THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• UIC and Northern Iowa will square off for the 24th time in a series that has been nearly even to date. The Panthers hold a narrow 12-11 edge all-time against the Flames.

• The two schools met only once last year during UIC's inaugural season in The Valley on Jan. 21, 2023, at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Flames led for the first 33 minutes of the contest before Northern Iowa rallied late to pull out a 78-72 result. Current senior guard Toby Okani was one of three UIC players to score in double figures during that game, finishing with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

• UIC will be making its first visit to the McLeod Center in more than a decade. The last time the teams met in Cedar Falls was on March 23, 2013, in a second-round game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT), with the Panthers prevailing, 63-51.

• UIC and Northern Iowa previously shared membership in the Association of Mid-Continent Universities/Mid-Continent Conference (now known as the Summit League) from 1981-82 to 1990-91, meeting on average twice annually during that span. Between that conference affiliation and current MVC membership, the schools have met 22 times under the same conference banner, with Northern Iowa holding a slim 12-9 series lead over UIC.

MORE ON NORTHERN IOWA

• Northern Iowa has a 7-8 record this season and is 1-3 in MVC play, following a 77-66 loss at home to Indiana State on Sunday. Prior to that loss, the Panthers had won five of their prior six games.

• Junior guard Bowen Born is UNI's leading scorer this season (15.0 ppg.) and is tops in the MVC with a .976 free throw percentage. Classmate and backcourt partner Nate Heise is second on the team in scoring (13.8 ppg.), while junior guard/forward Tytan Anderson leads the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and is third in scoring (11.9 ppg.).

PROTECT THE PILL

• In its last five games, UIC has recorded 10 or fewer turnovers each time, including a season-low seven giveaways in last Saturday's win over Valparaiso.

• The Flames are averaging only 12.2 turnovers per game this season and rank sixth in the MVC with a 1.24 assist/turnover ratio.

TRIPLE SHOT POWER

• UIC has been particularly proficient beyond the arc this season, making at least 10 three-pointers in nearly half (7) of its 15 games to date and shooting better than 35 percent from deep eight times.

• For the season, the Flames rank second in the MVC in three-pointers made (8.8 per game) and fourth in the conference in three-point percentage (.367).

WINNING WITH DEFENSE

• As of Tuesday, UIC ranks third in the nation in blocks (6.5 bpg.) and seventh in three-point percentage defense (.265).

• 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.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

• As of Tuesday, senior guard Toby Okani ranks seventh nationally in blocks per game (2.60).

• Okani leads the MVC in blocks and defensive rebounds (6.13), while ranking second in The Valley in overall rebounding (7.4) and double-doubles (3), and eighth in steals (1.6).

• Okani is the only player in the MVC to rank in the top eight 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.

KEEPING UP WITH JONES

• Among UIC's many second-year players who have shown remarkable development this season is sophomore guard CJ Jones, who ranks third in the MVC with 5.0 assists per game and 10th in The Valley with a 1.97 assist/turnover ratio.

• 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.

• Jones has more than doubled his assist average from last year (2.1 apg.) and improved his assist/turnover ratio by over 45 percent from a season ago (1.35). 

• Jones is also averaging 8.9 points per game this season (up more than 43 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.).

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

• UIC has found added success away from home this season. The Flames are a combined 4-4 in road/neutral games, including two wins over 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 (8) of UIC's 15 games this year have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Four of the eight close games have taken place away from home, with UIC winning three of those four.

LAST TIME OUT: VALPARAISO

• The UIC men's basketball team used stout defense and timely shooting down the stretch to collect a 70-64 Missouri Valley Conference win over Valparaiso on Saturday night at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Flames held the Beacons to just two points and no baskets during the final 8:20 of the game to preserve the hard-earned victory.

• Facing a handful of personnel challenges due to illness, UIC delivered a team win in every sense of the word with contributions from a variety of sources. Senior guard Isaiah Rivera set the tone with a game-high 24 points, one off his career best, while adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Junior forward Filip Skobalj contributed at both ends of the court, scoring all 13 of his points in the first half, while grabbing six rebounds and providing some critical defense and hustle plays in the closing minutes.

• Graduate student guard Marquise Kennedy battled through illness to nearly post a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds, the latter one off his career high. Senior guard Toby Okani was also under the weather on Saturday, but the MVC's leading shot blocker came up with a huge rejection with 1:11 to play to help clinch the win.

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: BRADLEY

• UIC returns home for three of its next four Missouri Valley Conference games, beginning Saturday with a 1 p.m. (CT) tipoff against Bradley at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• The game will be televised live as part of the MVC TV package on NBC Sports Chicago, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports South (Alabama/Georgia/Kentucky/Mississippi/North Carolina/South Carolina/Tennessee) and ESPN+ via the ESPN App.

• The free live Flames Network radio feed can also be heard at UICFlames.com.

• Bradley (10-5, 2-2 MVC) has won four in a row as it heads into Wednesday night's conference matchup at home against Evansville.

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.