THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• This will be the 12th meeting in the series between UIC and St. Francis, with the Fighting Saints holding a slim 6-5 edge.

• The vast majority of games in the series to date took place during the 1970s, when both were members of the NAIA's Chicagoland College Athletic Conference (CCAC). The Fighting Saints won six of the first eight meetings, but the Flames have claimed the past three encounters.

• UIC and St. Francis have played only once in the regular season since the Flames moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 1981-82. UIC prevailed in that matchup, 76-55 on Dec. 21, 2018, at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• UIC is 4-3 all-time at home against St. Francis, with only the 2018 game played at the Flames' current facility, Credit Union 1 Arena (which opened in May 1982).

• In that 2018 matchup, UIC led St. Francis wire-to-wire, opening up a 17-point halftime lead and rolling to the 76-55 victory. Godwin Boahen led the Flames with a game-high 20 points, while Tarkus Ferguson collected a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds (plus five assists).

LIFTING THE LID

• UIC is 37-40 (.481) all-time in season openers, including a 22-21 (.512) record in its Division I era (1981-82 to present).

• UIC is 56-21 (.727) all-time in home openers, including a 35-8 (.814) record in its Division I era (1981-82 to present).

• The Flames have won their last eight home openers, a streak that began with the 2016-17 season.

• Even UIC's rare losses in home openers have been extremely close, with the past five setbacks all decided by five points or fewer (four by one possession) — 2015-16 (San Francisco 78-75), 2013-14 (Drake 61-59), 2005-06 (St. Xavier 74-73), 2004-05 (#3 Georgia Tech 60-59) and 1996-97 (Illinois 68-63).

LAST YEAR'S OPENER: CINCINNATI

• UIC gave Cincinnati all it could handle in the 2023-24 season opener for both teams at Fifth Third Arena in the Queen City before the Bearcats pulled away late for a 69-58 win on Nov. 6, 2023.

• The Flames led on several occasions during the first half, building their edge to as many as five points.

• After Cincinnati moved in front, UIC kept pace with its power-conference opponent and was within single digits with less than nine minutes to play.

• Current senior guard Ethan Pickett looked sharp in his UIC debut, posting 13 points (6-8 FG) and five rebounds.

LAST YEAR'S HOME OPENER: LITTLE ROCK

• UIC led virtually wire-to-wire and by double digits for most of the second half to secure an 86-71 home-opening victory over eventual Ohio Valley Conference champion Little Rock on Nov. 10, 2023, at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• Playing before a boisterous Homecoming crowd of 2,593 fans, the Flames turned in a balanced offensive performance with four players scoring in double figures, including current senior guard Ethan Pickett, who tallied 13 points for the second time in as many games in a Flames' uniform.

• UIC connected on 10-of-21 three-pointers (.476) and saw all 10 players that got into the game crack the scoring column.

FILLING IT UP

• UIC has two starters returning this season, one of which is senior forward Filip Škobalj, who started 29 of the 31 games he played in and posted career-high averages across the board, including scoring (8.2 ppg.), rebounding (3.6 rpg.) and three-point percentage (.418).

• It was that last category where Škobalj was most effective. In fact, he ranked second in the MVC last year in three-point percentage, both overall and during conference play (.467).

• Škobalj is equally proficient in the classroom, maintaining a 4.0 cumulative GPA as a business management major. He is also a two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team selection and a recipient of the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award.

• Thus, it was no surprise Škobalj was voted a 2024-25 preseason third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection by the conference coaches, SIDs and media.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES

• There will be a lot of new faces in Sparky's camp this season, as UIC welcomes 11 newcomers to its roster, including eight transfers (all from Division I programs).

• Three of those arrivals bring with them playing experience in the NCAA Tournament from their prior stops — Javon Jackson (Utah State), Modestas Kancleris (Creighton) and Joshua Reaves (Mount St. Mary's).

• Among the new arrivals to Chicago's College Team are junior guard Jordan Mason (9.4 ppg. in two years at Texas State), graduate guard Joshua Reaves (7.5 ppg. and a .368 3FG% in four years at Mount St. Mary's), junior guard Javon Jackson (10.5 ppg. in two years at Southern Nazarene and Utah State) and sophomore guard Ahmad Henderson II (11.2 ppg. in one year at Niagara).

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE

• UIC's roster will have a distinct international flair this season with four student-athletes hailing from abroad (all from Europe).

• Senior forward Filip Škobalj is a native of Belgrade, Serbia, while redshirt senior forward Modestas Kancleris is originally from Kaunas, Lithuania.

• Sophomore forward Saša Ciani is from Nova Gorica, Slovenia, while UIC's youngest player, freshman Iker Garmendia, is a product of Barcelona, Spain.

• The last time UIC had four international players on its roster was the 2020-21 season — Škobalj (Serbia), graduate student guard Jamie Ahale (Australia), junior forward Marcus Larsson (Norway) and graduate student guard Jalen Warren (Canada).

IT'S GONNA BE CLOSE

• No fewer than 19 of UIC's 33 games last season were decided by 10 points or fewer, with the Flames going 8-11 in those contests.

• UIC was especially competitive in Missouri Valley Conference play. In fact, in their 20 regular-season conference games, the Flames either led, were tied or were within one possession of the lead in the second half of 17 games. 

• That included a six-point loss to MVC regular-season champion and NIT runner-up Indiana State on Jan. 24 (a game that was a one-point margin with less than two minutes to go) and a 107-105 triple-overtime loss to eventual MVC Tournament champion Drake on Feb. 28 (when the Flames led inside the final three minutes of regulation and had chances to win late in each OT period).

MAKING THE GRADE

• The UIC men's basketball team posted a 3.12 GPA during the 2023-24 academic year, spotlighting a trend that has seen the Flames post a record-setting GPA in three of the past five semesters.

• The men's basketball team's performance was part of a larger academic success story for UIC athletics last year, as the 300 Flames' student-athletes combined for a 3.35 department-wide GPA.

THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN

• Tickets 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 purchase single-game passes for the US Solar Courtside Club at Credit Union 1 Arena through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office or the arena box office.

UP NEXT: YALE

• UIC will back home at Credit Union 1 Arena on Friday night for a 7 p.m. (CT) matchup against Yale.

• It will be the kickoff to Homecoming Week on the UIC campus, with a pre-game tailgate set to take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. (CT) in Lot 1A across from Credit Union 1 Arena. The tailgate will feature food (compliments of Raising Cane's) and beverages (including a beer garden), as well as games, prizes and appearances by the Flames' mascot, Sparky, the UIC pep band and the Dancing Flames spirit squad.

• Yale is coming off a 23-win season, the Ivy League Tournament title and a trip to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament following a first-round win over Auburn. The Bulldogs will open their season Monday night at home against in-state rival Quinnipiac before making the trip west to visit UIC at week's end.