CHICAGO -- Following a regular season that saw the most victories in conference play since 2004, UIC will begin postseason play on Sunday, March 4, when it goes up against Milwaukee at the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship. The Flames begin play as the third seed, while the Panthers come in as the sixth seed.

UIC (17-14, 12-6) won 12 games in League play for the first time since the 2003-04 season, which was the last time that the Flames went to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Steve McClain has helped UIC win at least 17 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns when the program amassed 45 victories over two years.

Milwaukee (15-16, 8-10) is in its first season under the direction of head coach Pat Baldwin. The Panthers enter this year's Horizon League Tournament with a 23-16 all-time mark in the league championship. Milwaukee owns tournament championships in 2014, 2006, 2005 and 2003.

STARTING FIVE

• The Flames won 12 conference games for the first time since 2003-04 (12), UIC's last NCAA Tournament season.
• UIC has won at least 17 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns.
• The Flames have won 12 of their last 16 games since Jan. 4 at IUPUI.
• UIC picked up two #HLMBB specialty awards when Tai Odiase was named the Defensive Player of the Year, and Godwin Boahen, the Sixth Man of the Year.
• The Flames are meeting Milwaukee for the second game in a row at the conference tournament.

A WIN VS. MILWAUKEE WOULD GIVE UIC...

• A second consecutive berth in the Horizon League Championship semifinal round.
• Eighteen wins for the 10th time in the Division I era.
• At least three consecutive wins against the Panthers for the first time since Feb. 21, 2007-March 1, 2008.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE PANTHERS

• UIC opened a three-game road trip with a 74-56 victory at UWM Panther Arena on Jan. 29.
• The Flames held Milwaukee to a mark of 35.1 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent in the second half of that game.
• UIC's Tarkus Ferguson led all players with 19 points and five assists.

TWO FLAMES EARN #HLMBB HONORS

• For the second consecutive season, UIC's Tai Odiase was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday.
• The senior averaged 3.4 blocks per game in conference play and set the Horizon League's all-time record this season.
• Odiase is the third player in conference history to earn the award twice, joining both Ronald Nored (Butler) and Vashil Fernandez (Valparaiso).
• Sophomore Godwin Boahen became the first player in program history to win the #HLMBB Sixth Man of the Year Award.
• Boahen scored 9.2 points per game and  led the League in 3-point percentage in all (50.8) and League games (42.6).

YOUTH STILL SERVED

• Out of 351 Division I teams, UIC ranked as the least experienced in the country in 2016-17 according to KenPom.com.
• The Flames boasted an average of 0.67 years of Divison I playing experience last season.
• Through 31 games this year, the Flames still rank as the youngest team in the Horizon League, and 286th in NCAA, with 1.32 years of experience.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

• Milwaukee finished the regular season with a record of 15-16 and 8-10 in Horizon League play under first-year head coach Pat Baldwin. The team tied for fifth place with IUPUI, but received the sixth seed after dropping both head-to-head matchups with the Jaguars.
• The Panthers were led in scoring by All-Horizon League Second Team selection Jeremiah Bell and his 15.6 points per game in League play. Two other players - Brock Stull (12.2 ppg) and Bryce Nze (11.3 ppg) were also in double figures.
• Since winning at Cleveland State on Jan. 27, Milwaukee has alternated wins and losses over the last eight games. The Panthers lost to UIC at home to start the trend on Jan. 27 and dropped the regular season finale at Oakland on Feb. 24, 72-70.

More news, notes and information about Sunday's game and the Horizon League Championship can be found on the UIC and Milwaukee Game Notes PDFs linked in the blue box above.