March 5, 2015
UIC GAME NOTES
HEADLINES
The Opening Tip
The UIC men's basketball team continues postseason play on Friday night against No. 3 seed Oakland at tournament host and top-seeded Valparaiso. Tipoff is schedule for 6 p.m. CT and can be seen live on ESPN 3. The Flames advanced from round one with a 60-57 come-from-behind victory versus No. 7 seed Wright State. Oakland earned a first round bye, winning four of its last five games, but suffered an 83-63 defeat in its most recent outing against Green Bay last Saturday. Friday's contest will be the ninth all-time meeting between the two program as the Golden Grizzlies have won all previous gatherings, including two this season. OU is paced by first team All-League point guard Kahlil Felder who leads the nation in assists per game (7.7) and is the only player in the country to average more than 17 points and seven assists per outing.
Last Time Out
UIC pulled off an improbable 60-57 comeback win on Tuesday night against No. 7 seed Wright State after being down 19 points (39-20) at halftime. Senior Jay Harris sank a game-winning three-pointer with 1:13 to play and then a pair of free throws with six seconds left to ice the game. The Flames ended the contest on a 14-2 run and outscored the Raiders, 40-18, in the final frame. UIC's defense caused 10 WSU turnovers in the second half and converted those miscues into 21 points. Harris poured in a game-high 23 points, including three triples and 6-of-6 from the foul line. It was UIC's largest comeback triumph in more than two years (Jan. 23, 2013) when the Flames overcame a 44-25 hole to defeat UWM, 60-55.
Tourney Talk
UIC's win against Wright State on Tuesday was the program's second opening round victory in the last three seasons. The Flames tout an overall tournament record of 18-18 with a 6-9 mark in second round games. In the second round of the 2012-13 tournament, UIC suffered a heartbreaking 64-63 loss to No. 4 seed Green Bay after the Phoenix hit a game-winning three with less than two seconds left to play. Friday's contest will be the first ever meeting between UIC and Oakland in the postseason.
No. 6 Seed
The 2015 Horizon League Tournament is the fifth occurrence where UIC has held the No. 6 seed. The Flames own a 6-3 record all-time in the sixth spot, including a tournament title during the 2001-02 season, the only No. 6 seed to ever win the championship game.
#3 vs. #6 seeds
The No. 3 seed owns a 25-8 record all-time against the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, including wins in the previous four matchups. In the 2002 tournament, the sixth-seeded Flames upset No. 3 Milwaukee in the second round en route to an eventual league title.
What Can Brown Do For You?
After scoring 56 points in his last four games, senior Marc Brown owns 991 career points and needs just nine more to reach 1,000. If Brown can achieve the four-digit milestone then he will become just the 21st player in program history to do so and the first since current graduate manager Robo Kreps (2007-11). Brown has also made 308 free throws during his college career which ranks sixth on UIC's all-time leaderboard. He needs four more to surpass Chuck Lambert (1971-75) for fifth on that list.
Harris is a Scoring Machine
Fifth-year senior Jay Harris ranks as UIC's leading scorer this season with an average of 14.9 points per game, which also ranks eighth in the Horizon League. Harris has scored in double-digits 20 times through his 28 games at UIC and 24 times over his last 32 outings, dating back to his final four games at Wagner last season. He owns a team-best seven 20-plus point efforts this season, including a career-high 32 against Central Florida on Dec. 11. He surpassed 1,000 career points on Feb. 19 versus UWM and currently sits at 1,089. Over his last eight games, Harris is averaging 18.3 points per game with four outings of 23 or more.
Ah-Man Among Boys
Senior Ahman Fells has been playing the best basketball of his career during the last two months after he was inserted into the starting lineup 19 games ago on Dec. 28. Over that span, he is averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and is shooting team-highs from the field (54%) and three-point range (46%). The Chicago native is playing even better during the last 11 games, averaging 12.3 points per game and 5.5 rebounds, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 53 percent from downtown. Fells set a career-high 28 points against first-place Valparaiso on Jan. 31, shooting 11-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-7 from deep. His 11 made field goals not only set a new career-best, but also equaled the single-game high for a UIC player during the Howard Moore-era. The last UIC player to record six threes in a game was Daniel Barnes on March 20, 2013. Fells is the only Flame to have posted back-to-back 20-point games this season and ranks fifth in the Horizon League in field goal shooting percentage (53.4%), during league-games only.
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 89.9 percent (152-of-169), while his 152 made free throws ranks first all-time on UIC's single-season leaderboard. Harris also ranks third in the NCAA among career-active free throw shooters with a four-year percentage of .901 (274-of-304). 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. The Aurora, Ill. native has made his last 18 foul shots.
Strong Play in February
UIC finished the month of February with a 3-5 Horizon League record for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Flames picked up two consecutive road wins at Detroit (Feb. 8) and Wright State (Feb. 12), besting the Raiders once again at home this past Saturday. During the month of February, UIC shot 42.4 percent (64-of-151) from three-point range and 75.2 percent (118-of-157) from the free throw line. The Flames also averaged nearly 15 made foul shots per game during this past month compared to 9.8 for their opponents.
Protecting the Rock
The Flames rank first in the Horizon League with an average of 11.1 turnovers per game which also ranks 41st in the country. UIC committed a mere two turnovers against Judson on Dec. 30 which set a new program record. The Flames stand as one of six teams (Wisconsin, Holy Cross, Bryant, Virginia and Houston) in the nation to have two or fewer turnovers in a single game this season.
One of the Nation's Best
The Flames have been one of the nation's best free-throw shooting teams this season as UIC is averaging 74.1 percent (513-of-692). That figure currently ranks 27th in the country and first in the Horizon League, while UIC's 513 made free throws ranks 10th in the NCAA. UIC touts five players that are shooting above 75 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.
Not in Tai's House
Despite his lack of playing time due to a lower leg injury in December, freshman Tai Odiase still ranks second in the Horizon League and 76th in the nation in blocks per game with an average of 1.7. Fronting the conference is Valparaiso's Vashil Fernandez with an average of 2.9. Odiase owns 42 total swats on the season and ranks second all-time among UIC freshmen behind former-NBA draft pick Sherrell Ford (67). Odiase needs just three more blocks to crack UIC's top-10 single season leaderboard.
Efficient Minutes for McClellan
Junior Jason McClellan has been one of the most efficient players for UIC over the last four games, shooting a team-best 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the floor. During that same stretch, McClellan is averaging 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and nearly two blocks per outing in 18.3 minutes of court time.
McGuire Takes the Next Step
Sophomore Markese McGuire has started eight of the last nine games and is averaging 6.6 points per outing during that stretch. He is shooting nearly 40 percent from behind the arc over the last eight games with standout performances of 4-of-5 (Oakland) and 4-of-6 (Detroit). McGuire netted a career-high 16 points versus Oakland on Feb. 4 and followed that up with 14 at Detroit on Feb. 8. The Elkhart, Ind. native shot 46.4 percent from behind the arc during league play this season which ranks third among all conference players. McGuire was named first-team All-State in Indiana his senior year in high school and totaled 1,000 points during his prep career at Elkhart Memorial.
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.
Down to the Wire
UIC has played in several close games so far this season including 15 contests that have been decided by single digits. Of those 15 games UIC owns a record of 4-11. In outcomes decided by six points or less, the Flames are 3-8 which include six league affairs.
