NASSAU, Bahamas (Nov. 24, 2023) – On the heels of a convincing quarterfinal win over Middle Tennessee, UIC prepares to take on George Washington at 6 p.m. (CT) Saturday in the semifinals of the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship at the Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, Bahamas. Saturday's game will be streamed live on FloHoops, which is broadcasting every game from this year's tournament. Live stats for all Flames' games in the Bahamas will also be available at UICFlames.com.


George Washington (5-0, 0-0 A-10) vs. UIC (4-1, 0-0 MVC)
Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship - Semifinal
Saturday, Nov. 25 | 6 p.m. CT
Baha Mar Convention Center (800) | Nassau, Bahamas
Tournament Website Live Stats
 

THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• This will mark the fifth all-time meeting between UIC and George Washington, with the Flames holding a 3-1 lead in the series.
• The teams last met on March 20, 2017, in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Insider (CBI) Tournament, with UIC posting an 80-71 victory at Credit Union 1 Arena.
• Tai Odiase scored a game-high 23 points and Tarkus Ferguson added 10 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Flames earn the victory.

MORE ON GEORGE WASHINGTON

• George Washington is 5-0 this season after a hard-fought 99-94 double-overtime win over Ohio University in Friday night's last quarterfinal at the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship.
• The Revolutionaries also have wins over Stonehill, William & Mary, Hofstra and New Hampshire this season.
• GW is on its first five-game winning streak since March 2017.
• GW is the second of two Atlantic 10 Conference opponents on UIC's non-conference schedule. The Flames dispatched crosstown rival Loyola, 72-67 on Nov. 14 in Rogers Park.

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: MIDDLE TENNESSEE

• UIC used a stellar defensive performance to storm past Middle Tennessee, 70-40 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship.
• The Flames outscored the Blue Raiders, 56-26 over the final 27:38 of the contest, holding Middle Tennessee without a field goal for 10:28 during the middle of the second half.
• Sophomore guard Steven Clay scored a career-high 18 points to lead three UIC players in double figures. Senior guard Toby Okani added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while sophomore guard CJ Jones chipped in with 11 points and a game-high five assists.

THIS & THAT

• UIC is off to a 4-1 start this year, its best opening to a campaign since the 2012-13 season, when the Flames started off 9-1.
• UIC has won its last two games by at least 30 points, something it last accomplished on Dec. 1-2, 1960 (pre-dating the program's move to NCAA Division I two decades later), when the Flames defeated Chicago State (102-66) and George Williams (99-58).

WINNING WITH DEFENSE, PART I

• Through five games this season, UIC ranks among the top five teams in the nation and leads the Missouri Valley Conference in three-point percentage defense (3rd; .210) and overall field-goal percentage defense (4th; .338) — the percentages are updated, while rankings are as of Friday morning and do not include the Flames' win over Middle Tennessee.
• Defense has been a recurring theme of late, with the Flames holding their last three opponents to a combined .287 field-goal percentage (50-174), including a .206 mark from three-point range (13-63).
• In its last five halves (second half at Loyola on Nov. 14; full games Sunday vs. Aurora and Friday vs. Middle Tennessee), UIC has held its opponents to a .143 three-point percentage (7-49).
• 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 10th in the nation with 6.8 blocks per game (also tops in the MVC) and 27th in the NCAA with 29.4 defensive rebounds per game.
• Senior guard Toby Okani ranks fifth nationally with 2.8 blocks per game and 28th in the country with 6.8 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 13-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer.
• The 40 points UIC allowed to Middle Tennessee on Friday are the fewest yielded by the Flames since Dec. 30, 2014, in a 79-38 win over Judson at Credit Union 1 Arena.
• It's also the fewest points UIC has given up to a Division I opponent since Nov. 17, 2012, in a 62-36 win over Mercer at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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

• UIC knocked down at least 10 three-pointers in three consecutive games earlier this month (10 vs. Little Rock and Loyola; 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 sixth in the nation (and second in the MVC) with a .571 three-point percentage this season.
• As a team, UIC is 35th in the country (third in the conference) with a .387 three-point percentage.

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: DELAWARE/UNCG

• UIC will wrap up play at the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship on Sunday, competing against either Delaware or UNCG in either the tournament final (6 p.m. CT) or the third-place game (3:30 p.m. CT).
• 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.