Dec. 4, 2015
CHICAGO -- UIC will visit the Sunshine State this weekend for its penultimate road game of the nonconference slate, and its last outside the state of Illinois. In search of their first victory of the season away from the UIC Pavilion, the Flames head to Orlando, Fla., where they will face the Central Florida Knights on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. CST.
Below are a few headlines UIC prepares to do battle with UCF on Saturday night at CFE Arena:
BROTHERLY LOVE
UIC freshman Dominique Matthews is not the only member of his immediate family to wear a college basketball uniform this season. Brother, Charles Matthews, is a freshman for the Kentucky Wildcats. UIC's Matthews led the Flames with a career-high 17 points against DePaul on Dec. 2. He shot 7-of-12 from the field and buried the first two 3-pointers of his young career in a personal-best 24 minutes against the Blue Demons.
BLOCK PARTY
Tai Odiase has established himself as one of the nation's leading shot blockers. Odiase, who ranks in the top 50 nationally with 2.2 blocks per game, sent back a career-high five shots against San Francisco in the season opener (Nov. 13), including three in the first 1:39 of the contest. The team blocked a total of nine shots in that game, the most for a UIC squad since Feb. 5, 2009, vs. Cleveland State. The Flames lead the Horizon League and rank 54th nationally with 5.0 blocks per game this season.
WINDEX MEN
UIC leads the Horizon League and ranks 38th in the NCAA with 42.8 rebounds per game. Freshman Dikembe Dixson paces the squad and ranks eighth in the conference with 6.2 boards per game. On the offensive end the Flames average 14.0 rebounds per game, ranking 45th in the country in that category. Those boards have helped UIC average 15.2 second-chance points per game.
LINEUP SHUFFLE
Steve McClain has used five different starting lineups through the first five games. Eight different Flames have received a nod, while Tai Odiase and Dikembe Dixson have opened all five games. UIC opened its last contest vs. DePaul with a sophomore (Odiase) and four true freshmen (Dixson, Drew Hackett, Dominique Matthews and Julian Torres).
MILESTONE WATCH
UIC, which began to play NCAA Division I basketball in 1981, needs only two more wins to reach No. 500 at this level. The school's first team was fielded in 1947-48 and the program owns 807 all-time victories.
AGAINST THE AAC
The Flames have played 11 games all-time against the current members of the American Athletic Conference. UIC has only faced UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and SMU and the program is 3-8 in those contests. Two of the victories came against UCF, most recently on Dec. 11, 2014 when the Flames claimed a 71-60 victory at the UIC Pavilion. UIC's last road win against a current AAC team came on Dec. 12, 1983, when it downed Cincinnati in the Queen City, 72-64.
For more notes and information about Saturday's showdown, and the entire 2015-16 season, please click the Game Notes PDF above.
After facing the Knights, the Flames will be idle for a week as UIC holds it final exams for the fall semester. The squad hits the hardwood once again on Saturday, Dec. 12, when it hosts its sister institution, Illinois, at the United Center at 1 p.m. Tickets are still available for that game and may be purchased by calling 312-413-UIC1.
