Feb. 3, 2015
UIC GAME NOTES
HEADLINES
The Opening Tip
The UIC men’s basketball team will host its second straight home game on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT against second year conference member Oakland. This will be the first meeting of the season between the two programs and just the seventh all-time. The Golden Grizzlies have won all six previous matchups against the Flames, including two during the 2013-14 campaign. Oakland ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a record of 6-2 and currently rides a six-game winning streak. Sophomore point guard Kahlil Felder is the reigning conference Player of the Week as he fronts the league in assists (7.5) and steals (2.1) per game. During league play, Felder is averaging 19.1 points per outing.
A Win vs. Oakland would…
…snap a seven-game losing streak for the Flames… give UIC six wins which would match its season total from last year … give UIC a 6-6 home record this season … give the Flames its first win against Oakland in the all-time series … give UIC its first February-opening win since the 2011-12 season.
Ah-Man Among Boys
Senior Ahman Fells recorded a pair of record-breaking performances last week, including a memorable 28-point career-high outburst against first-place Valparaiso this past Saturday. Fells was nearly flawless versus the Crusaders as he shot 11-of-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from three-point range. His 11 made field goals not only set a new career-best, but also equaled the single-game high for UIC during the Howard Moore-era. The last UIC player to record six threes in a game was Daniel Barnes on March 20, 2013 against Chicago State in the CIT. At Milwaukee last Thursday, Fells netted 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, which bested his previous career-high of 13 points. He is the only UIC player to have posted back-to-back 20-point games this season. For the week, Fells shot 18-of-23 (.783) from the field and 8-of-10 (.800) from three-point range.
Last Time Out
The Flames used a 20-6 run late in the second half to pull within one (61-60) of first-place Valparaiso with under four minutes to play this past Saturday. UIC all but erased an 18-point deficit, however the Crusaders eventually prevailed 70-65. Valpo led 39-25 at halftime, but UIC won the second period by a margin of 40-31. The Flames limited Valpo to 37 percent shooting in the final frame, while UIC shot 46.2 percent.
Fells Seizing his Opportunity
After owning just one career start, senior Ahman Fells was inserted into the starting lineup 10 games ago on Dec. 28 against Bradley and has been there ever since. In the last 10 games, Fells leads the team in scoring (12.6), rebounding (4.8), field-goal shooting (58.5%) and three-point shooting (48.5%). He is playing even better during conference action, averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 boards per contest, while shooting 57.7 percent from the field. The 126 points that Fells has scored in his last 10 games accounts for 55 percent of his career total of 231.
McClellan Heats Up
Junior Jason McClellan is hitting his stride as of late after being hampered by early- and mid-season injuries. The 6-foot-9 forward scored a career-high 19 points at YSU on Jan. 24 and shot 4-of-4 from behind the arc. This past Thursday at Milwaukee, McClellan totaled seven points and matched a season-best seven rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Over the last three games, the Fort Collins, Colo. native is averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per outing.
Harris is a Scoring Machine
Fifth-year senior Jay Harris ranks as UIC’s leading scorer this season with an average of 13.8 points per game, which also ranks ninth in the Horizon League. Harris has scored in double-digits 14 times through his 19 games at UIC and 18 times over his last 23 outings, dating back to his final four games at Wagner last season. On Dec. 11 against UCF, Harris exploded for a career-high 32 points and was later named the Horizon League Player of the Week. His 32-point outburst is tied for the second highest total in the conference this season.
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.
Paris Burns Bright
Junior Paris Burns is averaging 15.3 points per game during his last three outings, including back-to-back 16-point performances against YSU (Jan. 24) and UWM (Jan. 29). Burns scored all 14 of his points versus Valpo in the second half this past Saturday, including 10 points in the final 10 minutes of the game. Burns owns a season scoring averaging of 9.5 points per game, which increases to 10.7 in league action.
The Flames Are Right There
UIC has played in several close games so far this season including 11 contests that have been decided by single digits. Of those 10 games UIC owns a record of 2-9. In outcomes decided by six points or less, the Flames are 1-7 which include four league affairs.
The Final Countdown
Seniors Jay Harris and Marc Brown are closing in on 1,000 career points and have at least nine games to hit the mark. Harris currently sits at 936 career points, while Brown owns 905. 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.
Miller Leaves Program
Junior D'Juan Miller has left the UIC men’s basketball program due to personal reasons. He competed in 20 games for UIC and averaged 4.7 points and 4.0 assists per contest.
Harris From the Foul Line
Senior Jay Harris is one of the top free throw shooters in the country this season. He ranks 13th in the nation and first in the Horizon League with a mark of 89.1 percent (98-of-110). Harris also ranks third in the NCAA among career-active free throw shooters with a four-year percentage of .898 (220-of-245). 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 four outings due to a lower leg injury suffered in late December. Despite his lack of playing time, Odiase still ranks second in the Horizon League with 29 blocked shots behind Valpo’s Vashil Fernandez (73). The 6-foot-9 forward has totaled three or more swats on five occasions this year and is averaging 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per outing.
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 (379-of-515). That figure currently ranks 33rd in the country and tops in the Horizon League, while UIC’s 379 made free throws ranks 11th 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.
Wiegand Improves Year After Year
Junior Jake Wiegand has made tremendous strides in each season with the Flames as the power forward is averaging 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this year. Those numbers are 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 (242 to 234).
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. The Flames rank first in the HL with an average of 11.5 turnovers per game which also ranks 53rd in the country.
