UIC GAME NOTES

HEADLINES

The Opening Tip
The UIC men’s basketball team will continue its three-game road swing on Saturday night as the Flames prepare for a Horizon League rematch against Youngstown State. UIC defeated the Penguins in the conference-opener on Jan. 2 at home by a final of 77-71. The Flames own a 25-9 all-time series advantage versus YSU that includes a 10-7 record when playing at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins are winless in league-play thus far with a record of 0-7 after compiling a non-conference mark of 9-6. YSU is paced in scoring by sophomore guard Marcus Keene who averages 15.7 points per game. Saturday’s contest will be YSU’s third straight home game.

A Win vs. YSU would…
…snap a four-game losing streak for the Flames… give UIC six wins which would match its season total from last year … give UIC its first road win of the season … give the Flames a 2-4 Horizon League record … give the Flames a 26-9 all-time edge against YSU. 

22 Days Later
The Flames will face Youngstown State again this season a mere 22 days after their initial meeting on Jan. 2. UIC posted a 77-71 come-from-behind win after trailing YSU, 29-11, midway through the first half. From that point on, UIC outscored the Penguins, 66-42, including a 49-34 margin in the final frame.

Harris is a Scoring Machine
Fifth-year senior Jay Harris ranks as UIC’s leading scorer this season with an average of 14.3 points per game, which also ranks ninth in the Horizon League. Harris has scored in double-digits 11 times through his 16 games at UIC and 15 times over his last 20 outings, dating back to his final four games at Wagner last season. In league-games only, Harris is averaging 16.2 points per game which ranks fifth among all conference players.

Fells Playing His Best Ball
Senior Ahman Fells has started seven straight games for the Flames and is playing the best basketball of his career. Over the last six games, Fells is averaging 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 51 percent from the field (27-of-53). The Chicago native achieved his first career double-double on Jan. 4 versus CSU with career-bests of 13 points and 11 boards. The 67 points that Fells has scored over the last six games accounts for nearly 38 percent of his 177 career points. He also ranks first in the league in offensive rebounding (2.6) during conference play.  

The Final Countdown
Seniors Jay Harris and Marc Brown are closing in on 1,000 career points and have at least 12 games to hit the mark. Harris currently sits at 901 career points, while Brown owns 900. If Brown achieves the coveted feat then he will become the 21st player in program history to do so. Harris totaled 458 points during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Valparaiso and then scored 217 at Wagner last year.

Checking in with Non-League Opponents
UIC has played 13 non-league Division I opponents this season.  Six of those 13 teams rank top three in their respective leagues, including five programs in the top two. Yale, DePaul and Kent State rank first or tied-for-first in the Ivy League, Big East and MAC, respectively. Second-place Dayton (A-10) and SMU (American) tout 15 wins apiece so far this season.  Those 13 teams carry a combined record of 142-103 (.580).

The Flames Are Right There
UIC has played in several close games so far this season including nine contests that have decided by single digits. Of those nine games, UIC owns a record of just 2-7.  In games decided by five points or less, the Flames are 1-5 which include two league affairs.

Wiegand Improves Year After Year
Junior Jake Wiegand has made tremendous strides in each season with the Flames as the power forward is averaging 11.9 points and 7.2 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 20 games this season and was also named a team captain prior to the 2014-15 campaign, along with senior Marc Brown. Wiegand has already surpassed his scoring total from last season by three points (237 to 234).  

Harris From the Foul Line
Senior Jay Harris is one of the top free throw shooters in the country this season. He ranks 11th in the nation and first in the Horizon League with a mark of 91 percent. Harris also ranks third in the NCAA among career-active free throw shooters with a four-year percentage of .903 (203-of-225). Harris is on pace to shatter UIC’s single-season free throw shooting record, which currently sits at 88.6 percent held by Josh Mayo.

Bench Scoring
Over the last eight games, the Flames are averaging 25 points per game off the bench compared to 13.3 for their opponents. UIC has totaled 17 or more bench points in each of the last eight outings and owns a 116-76 advantage in five league games.

D’Juan With the Dish
Junior D'Juan Miller is averaging a team-best 3.8 assists per game which ranks fifth in the Horizon League. Miller also ranks third in the HL in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 1.8 (73 ASTs to 40 TOs).

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 73.6 percent (332-of-451). That figure currently ranks 36th in the country and tops in the Horizon League, while UIC’s 332 made free throws ranks sixth in the NCAA. UIC touts seven players that are shooting above 70 percent from the charity stripe.

Protecting the Rock
UIC committed a mere two turnovers against Judson on Dec. 30 which set a new program record. The Flames stand as one of three teams (Wisconsin and Holy Cross) in the nation to have two or fewer turnovers in a single game this season. UIC is averaging 11.7 turnovers per contest, which ranks second in the Horizon League and 62nd in the country.

Cleaning Up the Glass
Jake Wiegand is averaging 7.2 rebounds per game which ranks fifth in the Horizon League. The last UIC player to finish a season with an average above seven boards per outing was Paul Carter (8.0 rpg) during the 2010-11 season. The power forward needs 14 more rebounds to equal his total from last year of 158.

Your Rebounding is Offensive 
UIC ranks first in the Horizon League and 53rd in the NCAA in offensive rebounds with an average of 12.7 boards per game. The Flames have out-rebounded its opponent on the offensive glass in 17 of 20 games this year. Junior Jake Wiegand ranks second in the HL in offensive rebounding (2.9).