Dec. 20, 2014
UIC GAME NOTES
HEADLINES
The UIC-NU Series
Monday's contest will be the ninth all-time meeting between UIC and Northwestern as the series is tied at 4-4. The Flames lost the most recent gathering last year at home on Nov. 20, 2013 by a final of 93-58, however UIC has won four of the past five matchups against the Wildcats. The Flames have also won the previous three tilts at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec. 1, 2012, Dec. 14, 2005 and Dec. 19, 2002. Since turning Division I in 1981, UIC owns a 3-1 record when playing at Northwestern with its only loss on Dec. 7, 1985 by a final of 72-70. Northwestern and UIC will have played each other in three consecutive seasons, making NU the only opponent on the Flames' non-league schedule during each of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 campaigns.
Jay Harris Named HL Player of the Week
Fifth-year transfer Jay Harris was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Monday (Dec. 15) for his career-high 32-point performance against UCF on Dec.11. Harris guided the Flames to a 71-60 home win against the Knights and became the first UIC player to score 32 or more points in a home game since Dec. 8, 2007 (Josh Mayo, 32 pts.). The Aurora, Ill. native also notched career-bests with nine made field goals and 10 made free throws. His 32 points is tied for the highest single-game output in the conference this season with Cleveland State's Trey Lewis. The award marks the first for UIC this season and the first in Harris' career.
Tough Non-League Schedule
UIC's 2014-15 non-league schedule is highlighted by several quality opponents with winning records. The Flames' 13 Division-I non-conference opponents are a combined 85-51 (.625) this season as 10 of those 13 programs tout records of .500 or better. The following are UIC's D-I opponents and records: Yale (9-4), Loyola (8-2), Dayton (7-2), Kent State (7-2), SMU (8-3), UT-Martin (7-3), Northwestern (7-4), DePaul (6-4), UCF (6-4), SIU (7-5), Grand Canyon (5-7), Western Illinois (4-5) and Bradley (4-6).
The Second Half Surge
The Flames have been recognized for their strong second half play so far this season. UIC is averaging 10 points more in the final period as compared to the first (26.3 to 36.5) and have outscored their opponents by a margin of 448-424 in the second half. Increases are also evident in field-goal shooting (.330 to .400), three-point shooting (.259 to .308) and free-throw shooting (.731 to .762). The Flames have also committed much less turnovers in the final 20 minutes (77 to 61).
The Constant Scorer
Fifth-year transfer Jay Harris has been a reliable source for points during his first nine games at UIC as he is averaging a team-best 15.8 points per game, which also ranks eighth in the Horizon League. Dating back to his final four games at Wagner, Harris has scored double figures in 11 of the last 13 games with efforts of 10, 18, 15, 15, 16, 19, 16, 8, 17, 12, 32, 18 and six The Aurora, Ill., native also leads the team in made three-pointers with 17 in nine total games.
Wiegand Improves Year After Year
Junior Jake Wiegand has made tremendous strides in each season with the Flames as the power forward is averaging 13.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this year. Those numbers are drastic increases from his sophomore season when he averaged 7.5 points and 5.1 boards per game. During his freshman year, Wiegand averaged just 6.6 minutes per contest, recording 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per outing. Wiegand is the only player for UIC to start all 12 games this season and was also named a team captain prior to the 2014-15 campaign, along with senior Marc Brown.
Paris Burns Bright in Second Half Action
Junior Paris Burns has been dominating in second half action lately as he is averaging 10.0 points over the last four games in the final period. The Chicago native actually scored 40 points in 44 minutes of second half play during the past four contests and is shooting 14-of-25 (.560) from the field in that span. Burns nearly broke a 15-year old UIC Pavilion record on Dec. 6 when he poured in 24 second half points against Loyola, coming close to the all-time mark of 26 points set by Wright State's Keion Brooks on Jan. 4, 1999.
One of the Nation's Best
The Flames have been one of the nation's best free-throw shooting teams so far this season as UIC is averaging 75.4 percent (199-of-263). That figure currently ranks 17th in the country and tops in the Horizon League, while UIC's 199 made free throws ranks seventh in the NCAA. UIC touts eight players that are shooting above 75 percent from the charity stripe. Jay Harris and Marc Brown rank 38th and 42nd in the nation, respectively, in free-throw shooting percentage and No. 1 and 2 in the conference.
