CHICAGO -- The UIC men's basketball team ushers in a new era of Flames basketball on Wednesday, Nov. 30, when the Flames take the court for the first-ever Missouri Valley Conference contests against Missouri State.

OPENING TIP
• Tipoff inside Credit Union 1 Arena is slated for 7 p.m. with the game being broadcast on ESPN+. The Voice of the Flames, Jonathan Hood, alongside Hall of Famer Kenny Williams, will have the call of the game. Wednesday's game will be simulcast on the Flame Network, with the audio call available on UICFlames.com.
• The Flames enter the contest winners of three consecutive contests, all away from home. UIC defeated Stonehill and Holy Cross to finish up action at the Tom Konchalski Classic before defeating former league foe Green Bay Saturday on the road.
• The Flames have excelled at defending the rim this season, ranking first in the Missouri Valley and 29th nationally with 5.3 blocks per game. Cameron Fens' 12 total blocks through seven games are third in the MVC.

MATCHUP BREAKDOWN
• Wednesday's contest will be the 18th meeting all-time between the Flames and Bears, but the first as conference foes and first since 2001.
• Missouri State enters the contest 3-3 on the year and coming off a win, defeating Oakland, 76-64, in the final game at the Baha Mar Nassau Championship.
• Chance Moore is one of two Bears to average double figures, leading the way with 15.2 points per game while Alston Mason scores 10.3 per contest.

TURNOVER MACHINE
• Through seven games, the Flames have forced their opponents to commit 17.43 turnovers per game.
• UIC is first in the Missouri valley and 34th nationally in the category. The Flames' +4.7 turnover margin also leads all MVC schools and ranks 31st nationally.
• Against Loyola, the Flames forced the Ramblers to turn the ball over 25 times. Christian Jones was heavily involved with five steals, while Tre Anderson had four.
• The Flames forced double-digit turnovers in all three games of the Tom Konchalski Classic, including 16 against Holy Cross and Stonehill.

MAKING THE FREEBIES
• Tre Anderson took advantage of the free throw line in UIC's 67-60 victory over Jacksonville State.
• Of Anderson's 20 points, 15 came from the free throw line. Anderson would finish 15-for-20 from the charity stripe.
• The graduate student became the first Flame to make 15 or more free throws in a game since Kelsey Barlow vs. Wagner (17-of-19) on Nov. 27, 2013.
• Anderson's 15 made free throws are tied for the fifth most in UIC single-game history.
Anderson currently ranks third among all DI players with 46 made free throws while his 64 total attempts is tops in the country.
• As a team, the Flames rank 35th in the country with 24.2 free throw attempts per game.

ANDERSON COLLECTS WEEKLY HONORS
• UIC's Tre Anderson has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, the league office announced Monday (Nov. 28). Anderson becomes the first men's basketball player to earn MVC weekly honors this season.
 • Anderson opened the week with 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds as UIC took down Stonehill at the Tom Konchalski Classic before matching his assist output against Holy Cross the next day with 17 points, seven rebounds and four more assists in the win over the Crusaders.
• At Green Bay, Anderson scored a game and season-high 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting while adding five more assists and four more rebounds.
 • For the week, Anderson averaged 20 points, 6.3 assists and four rebounds per contest while adding three total steals.