Jan. 28, 2015
UIC GAME NOTES
HEADLINES
The Opening Tip
The UIC men’s basketball team will play its third straight road game on Thursday night at Horizon League-foe Milwaukee. The Flames look to snap a five-game losing streak and seek their first road win of the season. The Panthers own a conference record of 2-5 with a 7-14 overall mark. Thursday’s contest will be the 64th all-time meeting between the two programs as UWM holds a 39-24 series advantage. The last time these two squads met was on Feb. 25, 2014 in Milwaukee when UIC defeated UWM by a score of 80-58. The defending league tournament champions are paced in scoring by senior guard Steve McWhorter who averages 14.1 points per game. Preseason All-League honoree Matt Tiby is averaging 11.8 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per outing. Milwaukee has dropped its previous two outings, but carries a 6-3 home record this season.
A Win vs. UWM would…
…snap a five-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 2-5 Horizon League record … give the Flames their second straight win against UWM.
The Last Time vs. Milwaukee
UIC’s most recent outing against the Panthers on Feb. 25, 2014 was a historic win for the Flames. UIC notched its largest conference road win since 1998 with an 80-58 victory, which also snapped a 17-game losing skid. The Flames led wire-to-wire in the 22-point triumph and held UWM under 32 percent shooting from the floor. UIC had eaten its pregame meal at Golden Corral in Kenosha, Wis. and plans to do so again on Thursday afternoon.
Big Night for McClellan
Junior Jason McClellan had his best game as a member of UIC this past Saturday at YSU with a career-high 19 points. McClellan was a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range, including 6-of-10 from the field. The 6-foot-9 transfer from Eastern Wyoming College received his second start as a Flame and his first since Dec. 6. McClellan sat out three games during league play due to a concussion suffered against YSU on Jan. 2.
Harris is a Scoring Machine
Fifth-year senior Jay Harris ranks as UIC’s leading scorer this season with an average of 14.2 points per game, which also ranks eighth in the Horizon League. Harris has scored in double-digits 12 times through his 17 games at UIC and 16 times over his last 21 outings, dating back to his final four games at Wagner last season. In league-games only, Harris is averaging 15.7 points per game which ranks third among all conference players.
Fells Playing His Best Ball
Senior Ahman Fells has started eight straight games for the Flames and is playing the best basketball of his career. Over the last seven outings, Fells is averaging 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor. The Chicago native achieved his first career double-double on Jan. 4 versus CSU with career-bests of 13 points and 11 boards. The 73 points that Fells has scored over the last seven games accounts for nearly 40 percent of his 183 career points. He also ranks first in the league in offensive rebounding (2.7) during conference play.
Excelling in the Classroom
The UIC men’s basketball team had a tremendous fall semester in the classroom as seven players recorded GPAs of 3.0 or better. Topping that list was freshman David Ramon who totaled a perfect 4.0. Following close behind was sophomore Hans-Christian Lauer with a GPA of 3.81 and junior Jason McClellan with a mark of 3.69.
The Final Countdown
Seniors Jay Harris and Marc Brown are closing in on 1,000 career points and have at least 11 games to hit the mark. Harris currently sits at 914 career points, while Brown owns 901. 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. Seven of those 13 teams rank top four in their respective leagues, including four programs in the top two. Yale and Kent State rank first in the Ivy League and the MAC, respectively, while Dayton (A-10) and SMU (American) sit second in their respective conferences. UIC’s 13 non-league D-I opponents carry a combined record of 149-109 (.578).
The Flames Are Right There
UIC has played in several close games so far this season including nine contests that have been decided by single digits. Of those nine games UIC owns a record of 2-7. In outcomes decided by five points or less, the Flames are 1-5 which include two league affairs.
Harris From the Foul Line
Senior Jay Harris is one of the top free throw shooters in the country this season. He ranks 24th in the nation and first in the Horizon League with a mark of 88.5 percent (85-of-96). Harris also ranks third in the NCAA among career-active free throw shooters with a four-year percentage of .896 (207-of-231). Harris has the opportunity to break UIC’s single-season free throw shooting record, which currently sits at 88.6 percent held by Josh Mayo.
Odiase Still Ranks Second in Blocks
Freshman Tai Odiase missed six games and has played limited minutes in his last two outings due to a lower leg injury suffered in late December. Despite his lack of playing time, Odiase still ranks tied-for-second in the Horizon League with 26 blocked shots. The 6-foot-9 forward has totaled three or more swats on five occasions this year and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing.
Wiegand Improves Year After Year
Junior Jake Wiegand has made tremendous strides in each season with the Flames as the power forward is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 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 has already surpassed his scoring total from last season by three points (237 to 234).
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 73.1 percent (348-of-476). That figure currently ranks 39th in the country and tops in the Horizon League, while UIC’s 348 made free throws ranks tied-for-16th in the NCAA. UIC touts seven players that are shooting above 70 percent from the charity stripe. The 2012-13 team currently holds the all-time record for free throw shooting with a single-season mark of .752.
D’Juan With the Dish
Junior D'Juan Miller is averaging a team-best 4.0 assists per game which ranks fourth in the Horizon League. Miller also ranks second in the HL in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 1.9 (80 ASTs to 43 TOs).
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 four teams (Wisconsin, Holy Cross and Bryant) in the nation to have two or fewer turnovers in a single game this season.
Cleaning Up the Glass
Jake Wiegand is averaging 6.9 rebounds per game which ranks sixth 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 13 more rebounds to equal his total from last year of 158.
Your Rebounding is Offensive
UIC ranks first in the Horizon League and 47th 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 18 of 21 games this year. Junior Jake Wiegand ranks second in the HL in offensive rebounding (2.8).
