CHICAGO – The Horizon League announced today the conference schedule for the upcoming 2020-21 basketball season.
 
The 20-game conference schedule runs for 10 consecutive weeks from Dec. 19 through Feb. 20. Each team will have five home weekends and five road weekends on which they will play two games against the same opponent on back-to-back days at the same location.  
 
Grounded in health and safety considerations, the scheduling model was developed in consultation with the League's Return to Safe Play work group, athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives, with additional feedback provided by the HL men's and women's basketball coaches and student-athlete captain's council. It reduces travel, allows for additional time between games against new opponents, and provides for consistent and stringent COVID-19 testing in line with NCAA protocols to mitigate the potential for COVID-19 exposure.
 
"The Horizon League and the administration at each institution has done an amazing job constructing this year's schedule and providing an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete this season," said head coach Luke Yaklich. "Safety has been at the forefront of each of our discussions.
 
"Our players are really excited to compete and have embraced the opportunity to be out on the floor together each and every day. We're looking forward to competing for a Horizon League Championship and competing each weekend against all of the teams and coaches in this league," added Yaklich.
 
The Flames open Horizon League play at Credit Union 1 Arena against Oakland on Dec. 19-20 before hitting the road to take on Milwaukee Dec. 26-27. This marks the third consecutive year in which UIC begins its conference slate inside Credit Union 1 Arena.
 
The team will ring in the New Year with home games against Detroit Mercy on Jan. 1-2 before facing a pair of new Horizon League members. UIC will travel to Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 8-9) before welcoming Robert Morris to Credit Union 1 Arena on Jan. 15-16. UIC picked up a pair of home nonconference wins against both teams a year ago, defeating the Colonials by a 72-62 margin on Nov. 21 before taking down the Mastodons, 62-49, on Dec. 7.
 
The Flames hit the road for back-to-back weekends to close out January, facing Youngstown State (Jan. 22-23) and Northern Kentucky (Jan. 29-30). February features four of UIC's six final games coming at home, beginning with Wright State on Feb. 5-6. After a trip to Indianapolis to take on IUPUI (Feb. 12-13), the Flames close out the regular season at home against Green Bay on Feb. 19-20.
 
With 20 conference games scheduled and 12 member schools this year, each team will miss one opponent on the regular season schedule. UIC will not face Cleveland State this year, marking the first time in the series history the two teams have not played each other in a given season since the teams' first meeting in 1981-82.
 
At this time, UIC will not host fans for home games at Credit Union 1 Arena due to current public health regulations. Flames fans can watch all men's basketball games on the ESPN family of networks, as in past years.
 
The 2021 Horizon League Men's and Women's Basketball Championship is scheduled to culminate at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. More information on the championships will be released at a later date.
 
With its conference schedule now set, UIC's updated nonconference slate beginning on Nov. 25 will be announced in the coming days.