THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• This will mark the fifth all-time matchup between UIC and Murray State in a series led by the Racers, 3-1.

• Wednesday's game will be the first time Murray State has played UIC in Chicago since Nov. 28, 2006, when the Flames posted a 74-68 victory in the only prior series matchup at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• UIC and Murray State were two of the three new additions (along with Belmont) to join the Missouri Valley Conference prior to last season.

• Before last year, UIC and MSU competed in a home-and-home series during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, with each team successfully defending its home court.

• The two schools met slightly over two weeks ago on Jan. 2 at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky., with the host Racers prevailing 85-73. Senior guard Toby Okani tied his season high with a game-best 20 points and added six rebounds and three blocks for UIC.

• In that earlier game, the Flames shot 46.4 percent from the field, including 12-of-32 from three-point range. Murray State posted a .566 field-goal percentage (30-53), including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc.

MORE ON MURRAY STATE

• Murray State is 7-10 this season and part of a four-way tie for third place in the MVC standings with a 4-2 conference record to date.

• The Racers had their four-game winning streak snapped Sunday with a 70-60 loss at home to Northern Iowa, despite leading UNI at the half and by seven points with under eight minutes to play.

• Senior guard Rob Perry (13.8 ppg.) leads a balanced Murray State offense that features four double-figure scorers and six players averaging better than eight points per game. Junior forward Nick Ellington continues to be the Racers' pace-setter on the glass (6.0 rpg.). while classmate (and Belmont transfer) JaCobi Wood ranks second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg.) and tops in assists (4.3 apg.), assist/turnover ratio (an MVC-best 2.35) and three-point percentage (.427).

KEEPING UP WITH JONES

• Among UIC's many second-year players who have shown significant development this season is sophomore guard CJ Jones, who ranks fourth in the MVC with 4.59 assists per game and 13th in The Valley with a 1.66 assist/turnover ratio.

• Jones is also averaging 9.8 points per game this season (up more than 58 percent from last year's 6.2 ppg.) and is logging 3.5 rebounds per game (improving more than 84 percent from last year's 1.9 rpg.).

• In his most recent outing on Jan. 13 against Bradley, Jones poured in a career-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, his second career 20-point outing after a 22-point performance in a win over George Washington on Nov. 25 in the Bahamas.

• Jones has more than doubled his assist average from last year (2.1 apg.) and improved his assist/turnover ratio by nearly 23 percent from a season ago (1.35). 

• Jones has recorded 5+ assists in nine games this season, including five contests in which he registered at least eight assists. Leading the way was his career-high 11-assist day against Western Michigan on Dec. 16.

TOBY OKANI - SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

• As of Tuesday, senior guard Toby Okani ranks 13th nationally in blocks per game (2.41), the only guard to rank among the NCAA Top 25 in that category.

• Okani leads the MVC in blocks and defensive rebounds (6.06), while tying for second in The Valley in double-doubles (3), ranking third in overall rebounding (7.35) and placing ninth in steals (1.47).

• Okani is one of just three players in the MVC to rank in the top 10 in the conference in the three primary defensive categories (rebounding, steals and blocks).

• Okani has recorded at least three blocks in eight games this season, including a season-high six rejections in the Nov. 6 opener at Cincinnati.

RIVERA BRINGS THE HEAT FOR FLAMES

• In his first season at UIC after transferring from Colorado State, senior guard Isaiah Rivera has emerged as one of the Flames' top offensive threats, ranking 15th in the MVC in scoring with a team-high 14.2 points per game and 14th in the conference in three-point percentage (.395).

• Rivera has scored in double figures a team-best 12 times this season and has the first four 20-point games of his career, including a career-high 25 points on Nov. 10 in the Flames' home-opening win over Little Rock.

TRIPLE SHOT POWER

• UIC has been particularly proficient beyond the arc this season, making at least 10 three-pointers in seven games and shooting better than 35 percent from deep eight times.

• Six different UIC players have made at least 10 three-pointers this year, including four with 20 treys (and two others with 16 triples to date).

• For the season, the Flames are third in the MVC in three-pointers made (8.71 per game) and fifth in the conference in three-point percentage (.360).

WINNING WITH DEFENSE

• As of Tuesday, UIC ranks seventh in the nation in blocks (6.1 bpg.) and 15th in three-point percentage defense (.281).

• Since blocks became an official NCAA statistic in 1985-86, only one MVC team has finished an entire season averaging better than 5.0 bpg. (Wichita State had 5.1 bpg. in 2013-14), and just five have done so in conference play (WSU holds the record with 5.6 bpg. in 2013-14).

• The UIC school record for blocks per game in one season is 6.7 bpg., set during the 2017-18 campaign.

• In the four-year Luke Yaklich era, 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.

MAKING THE GRADE

• The UIC men's basketball team posted a program-record 3.18 Fall 2023 GPA, the third time in four semesters the Flames have finished with a record-setting GPA.

• In addition, three Flames players — senior guard Isaiah Rivera, junior forward Filip Skobalj and sophomore guard Drew King — earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the Fall 2023 semester.

• The men's basketball team's performance was part of a larger success story in the classroom for UIC athletics, as the 300 Flames' student-athletes combined to register a 3.34 department-wide GPA this past semester.

THIS & THAT

• During the non-conference portion of its schedule, UIC banked several key wins away from home. The Flames captured victories over two Atlantic 10 Conference opponents (Loyola and George Washington), as well as a 30-point victory over Conference USA preseason co-favorite Middle Tennessee.

• The Flames' dual wins over A-10 schools, both away from home (at Loyola on Nov. 14; vs. George Washington in the Bahamas on Nov. 25), marked the first time in program history UIC defeated two A-10 teams in the same season.

• More than half (9) of UIC's 17 games this year have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Five of the nine close games have taken place away from home, with UIC winning three of those five.

LAST TIME OUT: BRADLEY

• Sophomore guard CJ Jones scored a career-high 25 points, but UIC wasn't quite able to dig out of an early hole as the Flames fell to defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Bradley, 77-59 on Jan. 13 at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• UIC played the Braves virtually even for the final 32-plus minutes, getting as close as seven points late in the first half, but Bradley did enough to hold the Flames at bay for the win.

• Jones connected on 10-of-16 shots, including 8-of-9 inside the arc to lead the UIC offense. Graduate student guard Marquise Kennedy and sophomore guard Steven Clay each chipped in seven points, with Kennedy adding seven rebounds. Senior guard Toby Okani contributed a team-high eight rebounds along with a career high-tying six assists.

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: VALPARAISO

• UIC will make another of its second trips around the MVC dance floor on Saturday when the Flames make the short trek down I-90 for a 3 p.m. (CT) matchup at Valparaiso. ESPN+ will televise the game live and the free live Flames Network radio feed will be available at UICFlames.com.

• Valparaiso (5-12, 1-5 MVC) picked up its initial MVC win of the season on Sunday (59-50 at Illinois State). The Beacons will pay a visit to Evansville on Wednesday before returning home to entertain UIC.

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.