Jan. 9, 2016
ROCHESTER, Mich. -- UIC will tie a bow on its three-game Horizon League road trip Sunday with a matinee in Rochester, Mich., against the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies at the Athletics Center O'rena. The contest is scheduled to commence at 3 p.m. EST/2 p.m. CST.
For Flames fans unable to venture to the Great Lakes State, the first of two scheduled meetings between the two programs will be broadcast on ESPN3. In Chicagoland the game will be available on radio on ESPN1000 Chicago with the Voice of the Flames, Jonathan Hood, handling the play-by-play and UIC Hall of Fame inductee Kenny Williams providing his analysis. Chris Bleck will begin the broadcast with a pre-game show at 1:45 p.m. CST.
Below are a few headlines and notes as UIC looks to get back into the win column against the Golden Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon:
LINEUP SHUFFLE
UIC head coach Steve McClain has used 11 different starting lineup combinations in 13 games after mixing it up once again at Detroit on Friday night. In total, ten different Flames have received at least one starting nod this season, and six have opened at least six games. Sophomore Tai Odiase and freshman Dikembe Dixson have opened all 13 games thus far. The quintet used to open against the Titans (listed above) owns a combined 44 starts this season and 103 in its collective career.
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
Statistically speaking, UIC has been a more productive team in the second half this season. The Flames have scored an average of 7.2 more points per game in the final period, while shooting better percentages from the floor, the free-throw line and beyond the arc. Individually, sophomore Tai Odiase has had a significant impact down the stretch as he averages 5.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in the second half this season compared to 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in the first. Freshman Dikembe Dixson has also provided late contributions with an average of 8.7 points in the final 20 minutes. He has also made 11 of his 14 3-pointers on the season in the second half this year.
NAJEAL FITS NICELY
Junior transfer Najeal Young returned to court at Valparaiso on Jan. 2 after missing nearly 2.5 games with an injury he sustained at Loyola on Dec. 19. The Milwaukee, Wis., native has started the last two games and he is averaging 10.5 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds in Horizon League play. He broke out against Detroit on Friday night with a career-high 15 points on 7-of-12 from the floor, while matching a career best with seven rebounds.
MINUTE MEN
Freshman Dikembe Dixson leads UIC, and ranks fifth in the Horizon League, in playing time this season with 324 minutes, or 32.6 minutes per game. He has played a career-high 39 minutes twice, including in the Horizon League opener at Valparaiso on Jan. 2. He has played 31 minutes or more nine times, including in each of the last eight games. Eleven Flames are averaging at least 10.6 minutes per game this season, while four are playing an average of 23.7 minutes or more per ballgame.
BLOCK PARTY
Tai Odiase has established himself as one of the Horizon League's leading shot blockers. Odiase, who ranks second in the conference, and 41st nationally, with 2.1 blocks per game, sent back a career-high five shots against San Francisco in the season opener on 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 with 4.8 blocks per game, while Friday's opponent, Detroit, is close behind with an average of 4.5 blocks per contest.
MILESTONE WATCH
UIC, which began NCAA Division I play in 1981, needs only one win to reach No. 500 at this level. The very first win of the Division I era came on Dec. 4, 1981 at Wisconsin (74-66). The school's first basketball team was fielded in 1947, and the program owns 808 all-time victories since that season.
For more information about Sunday's game, please click the Game Notes PDFs above.
The squad will be back at the UIC Pavilion on Thursday, January 14 to host the Green Bay Phoenix in the Horizon League home opener. Tickets are still available by calling 312-413-UIC1 (8421) or visiting Ticketmaster today.
