THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• Wednesday's matchup will be the 13th in the series between UIC and Drake. The Bulldogs hold a 10-2 series lead against the Flames.

• UIC and Drake have played three times since the Flames joined the MVC in 2022-23, with the past two encounters, both played in Chicago, going to overtime.

• The schools met just once last year and it was an epic contest that saw Drake outlast UIC, 107-105 in triple overtime at Credit Union 1 Arena. It was only the third 3OT game in program history and the 212 combined points were the 10th-most in a single game in MVC history. The Flames had chances to tie or take the lead late in the first two overtimes before a shot to tie the game at the end of the third extra session misfired. Current senior forward Filip Škobalj scored 18 points and knocked down 6-of-11 three-pointers for UIC in the game.

• UIC is seeking its first win over Drake since Dec. 4, 2000, when the Flames posted an 82-73 victory at Credit Union 1 Arena.

MORE ON DRAKE

• Drake (12-0, 2-0 MVC) is one of just four remaining unbeaten teams in Division I, along with three nationally-ranked SEC schools (Florida, Oklahoma and Tennessee). The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 1 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll and No. 6 in the Mid-Major Madness "Other Top 25".

• Drake is coming off a 65-46 win at home over Belmont on Sunday afternoon. The victory extended the Bulldogs' home winning streak to 28 games, the second-longest active string in the country (Houston-29).

• Drake has three wins over power conference opponents this season, defeating Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt and Kansas State.

• Junior guard Bennett Stirtz (one of four Bulldogs who followed first-year head coach Ben McCollum from Division II power Northwest Missouri State) ranks second in the Valley in scoring (17.8 ppg.) and first in both assists (5.8 apg.) and steals (2.4 spg.). Two other NMSU transfers are also contributing greatly for Drake — graduate student guard Daniel Abreu is second in scoring (12.6 ppg.), while classmate Mitch Mascari adds 12.3 ppg., while leading the Valley in three-pointers made (3.33/game) and ranking third in the MVC with a .494 three-point percentage.

• McCollum is in his 16th season as a head coach, having led NMSU to four NCAA Division II national titles in 15 seasons at his alma mater. He has a 406-91 (.817) career record.

GAME #12 RECAP - ILLINOIS STATE

• Sophomore forward Saša Ciani scored 14 of his career-high 16 points in the second half and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds as UIC settled in after an early 12-point deficit and charged past Illinois State, 73-67, Sunday afternoon in Normal. The Flames extended their winning streak to a season-best four games (the last three coming on the road) and posted their biggest comeback victory in nearly three years.

• Junior guard Javon Jackson scored 14 points, sophomore guard Ahmad Henderson II chipped in with 12 points and graduate student guard Tyem Freeman added 10 points off the bench, including two clutch three-pointers 36 seconds apart early in the second half to spark the UIC rally.

• As a unit, the Flames shot 46.2 percent from the field, including a sharp .471 (8-of-17) from three-point range and held the Redbirds, who were ranked third in the nation in three-point percentage (.418) at tipoff, to a 23.1 percent (6-of-26) efficiency from beyond the arc, including 2-of-11 in the second half.

NOTING THE ILLINOIS STATE GAME

• UIC registered its largest comeback victory since Feb. 10, 2022, when the Flames erased a trio of 15-point deficits in the first half of a 76-75 victory at Cleveland State.

• UIC is 11-19 all-time against Illinois State and wins on back-to-back trips to Normal for only the second time in series history (first since 2002 and 2004), following last year's 61-56 win at CEFCU Arena.

• The Flames have also won back-to-back series games against the Redbirds (at any location) for the second time in series history (first since a four-game series win streak that started in 1999 and continued from 2002-04).

• The UIC-Illinois State series is one of the more closely contested rivalries in the 78-year history of Flames basketball, with 20 of the 30 series matchups decided by 10 points or fewer, including the past six (and all five since UIC joined the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 2022-23 season). In addition, 11 of the 17 series games played in Normal have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including the past five that each featured margins of six points or fewer (one going to OT).

