NASSAU, Bahamas (Nov. 23, 2023) – For the first time since 2012, UIC heads to the Caribbean, as the Flames prepare for the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship Friday through Sunday at the Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, Bahamas. Friday's first-round tournament game will feature UIC taking on Middle Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. ET in the Bahamas) live on FloHoops, which will stream every game from this year's tournament. Live stats for all Flames' games in the Bahamas will also be available at UICFlames.com.

Middle Tennessee (3-2, 0-0 C-USA) vs. UIC (3-1, 0-0 MVC)
Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship - First Round
Friday, Nov. 24 | 3:30 p.m. CT
Baha Mar Convention Center (800) | Nassau, Bahamas
Tournament Bracket
Tournament Website Live Stats
 

THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• UIC and Middle Tennessee will be meeting for the first time on the hardwood Friday afternoon.
• The Blue Raiders are second of at least two first-time opponents the Flames will face during their 2023-24 non-conference schedule. UIC defeated Little Rock in their inaugural series matchup, 86-71 on Nov. 10 at Credit Union 1 Arena.
• Depending on tournament results, UIC could see another first-time opponent in its final game in the Bahamas on Sunday. Of the four teams on the other side of the tournament bracket (Brown, Delaware, Kansas City, UNCG), the Flames have only faced Brown before (a single meeting just after Christmas in 1983).

MORE ON MIDDLE TENNESSEE

• Middle Tennessee is 3-2 this season, following a narrow 58-57 loss at home to UAB on Tuesday night.
• Three of the Blue Raiders' five games to date have been decided by one possession or in overtime.
• Middle Tennessee tied Liberty for the top spot in the Conference USA preseason coaches' poll. The Blue Raiders have three starters and nine letterwinners back from last year's squad that went 19-14 and reached the C-USA Tournament semifinals.
• This is the first of two C-USA opponents for UIC this season, with the Flames visiting new conference member Jacksonville State on Dec. 8.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

• UIC is playing in a multi-team event (MTE) for the third time in the four-year tenure of head coach Luke Yaklich. Last year, the Flames went to Bronx, N.Y., and won two of three games to place second at Fordham's Tom Konchalski Classic.
• UIC last played in an MTE in the Caribbean from Nov. 16-19, 2012, going 2-1 and finishing third at the eight-team Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• The Flames also played in the 2007 Paradise Jam, as well as the 1992 and 1999 San Juan (P.R.) Shootouts.

LAST TIME OUT: AURORA

• UIC posted its largest victory in nearly 37 years (and second-largest of its NCAA Division I era dating back to 1981-82) with a 99-48 win over Aurora on Sunday at Credit Union 1 Arena. It was the program's largest win since a 115-53 home victory over Lake Forest on Dec. 2, 1986.
• The Flames shot a blistering 57.6 percent from the field (38-66), including 45.2 percent from three-point range (14-31) in the victory.
• Redshirt sophomore forward Jaden Brownell led five UIC players in double figures with a career-high 14 points, while senior guard Isaiah Rivera added 13 points and sophomore center Cameron Fens had 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

RIVERA NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• UIC senior guard Isaiah Rivera was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday.
• Rivera is the first Flames' men's basketball player to earn that award since the program joined the MVC prior to last season, and the first to receive a conference's top weekly accolade since Jan. 17, 2022, when Kevin Johnson was the Horizon League Player of the Week.
• Rivera averaged 18.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last week with a 3.00 assist/turnover ratio, a .591 field-goal percentage (13-22) and a razor-sharp .600 three-point percentage (6-10) as UIC improved to 3-1 this season with victories on the road at crosstown rival Loyola and at home vs. Aurora.
• Rivera scored a game-high 23 points (8-15 FG, 3-7 3FG), including 13 in the second half, in the Nov. 14 win at Loyola. He then turned in a near-perfect shooting performance with 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-3 3FG) and four rebounds in Sunday's victory over Aurora.

SHARING THE SUGAR

• UIC dished out 28 assists on its 38 field goals in Sunday's win over Aurora.
• The 28 assists tied for the most by the Flames in the four-year tenure of head coach Luke Yaklich, and most since Nov. 16, 2021 (28 vs. Trinity Christian).

