CHICAGO – UIC head men's basketball coach Steve McClain announced the addition of two games to the 2017-18 regular-season slate on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Both contests will be held at the UIC Pavilion meaning that the Flames will play 18 times in front of the home crowd during the upcoming season.
 
The first addition is slated for the first week of the season when perennial Atlantic 10 conference contender Saint Joseph's comes to Chicago on Monday, Nov. 13, for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Hawks, led by longtime head coach Phil Martelli, return 15 players and all five starters from last season's squad including A10 All-Rookie Team honoree Charlie Brown and senior guard Shavar Newkirk. Brown averaged 12.8 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Newkirk was limited to only 19 games last season because of an injury. When healthy, the New York City, native averaged 20.3 points per game for Saint Joseph's.
 
Martelli has led Saint Joseph's to the postseason 13 times with seven NCAA Tournament appearances since taking over in 1995-96. The Hawks last went to the Big Dance in 2016, when they advanced to the round of 32 before falling to a No. 1 seed, Oregon.
 
UIC will also welcome the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to the Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 6. It will be the third meeting between the Flames and Rangers and the first since 2004. The first matchup came in 1979 before UIC was elevated to Division I status.
 
The Rangers, led by head coach Luke Reigel posted a record of 22-8 during the 2016-17 season and earned a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Reigel was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Midwest District Coach of the Year and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Coach of the Year following the 2016-17 season.
 
UIC's complete nonconference and Horizon League schedules are illustrated below. Tip times and television designations will be announced in the future.
 
 
 
 
UIC returns seven members of the 2016-17 squad that advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational, including the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, Tai Odiase, and the 2016 Horizon League Freshman of the Year Dikembe Dixson. In addition to that dynamic duo, 2017 Horizon League All-Freshman Team honorees Dominique Matthews and Tarkus Ferguson are back, as are Godwin Boahen, Marcus Ottey and Clint Robinson.
 
For information about ticket packages for the 2017-18 season, please call the UIC Ticket Office at 312-413-UIC1 (8421).