THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• UIC and Belmont had never met before both schools joined the Missouri Valley Conference in advance of the 2022-23 season.

• The two schools met twice during their inaugural campaign in The Valley, with Belmont earning wins in both contests (77-71 on Jan. 4, 2023,  in Chicago; 98-71 on Feb. 11, 2023, in Nashville).

• Current junior forward Filip Skobalj averaged 14.5 points and shot .538 from three-point range (7-of-13) in the Flames' two games against the Bruins last season, including 16 points in the first meeting at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• Current senior guard Toby Okani also averaged in double figures against Belmont last year, logging 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game against the Bruins.

• This is the first of two matchups between UIC and Belmont this season, with the schools slated to reconnect in Chicago in just over three weeks (Feb. 18). The 1 p.m. (CT) tipoff time has just been finalized for that game, which will air live on ESPN+ and the Flames Network.

MORE ON BELMONT

• Belmont comes into Saturday's matinee with an 11-9 record, including a 4-5 mark in MVC play. The Bruins have lost four in a row after winning four of their first five conference games.

• The Bruins last stepped onto the hardwood on Tuesday, falling at Illinois State, 77-67.

• Sophomore forward Malik Dia (a Vanderbilt transfer) currently leads Belmont in both scoring (17.5 ppg.) and rebounding (5.7 rpg.), with sophomore guard/forward Cade Tyson a close second on the team in both categories (17.1 ppg., 5.2 rpg.). The Bruins are also awaiting the return of sophomore guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (16.2 ppg., 4.1 apg., 2.6 spg.), who has missed the past six games with an injury.

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 third in the MVC with 4.85 assists per game and 11th in The Valley with a 1.80 assist/turnover ratio.

• Jones has more than doubled his assist average from last year (2.1 apg.) and improved his assist/turnover ratio by 33 percent from a season ago (1.35). 

• Jones is also averaging 10.7 points per game this season (up more than 72 percent from last year's 6.2 ppg.) and is logging 3.6 rebounds per game (improving nearly 90 percent from last year's 1.9 rpg.).

• Jones has recorded 5+ assists in 11 games this season, including seven 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.

• Jones has been particularly effective in his last four games, averaging 18.0 points and 5.0 assists per contest while shooting .528 (28-of-53) from the field.

• 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.

RIVERA BRINGS THE HEAT FOR FLAMES

• In his first season at UIC, senior guard Isaiah Rivera has emerged as one of the Flames' top offensive threats, ranking 13th in the MVC in scoring with a team-high 14.5 points per game and seventh in the conference in three-point percentage (.417).

• Rivera has scored in double figures a team-best 14 times this season and has the first five 20-point games of his career, including a career-high 25 points on Nov. 10 in the Flames' home-opening win over Little Rock.

TOBY OKANI - SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

• As of Friday, senior guard Toby Okani ranks 22nd nationally in blocks per game (2.20), the only guard to rank among the NCAA Top 25 in that category.

• Okani leads the MVC in blocks, ranks fourth in defensive rebounds (5.75), and double-doubles (3), while ranking seventh in The Valley in overall rebounding (7.1) and 10th in steals (1.4).

• Okani is one of just two players in the MVC (along with Bradley's Malevy Leons) 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.

• Okani has a career-high 44 blocks this year, putting him just eight shy of moving into the top 10 on the UIC single-season list (Sherell Ford is 10th with 52 swats in 1994-95).

TRIPLE SHOT POWER

• UIC has been particularly proficient beyond the arc this season, making at least 10 three-pointers in nine games and shooting better than 35 percent from deep 11 times.

• Seven different UIC players have made at least 10 three-pointers this year, including five with 20 treys (and Okani has 18 triples to date).

• For the season, the Flames are third in the MVC in three-pointers made (8.85 per game) and fifth in three-point percentage (.368).

FLAMES THROWING A BLOCK PARTY

• As of Friday, UIC ranks seventh in the nation in blocks (5.9 bpg.) and 15th in three-point percentage defense (.268).

• 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).

• UIC is logging 4.2 blocks per game in MVC play, aiming to join five Valley teams that have posted 5.0 bpg. in a single conference season (Wichita State 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.

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 (11) of UIC's 20 games this year have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Six of the 11 close games have taken place away from home, with UIC winning three of those six.

LAST TIME OUT: INDIANA STATE

• UIC took Valley leader Indiana State to the brink on Wednesday, battling the Sycamores tooth and nail before ISU edged out an 89-83 victory at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• In a game that featured 18 lead changes and 13 ties, neither team led by more than six points the entire way, with the Flames having the upper hand on a number of occasions. After ISU took the lead, UIC made a final push within two points with 37 seconds left before the visitors hit four foul shots to pull out the decision.

• Senior guard Isaiah Rivera scored 18 of his team-high 24 points in the second half and made a career-high five three-pointers, while sophomore guard CJ Jones turned in a balanced performance with 17 points, a game-high seven assists and a career high-tying six rebounds.

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: EVANSVILLE

• UIC completes the second half of its MVC road trip at 7 p.m. (CT) Wednesday with a visit to Evansville. The game will be shown live on ESPN+ and the free live Flames Network radio feed will be available at UICFlames.com.

• Evansville (11-9, 2-7 MVC) has lost seven of its last eight heading into its home game with Illinois State on Saturday.

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.