Feb. 25, 2016
CHICAGO -- With the dusk of the 2015-16 regular season on the horizon, UIC will take its final road trip of the regular season this weekend with the first stop in Green Bay, Wis., to face the Green Bay Phoenix on Friday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. The penultimate contest of the regular season will take place at the Resch Center.
The Flames and Phoenix produced a memorable matchup in their first meeting of the season back on Jan. 14. In a game that featured 13 lead changes and 12 tie scores, Green Bay made one more play in the waning seconds to escape the UIC Pavilion with a 78-76 victory. Five players scored in double figures for the home team, led by freshman Dikembe Dixson and senior Jake Wiegand, who tallied 19 and 18 points, respectively.
NOT IN TAI'S HOUSE
UIC sophomore Tai Odiase leads not only the Horizon League, but the entire NCAA in both total blocks and blocks per game through Feb. 23. The 6-foot-9 center has registered 89 total blocks on the season for an average of 3.3 per game. His 89 blocks this year mark the second-best single-season total in program history. He owns 137 rejections in 55 career games, placing him fifth among Flames all-time. Odiase has blocked at least five shots in five consecutive games, averaging 6.8 blocks per game during that span. On Feb. 13, he sent back a career-high nine field-goal attempts against Northern Kentucky.
SURGING SOPHOMORES
On a team loaded with young talent, UIC's two sophomores - Tai Odiase and Lance Whitaker - have made huge strides in their respective second seasons. Odiase averaged 4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.7 bpg in his inaugural season, but he's worked to elevate those metrics to 9.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 3.3 bpg this year. He currently leads the NCAA in total blocks (89) and blocks per game (3.3). Whitaker netted averages of 2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 1.1 apg in his first full season (2014-15). The Bartlett, Ill., native currently averages 5.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 3.4 apg, while ranking fourth in the Horizon League in assist/turnover ratio (2.5). The pair has played in every game this season under first-year head coach Steve McClain, with 50 combined starts.
TOP OF THE HEAP
UIC freshman Dikembe Dixson entered last Sunday's game with 501 points this season, needing only one more to set the Horizon League scoring record for a freshman. After burying a jumper for the game's first basket, the Freeport, Ill., native broke a first-place tie with former Flame Mark Miller (1995-96), the previous record holder. The program record for scoring among first-year players belongs to Sherrell Ford (1992-93), who netted 601 points in his inaugural season. UIC played in the Mid-Continent Conference that year, which has since evolved into The Summit League. Here is a look at the Horizon League's top-five scoring freshmen:
1. Dikembe Dixson, UIC - 525 points (2015-16)
2. Mark Miller, UIC - 501 points (1992-93)
3. Byron Larkin, Xavier - 492 points (1984-85)
4. Alfrederick Hughes, Loyola - 482 points (1982-83)
5. Tony Warren, Butler - 476 points (1979-80)
FAST FLAMES FACT
UIC has been tied with its opponent at halftime twice this season, against Green Bay on Jan. 14, and again at Youngstown State on Feb. 16. In both instances each team had 39 points at the break. The Flames fell to the Phoenix in Chicago, 78-76, and in double overtime to the Penguins in northeast Ohio, 92-91.
For more notes and information about Friday's game, please click the Game Notes PDF above.