DOUBLE-DIGIT TRIPLES

• For the third consecutive game, UIC knocked down at least 10 three-pointers, making a season-high 14 treys on Sunday against Aurora.
• The 14 triples tied for the most in the Yaklich era, set twice before (most recently on Nov. 25, 2021, against Hawaii at the Las Vegas Classic.
• That Hawaii game also capped off the last time UIC had three straight games with 10+ three-pointers, a stretch that lasted from Nov. 16-25, 2021, and started at home against Trinity Christian and continued at Loyola (10 3FG apiece).

DIALING FROM DISTANCE

• Senior guard Isaiah Rivera ranks eighth in the nation (and second in the MVC) with a .579 three-point percentage this season.
• As a team, UIC is 39th in the country (third in the conference) with a .391 three-point percentage.

WINNING WITH DEFENSE, PART I

• Through four games this season, UIC ranks among the top 10 teams in the nation and leads the Missouri Valley Conference in three-point percentage defense (4th; .212) and overall field-goal percentage defense (7th; .348).
• Defense was a recurring theme in both UIC wins last week, with the Flames holding their two opponents to a combined .287 field-goal percentage (35-122), including a .209 mark from three-point range (9-43).
• In its final three halves last week (second half at Loyola on Nov. 14; full game Sunday vs. Aurora), UIC held its opponents to a .103 three-point percentage (3-29).
• UIC held Loyola to a .328 field-goal percentage in its Nov. 14 win, the best defensive performance by the Flames against Ramblers since Feb. 24, 2007, when UIC held Loyola to a .296 mark in a 52-51 win, also at Gentile Arena.

WINNING WITH DEFENSE, PART II

• UIC is also defending well at the rim, ranking 11th in the nation with 6.5 blocks per game (also tops in the MVC) and 27th in the NCAA with 30.8 defensive rebounds per game.
• Senior guard Toby Okani ranks fourth nationally with 3.25 blocks per game and 29th in the country with 7.0 defensive rebounds per game (both of which are also leading the MVC).

WINNING WITH DEFENSE, PART III

• UIC head coach Luke Yaklich has developed a reputation for building tough, defensive-minded clubs throughout his career on the sidelines.
• In his three-plus seasons with the Flames, UIC is 12-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES

• Along with its seven returnees, UIC welcomes nine newcomers to the fold this season, including six transfers (four from Division I schools).
• Among the new arrivals to Chicago's College Team are senior guard Isaiah Rivera (5.0 ppg., .397 3FG% in three years at Colorado State), graduate guard Marquise Kennedy (8.0 ppg. in four years at Loyola), junior guard Yusef Salih (5.9 ppg. in two years at Idaho) and sophomore guard Drew King (8.9 ppg. in one year at Houston Christian).

THE REIGN IN SPAIN

• UIC got an early jump on the 2023-24 season with a nine-day tour of Spain, winning all three games it played against local club teams in Barcelona and Madrid.
• The Flames also enjoyed a number of the famous local attractions during their trip, including Barcelona's legendary church, La Sagrada Familia, and popular shopping district, Las Ramblas.

CARLOS HARRIS SIGNS WITH UIC

• On Nov. 9, UIC announced point guard Carlos Harris (6-2, 180) has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Flames beginning in 2024-25.
• One of the top players in the Chicago Public League for Curie Metropolitan High School, Harris averaged 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals per game last season in helping the Condors to a 20-11 record.
• Harris is a three-star athlete who is the No. 35 point guard in the country and the No. 13 player in the state of Illinois in the Class of 2024.

UP NEXT: OHIO/GEORGE WASHINGTON

• UIC continues play at the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship on Saturday at the Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, Bahamas.
• Depending on Friday's results, the Flames will play in either the tournament's championship or consolation semifinals against Ohio or George Washington. With a win, UIC would play at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET), while a loss would see the Flames tip at 12:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. ET).
• All tournament games are being streamed live on FloHoops, while live stats for all UIC games can be found at UICFlames.com.

THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN

• Season and single-game tickets, as well as mini-plans and flex ticket plans for all UIC basketball home games may be purchased online through Ticketmaster and UICFlames.com/Tickets, by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312-413-UIC1; athleticsticketing@uic.edu) or visiting the Credit Union 1 Arena box office on game night.
• Fans can also learn more about the benefits associated with purchasing season or single-game passes for the Courtside Club at Credit Union 1 Arena through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office or the arena box office.