CIANI IS MVC NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

• UIC sophomore forward Saša Ciani was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday following his career-high 16 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's Valley win at Illinois State.

• Ciani is the second UIC player to pick up a MVC weekly honor this season. Junior guard Javon Jackson was the Valley's first Player of the Week for the 2024-25 campaign back on Nov. 11.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS

• Sophomore forward Saša Ciani leads the MVC in rebounding (9.8 rpg.; 20th in NCAA), as well as offensive rebounding (3.73 orpg.; 11th in NCAA), defensive rebounding (6.09 drpg.; 50th in NCAA) and double-doubles (4; 48th in NCAA).

• As a team, UIC is tops in the Valley in rebounding (40.33 rpg.; 32nd in NCAA) and offensive rebounds (12.67 orpg), as well as second in the MVC in rebound margin (+8.1 rpg.; 27th in NCAA).

• UIC grabbed 21 offensive rebounds in the Dec. 15 win at Little Rock, its highest total on the offensive glass since Jan. 8, 2017, when the Flames had 24 offensive boards in a 58-57 home loss to Oakland.

FILLING IT UP

• Senior forward Filip Škobalj ranks fourth in the MVC with a .492 three-point percentage and has moved up to eighth in school history with 192 career three-pointers made.

• Sophomore guard Ahmad Henderson II continues to lead the MVC and ranks 14th in the nation with a .929 free throw percentage this season.

POTENT NOTABLES

• Entering Wednesday's game, UIC has an average opponent NET ranking of 73, which is second-highest in the Valley.

• With its Nov. 22 win over La Salle at the Boardwalk Battle, UIC collected its third victory over an Atlantic 10 Conference opponent in the past two seasons, following up last year's victories over Loyola and George Washington.

• UIC has had at least four double-digit scorers in seven games this season. The Flames had a season-high six in their Dec. 20 road win at Seattle U., the  most for UIC in a single game since March 2018.

• UIC has knocked down at least 10 three-pointers in six games this year.

• The Flames have scored at least 80 points five times this season and topped the 90-point mark on four occasions.

• This season marked the first time in the 78-year history of the UIC men's basketball program that it had four 90-point outings in its first six games.

• UIC has shot 45 percent or better in eight games this year, and over 50 percent five times (season-high 60.0 percent on Nov. 16 against Saint Mary's-Minn.).

• The Flames went 30-of-34 (.882) at the free throw line in their win over La Salle, UIC's most made foul shots in a game since Nov. 16, 2016, when it went 34-of-47 at the stripe in a home win over UTSA.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES

• There are 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).

• UIC's roster has a distinct international flair with four European student-athletes — senior forward Filip Škobalj (Belgrade, Serbia), Kancleris (Kaunas, Lithuania), sophomore forward Saša Ciani (Nova Gorica, Slovenia) and freshman Iker Garmendia (Barcelona, Spain).

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

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.

UP NEXT: BELMONT

• UIC heads back out on the road for a two-game MVC swing that starts Saturday with a 4 p.m. (CT) contest at Belmont. ESPN+ will broadcast the game live from the Curb Event Center in Nashville, as will the Flames Network at UICFlames.com with Jonathan Hood and Kenny Williams on the hometown call for Chicago's College Team.

• Belmont (9-4, 1-1 MVC) will be the second consecutive UIC opponent to be ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll at tipoff, currently checking in at No. 20. The Bruins will also be in action New Year's Day with a road game at UNI.

• UIC is 0-4 all-time against Belmont, with all four matchups coming since the Flames joined the Missouri Valley Conference. In last year's meeting in Nashville, the Bruins posted a 74-65 win over UIC.

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 passes for the US Solar Courtside Club at Credit Union 1 Arena through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office or the arena box office.