• Tuesday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+, as well as live and free of charge on the Flames Network through UICFlames.com. The Voice of the Flames, Jonathan Hood, is now in his 12th season calling the action, alongside UIC Hall of Famer and the program's second all-time leading scorer, Kenny Williams.

THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• UIC and Green Bay will be meeting for the 110th time, making this the most frequently-played matchup in the 77-year history of Flames basketball.

• Green Bay holds a 63-46 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1970-71 season and has been played almost annually since then.

• UIC has won three in a row and five of the past six games against the Phoenix, including a 78-64 victory in their most recent encounter on Nov. 26, 2022, in Green Bay. Current senior guard Toby Okani scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Flames, who led virtually wire-to-wire in the win.

• The last time UIC and Green Bay faced off at Credit Union 1 Arena, the Flames posted an 81-77 win on Feb. 24, 2022.

• UIC and Green Bay shared membership in two conferences for 40 years, first in the Mid-Continent Conference (now known as the Summit League) from 1981-82 to 1993-94, and in the Horizon League from 1994-95 through 2021-22. In that four-decade span, the schools met 90 times in conference or postseason tournament play and finished with a nearly-even split of those series matchups (Green Bay held a narrow 47-43 edge).

MORE ON GREEN BAY

• Green Bay is 4-6 this season and 1-1 in Horizon League play, coming into Tuesday's contest on a two-game losing streak following a 68-59 loss at home to Western Illinois last Saturday night.

• Five of the six losses for the Phoenix this season have come by single digits.

• Green Bay is 1-4 away from home this season, the lone win coming on Nov. 20, a 54-53 overtime victory at Montana State.

• UIC is the second MVC opponent for the Phoenix this season. On Nov. 14, Green Bay dropped a 64-59 decision at Valparaiso.

• Junior guard Noah Reynolds, who followed first-year coach Sundance Wicks from Wyoming (where Wicks was an assistant coach), leads Green Bay in scoring this season at 17.3 points per game. Junior forward Elijah Jones is second on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg.) and tops in rebounding (7.4 rpg.) with a team-high .597 field-goal percentage.

• UIC assistant coach Tony Wills and Green Bay assistant coach Pat Monaghan spent last season on the same staff at Southern Illinois (Wills was a graduate assistant, Monaghan an assistant coach).

POLL POSITION

• As of Monday, UIC is No. 72 in the NCAA NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings, with the Flames having risen as high as No. 52 earlier this season (Dec. 4).

• That's the highest NET ranking for UIC since the current metric was introduced prior to the 2018-19 season.

WINNING WITH DEFENSE, PART I

• UIC continues to rank among the top 15 teams in the nation in several major defensive categories. The Flames are No. 1 in the country in three-point percentage defense (.215), 12th in scoring defense (61.1 ppg.) and 13th in both blocks per game (6.44 bpg.) and field goal percentage defense (.373).

• In all four categories, UIC also leads the Missouri Valley Conference. Of note, since 2010, all but three schools that led the MVC in field goal percentage defense have played in the NCAA Tournament.

• During last Friday's win at Jacksonville State, UIC held the Gamecocks to a 1-of-12 (.083) performance from three-point range. It marked the first time the Flames allowed just one triple on an opponent's home floor since Feb. 21, 2012, when UIC limited Butler to a 1-of-11 night from beyond the arc at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

• During their three games in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving, the Flames held their three opponents (Middle Tennessee, George Washington, UNCG) to a combined 59.0 points per game, a .362 field goal percentage (63-of-174) and a .231 three-point percentage (15-of-65).

• In its Nov. 14 road win, UIC held Loyola to a .328 field-goal percentage, 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

• Senior guard Toby Okani ranks ninth nationally in blocks per game (2.78) and 19th in the land in defensive rebounds per game (7.22), leading the MVC in both categories.

• Okani has recorded at least three blocks in five of UIC's nine games this season, including a season-high six rejections in the Nov. 6 opener at Cincinnati.

WINNING WITH DEFENSE, PART III

• UIC head coach Luke Yaklich has developed a deserved reputation for building tough, defensive-minded clubs throughout his career on the sidelines.

• In his three-plus seasons with the Flames, UIC is 14-1 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer, the lone loss coming back on Nov. 26 in the Flames' 58-57 last-second defeat to UNCG.

• The 40 points UIC allowed to Middle Tennessee on Nov. 24 in the Bahamas were the fewest yielded by the Flames since Dec. 30, 2014, in a 79-38 win over Judson at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• It was 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.

JONES GETS THE POINT

• In his last seven games, sophomore guard CJ Jones has dished out at least five assists six times, averaging 6.0 apg. with a 2.33 assist/turnover ratio in that span.

• Jones handed out a career-high eight assists on two occasions (Nov. 19 vs. Aurora and Nov. 30 vs. Illinois State) and added seven assists (while also scoring a career-high 22 points) in the Flames' Nov. 25 win over George Washington in the Bahamas.

THIS & THAT

• At 6-3, UIC is off to its best start through nine games since the 2012-13 season, when the Flames opened 8-1.

• Five of UIC's nine games this year (including the past four) have been decided by 10 points or fewer, with the Flames going 3-2 in those contests. What's more, four of the five close games took place away from home, with UIC winning three of those four.

• The Flames have a pair of wins this year over Atlantic 10 Conference schools, both away from home (at Loyola on Nov. 14; vs. George Washington in the Bahamas on Nov. 25). It's believed to be the first time in program history UIC has defeated two A-10 teams in the same season.

LAST TIME OUT: JACKSONVILLE STATE

• Senior guard Isaiah Rivera scored a game-high 14 points, including four key free throws in the final 30 seconds as UIC returned to the win column by going nearly wire-to-wire to defeat Jacksonville State, 55-49 last Friday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Ala.

• The Flames earned their fourth victory away from home this season in what was their fifth game this year (and fourth in a row) to be decided by 10 points or fewer — UIC is 3-2 in those contests.

• Sophomore guard CJ Jones added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win, while senior guard Toby Okani almost posted a double-double, winding up with nine points and game highs of 10 rebounds and four blocks.

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: WESTERN MICHIGAN

• UIC continues its three-game homestand Saturday with a 1 p.m. (CT) matinee against Western Michigan at Credit Union 1 Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the free live Flames Network radio broadcast can be heard at UICFlames.com.

• Western Michigan is 2-7 this season following a narrow 72-68 loss at home to Youngstown State last Saturday. The Broncos are off this week before coming to Chicago over the weekend.

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 or 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.