CHICAGO -- The eighth-seeded UIC men's basketball team begins its march to a conference championship on Tuesday, March 1, as the Flames travel to take on No. 9 Milwaukee in the opening round of the 2022 Horizon League Basketball Championship. Tip-off at UWM Panther Arena is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

OPENING TIP
• Michael Diggins scored a season-high 16 points and was one of five players honored in a pregame ceremony Saturday as the Flames completed the season sweep of Milwaukee, 71-58, on Senior Night. The victory gave the Flames their third consecutive win heading into the conference tournament.
• Damaria Franklin and Jace Carter were recognized by the Horizon League coaches on Monday (Feb. 28) as the League announced its annual award winners. Franklin was named All-League Third Team while Carter was selected to the All-Freshman Team. Carter is the first player to earn All-Freshman Team honors since Tarkus Ferguson and Dominique Matthews in 2016-17.
• Kevin Johnson and Jalen Warren rank third and sixth, respectively, in assist-to-turnover ratio among all Horizon League players. Johnson's rate is 2.21 with Warren at 1.88.

MATCHUP BREAKDOWN
• UIC completed the season sweep of the Panthers and is looking for its third win of the season against Milwaukee when the two teams meet on Tuesday.
• DeAndre Gholston leads the Panther attack, averaging a team-leading 14.5 points per game after scoring a game-high 18 in Saturday's contest in Chicago.

LIGHTS OUT SECOND HALF
• In UIC's 81-77 win over Milwaukee on Jan. 13, the Flames shot 66.7% from the field in the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit.
• Kevin Johnson, limited to two points in the first half, scored 26 points in the final 20 minutes. Johnson went 9-for-10 from the field in the second period, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the 3-point line.
• Damaria Franklin, held to four first-half points, added 14 in the second half thanks to a 7-for-10 shooting effort from the field.
• The duo combined to go 16-for-20 (80%) from the field in the second half and scored 40 of UIC's 54 second-half points.

JOHNSON STUNS VIKINGS IN UPSET
• Kevin Johnson's late heroics lifted UIC to an upset road win at Cleveland State, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, on Feb. 10. 
• Johnson hit a pull-up jumper from the free throw line with 1.8 left in the game, sealing UIC's thrilling 76-75 win over the Vikings.
• The Flames, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, never led until Michael Diggins' jumper with 1:07 remaining in the contest. After Cleveland State regained the lead with three straight points, the stage was set for Johnson's game-winner.
• Johnson's game-winning bucket came on the same day that the graduate student was celebrating his 23rd birthday.

MIX IT UP
• The Flames haven't been afraid to mix up their starting lineup this year, using a total of 12 different lineups through 28 games.
• UIC went through a seven-game stretch where the team deployed seven different starting lineups.

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
• UIC has a knack for playing close games and has succeeded with the game on the line, owning an 9-3 record in games decided by five points or less.
• The Flames picked up their ninth win by five points or less against Green Bay, with the Flames using a key 15-1 second-half run to pick up the 81-77 victory.
• UIC's lone wins by more than five points came against Robert Morris (96-88 (OT)), Green Bay (80-63) and Trinity Christian (91-50).

SWAT IT AWAY
• Michael Diggins has made life at the rim difficult for opposing players as the UIC veteran ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 1.20 blocks per game. Diggins has 30 total blocks on the season.
• Diggins has swatted away a season high four shots on the year in UIC's 81-77 victory over Green Bay on Feb. 24.
• As a team, UIC leads the league with 3.7 blocks per game. The team has registered 104 blocks this year, third-most in the conference. Milwaukee is the current League leader with 114.