb. 16.
 
The final week of the regular season begins on Monday, Feb. 19 against Detroit Mercy. On Friday, Feb. 23, the Flames will welcome Northern Kentucky before closing out the 18-game conference slate on Senior Day against Wright State on Feb. 25.
 
The 2018 Horizon League Championship will be played at brand new Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit. The third iteration of Motor City Madness, which will feature all 20 Horizon League men's and women's basketball teams, will take place March 2-6.
 
Tip times and television designations for all UIC games will be announced at a future date.
 
UIC returns seven members of the 2016-17 squad that advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational, including the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, Tai Odiase, and the 2016 Horizon League Freshman of the Year Dikembe Dixson. In addition to that dynamic duo, 2017 Horizon League All-Freshman Team honorees Dominique Matthews and Tarkus Ferguson are back, as are Godwin Boahen, Marcus Ottey and Clint Robinson.
 
For information about ticket packages for the 2017-18 season, please call the UIC Ticket Office at 312-413-UIC1 (8421).