Tai in the Sky
Tai Odiase continues to be one of the nation's best new rim protectors as his 24 blocked shots ranks sixth among all freshmen in the NCAA this season. That total also ranks tied-for-31st overall in the country and second in the Horizon League to Valparaiso's Vashil Fernandez (31). Odiase is already UIC's career-active leader with 24 swats and needs just 20 more to crack the Flames' top-10 single-season leaderboard.
Double-Double Machine
Jake Wiegand collected his fourth double-double of the season on Dec. 2 versus Grand Canyon with a 12-point and 10-rebound performance. Wiegand is one of three players in the Horizon League to have four or more double-doubles so far this season and one of just 47 players in the nation. The junior began the season with back-to-back double-doubles, becoming the first UIC player to start the year in such a manner since 1998 (Bryant Notree). Last season, then-senior Jordan Harks paced the Flames with three double-doubles for the entire year.
Pair of 20-Point Efforts
UIC recorded a pair of 20-point efforts against UT-Martin last Monday for the first time since Jan. 25, 2014. Junior Paris Burns led the Flames with 24 points, including 14 in the second half, while senior Marc Brown netted a season-high 23.
Marc Brown Eyes 1,000 Career Points
Senior guard Marc Brown needs 161 more points to reach 1,000 for his career as he currently owns 839 points. He would become the 21st player in program history to do so and the first since current graduate manager Robo Kreps (2007-11). The Dallas native tallied a season-high 23 points against UT-Martin last Monday, his sixth career 20-point effort. Brown scored 349 points last season which nearly doubled his 188 total from his sophomore campaign.
Your Rebounding is Offensive
UIC ranks first in the Horizon League in offensive rebounds with an average of 12.4 boards per game. The Flames have out-rebounded its opponent on the offensive glass in 10 of 12 games this year. Junior Jake Wiegand ranks second in the HL in offensive rebounding (3.1), while freshman Tai Odiase ranks eighth (1.8).
Cleaning Up the Glass
Jake Wiegand has tallied four double-digit rebounding efforts so far this season, standing as one of four Horizon League players to do so. He ranks third in the conference in boards per game (8.0) and tied-for-30th in the nation in total rebounds (96).
D'Juan with the Dish
Junior D'Juan Miller equaled his Division-I career-high on Dec. 2 against Grand Canyon with six assists. Miller also dished out six helpers in the home-opener versus Western Illinois on Nov. 17. The 5-foot-8 point guard paces the team in assists with an average of 3.5 per contest, which ranks fifth in the Horizon League.
Former Flames Excel in NBA D-League
Former UIC men's basketball players Gary Talton (2011-13) and Kelsey Barlow (2013-14) are off to great starts in the NBA D-League this season. Talton is in his second season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and is averaging 14.4 points, 13.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. Barlow is in his first professional season as a member of the Grand Rapids Drive. He is averaging 6.0 points per game and shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range.
Jay Parker to Have Ankle Surgery
Senior guard Jay Parker is scheduled to have season-ending ankle surgery on Dec. 23. Parker has been suffering from chronic impingement on his right ankle and has been sidelined since Nov. 24.
2015 Signing Class
Head coach Howard Moore recently announced the addition of three signees to the 2015-16 UIC roster. Those players include junior college transfer Burak Eslik (G, 6-4, 185, Istanbul, Turkey/Lewis and Clark CC) and soon-to-be freshmen Drew Hackett (G, 6-2, 170, Munster, Ind./Munster HS) and Garrett Bye (F/C, 6-10, 210, Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs).
Wiegand Earns All-Tournament Honors
Junior Jake Wiegand was named to the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this season. The junior forward averaged 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.3 percent from the field during the weekend's three games. He scored a game-high 26 points against tournament-host Kent State this past Saturday, his second career 20-point effort, while hitting a career-best 11 field goals. Eleven buckets ranks tied-for-14th in the country so far this season in single-game performances.
