Jan. 7, 2015
UIC GAME NOTES
HEADLINES
The Opening Tip
The UIC men's basketball team will seek a 2-1 Horizon League record on Thursday night as they travel to Valparaiso for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Flames hold a 29-20 advantage in the all-time series against VU, however the Crusaders have bested UIC on 11 straight occasions. Valpo currently ranks sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll with 14-3 overall record. They carry a 1-1 mark in the Horizon League after dropping the conference opener at Oakland in overtime last Friday (89-75) and then defeating Youngstown State at home on Sunday (79-64). The Crusades are paced by sophomore Alec Peters who averages 18.2 points per game, the second best scoring figure in the HL.
A Win at Valpo would…
…give UIC its first 2-1 Horizon League start since the 2007-08 season … give UIC six wins which matches its season total from last year … give UIC its first victory against Valpo since Feb. 15, 2009 … give UIC its first road win of the year.
Harris to Face Familiar Foe
Jay Harris will face a familiar opponent on Thursday night in Valparaiso as the fifth-year senior played his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Crusaders. Harris averaged 6.9 points per game during his two years at VU. During the 2011-12 campaign, Harris ranked fourth on the team in scoring (9.0), third in made threes (40) and third in assists (80).
Fells Playing His Best Ball
Senior Ahman Fells has started four straight games for the Flames and is playing the best basketball of his career. Over the last three games, Fells is averaging 12.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field (15-of-30). The Chicago native achieved his first career double-double this past Sunday versus CSU with career-bests of 13 points and 11 boards. The 36 points that Fells has scored over the last three games accounts for more than 24 percent of his 146 career points.
Tough Schedule
UIC has played a tough non-league schedule this season with games against SMU (10-4), Dayton (11-2), Yale (10-5) and Northwestern (10-5). To date the Flames' opponents hold a combined record of 100-85. UIC is one of 47 of the 351 D-I programs in the nation to have its opponents total 100 wins so far this season. Fellow league member Oakland has a combined opponent win total of 106, while Providence tops the list at 131.
Marc Brown Closes in on 900 Career Points
Senior guard Marc Brown needs 11 more points to reach 900 for his career as he currently owns 889. The Dallas native scored a game-high 21 points against CSU this past Sunday, his seventh career 20-point effort. If Brown reaches 1,000 career points he would become the 21st player in program history to do so and the first since current graduate manager Robo Kreps (2007-11).
Harris is a Scoring Machine
Fifth-year senior Jay Harris dropped a game-high 25 points against Youngstown State this past Friday and added 13 against Cleveland State on Sunday. Harris has scored in double figures in nine of his 13 games this season. He ranks first on the team in scoring (14.2) and ninth in the Horizon League.
Wiegand Improves Year After Year
Junior Jake Wiegand has made tremendous strides in each season with the Flames as the power forward is averaging 12.2 points and 7.6 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 17 games this season and was also named a team captain prior to the 2014-15 campaign, along with senior Marc Brown.
30 and Counting
Jay Harris has made 30 consecutive free throws dating back to Dec. 11 when UIC defeated Central Florida. That total ranks tied for the third longest streak in program history with former Flame Tony Freeman. The top spot is held by Josh Mayo who sank 38 straight foul shots which spanned across the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Out of 67 free throw attempts this season, Harris has missed a mere five shots.
Harris and Brown From the Line
Seniors Jay Harris and Marc Brown are two of the top free throw shooters in the country this season. Harris ranks ninth in the nation (92.5%) and first in the Horizon League, while Brown (85.5%) is second in the HL and 49th in the country. Harris also ranks second in the NCAA among career-active free throw shooters with a four-year percentage of .911 (184-of-202). Brown currently sits 10th on UIC's career made free throw leaderboard with 279.
Bench Scoring
Over the last nine games, the Flames are averaging 24.7 points per game off the bench compared to 11.8 for their opponents. UIC has totaled 23 or more bench points in each of the last five outings and owns a 58-16 advantage in two league games.
D'Juan With the Dish
Junior D'Juan Miller is averaging 3.9 assists per game which ranks third in the Horizon League. Miller equaled a career-high with seven helpers against YSU this past Friday and has led UIC in that category in eight of 17 games. Miller also ranks second in the HL in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 2.0 (62 ASTs to 31 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 75.1 percent (284-of-378). That figure currently ranks 13th in the country and tops in the Horizon League, while UIC's 284 made free throws ranks 3rd in the NCAA. UIC touts nine 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 two teams (Holy Cross) in the nation to have two or fewer turnovers in a single game this season. UIC is averaging 11.5 turnovers per contest, which ranks second in the Horizon League and 45th in the country.
What a Comeback!
The Flames mounted an impressive 77-71 comeback victory against Youngstown State this past Friday after trailing the Penguins 29-11 during first half action. From that point, UIC outscored YSU by a margin of 66-42 which included a 19-2 run late in the second half. The Flames' defense held YSU to a mere five points during a seven minute stretch in the final period to gain the lead and complete the rally.
Flames Rout Judson by 41 Points
UIC's 79-38 triumph against Judson this past Tuesday was the program's largest margin of victory since Nov. 21, 2001, when the Flames downed St. Joseph's (Ind.) by a final of 96-53. The last time UIC held an opponent to less than 40 points was on Nov. 17, 2012, against Mercer (62-36) at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Snider From Downtown
Junior Gabe Snider has made seven three pointers over the last three games and ranks ninth in the HL in three-point shooting percentage (38.6%). Snider's career mark is .389 (42-of-108) and stands as UIC's career-active leader in that category.
Cleaning Up the Glass
Jake Wiegand has tallied five double-digit rebounding efforts so far this season, standing as one of three Horizon League players to do so. He ranks third in the conference in boards per game (7.6) and tied-for-29th in the nation in total rebounds (129). Wiegand now owns 323 career boards and needs just 30 more to surpass his total from last season of 158. The power forward has also paced UIC on glass in 13 of 17 games this season.
Your Rebounding is Offensive
UIC ranks first in the Horizon League and 42nd in the NCAA in offensive rebounds with an average of 13.2 boards per game. The Flames have out-rebounded its opponent on the offensive glass in 15 of 17 games this year. Junior Jake Wiegand ranks second in the HL in offensive rebounding (3.1), while freshman Tai Odiase ranks eighth (1.8).
Jay Harris Exploded for Career-High 32 vs. UCF
Jay Harris was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on 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.). His 32 points is tied for the highest single-game output in the conference this season with Cleveland State's Trey Lewis and Oakland Kahlil Felder.
