CHICAGO -- UIC remains on the road this weekend for a pair of games in Wisconsin, beginning Thursday at Milwaukee. Tip-off inside UWM Panther Arena is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

OPENING TIP
• The Flames picked up their first Horizon League victory of the season last time out, holding off IUPUI, 67-65. Filip Skobalj hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining while Kevin Johnson went 8-for-8 from the free throw line over the final 2:14, including a perfect 4-for-4 effort in the last 18 seconds to secure the victory.
• This weekend's pair of games cap off a season-long four-game roadtrip. The Flames were scheduled to play five road games over the 10-day span, but their Jan. 8 contest at Northern Kentucky was canceled.

MATCHUP BREAKDOWN
• UIC and Milwaukee are meeting for the 80th time in program history, with the Panthers owning a 50-29 advantage in the series history.
• The two teams will be meeting for the first time in almost two years after their pair of contests last year were canceled due to COVID-19. The Panthers swept the season series two years ago.
• Milwaukee is led by DeAndre Gholston who averaged a team-best 15.1 points per game while Patrick Baldwin, Jr., the son of head coach Pat Baldwin, ranks second on the team with 13.4 points per game.

PICKED THE POCKET
• Kevin Johnson has racked up the steals during his now five-year career. Over the course of his career, Johnson has recorded 263 steals, the fifth-most among all active Division I players. Johnson's 2.02 steals per game ranks 13th among active players while his 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio is 15th best among active players.
• Johnson has recorded at least one steal in nine games this year, including a season-high three in UIC's win over IUPUI on Jan. 10.
• In UIC's 91-50 victory over Trinity Christian on Nov. 16, Jamie Ahale registered a career-high four steals.
• Damaria Franklin matched the effort with four steals against San Diego on Nov. 26.
• The four swipes are tied for the most by a Flames player under head coach Luke Yaklich.

DISH IT OUT
• UIC newcomer Kevin Johnson has led UIC's offense as the point guard this season, handing out a team-leading 75 assists while only turning the ball over 36 total times. 
• Johnson's 5.8 assists per game and 75 total assists both rank second in the Horizon League. He ranks 24th nationally in assists per game and 36th in the country in total assists.
• Jalen Warren and Johnson rank third and fourth, respectively, in assist-to-turnover ratio among all Horizon League players. Warren's rate is 2.22 with Johnson's at 2.08.
• As a team, the Flames have 202 assists on the year, third-most in the Horizon League.
• UIC has compiled at least nine assists in all 13 games this season, and at least 15 helpers on seven occasions.
• UIC dished out a season-high 28 assists in its 91-50 win over Trinity Christian on Nov. 16. The 28 helpers are the most under Luke Yaklich and were just three shy of matching the program record for most assists in a game (31, twice, last vs. Northeastern Illinois on Dec. 9, 1987).