THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• UIC and Indiana State will tip off for only the sixth time in their history, with the Sycamores leading the all-time series with the Flames by a 4-1 count following wins in their three MVC matchups since UIC joined the conference prior to last season (including a narrow 89-83 decision in the teams' first meeting back on Jan. 24 at Credit Union 1 Arena).

• Last month's matchup in Chicago was a tense affair with 18 lead changes, 13 ties and neither side leading by more than six points the entire way. The Flames had the upper hand on a number of occasions and then rallied within two points with 37 seconds left before Indiana State made four free throws to pull out the decision.

• Senior guard Isaiah Rivera scored 18 of his team-high 24 points in the second half of January's meeting and wound up making a career-high five three-pointers in the game. Sophomore guard CJ Jones added a well-balanced line with 17 points, a game-high seven assists and a career high-tying six assists.

• Prior to their three series meetings in MVC play, UIC and Indiana State played a home-and-home series in 2001 and 2002, splitting those two encounters with each side successfully defending its home court (UIC 70-54 on Nov. 18, 2001; ISU 73-54 on Dec. 23, 2002).

MORE ON INDIANA STATE

• Indiana State comes into Saturday's game with a 23-5 record and is tied for first place in the MVC with a 14-3 record.

• The Sycamores had made their first appearance in the AP Top 25 poll since 1979 on Feb. 12, checking in at No. 23 before a pair of losses to Illinois State (80-67) and at Southern Illinois (74-69) dropped them out of the poll.

• ISU returned to the win column Wednesday at Valparaiso (83-64).

• Leading the MVC in scoring (84.3 ppg.), Indiana State has all five starters currently scoring in double figures, led by junior guard Isaiah Swope (17.3 ppg.) and sophomore center Robbie Avila (16.5 ppg.). Junior guard Jayson Kent leads the Sycamores and ranks second in The Valley in rebounding at 8.2 rpg.

THE ZAY-HEY KID

• Senior guard Isaiah Rivera has emerged as one of the Flames' top offensive threats this year, ranking 12th in the MVC in scoring with a team-high 15.1 points per game and fourth in the conference in three-point percentage (.415).

• Rivera has scored in double figures a team-best 20 times this season and has the first eight 20-point games of his career (tied for sixth in the MVC), including a career-high 28 points on Feb. 3 against Southern Illinois.

• Rivera has been especially sharp during the month of February, averaging 18.3 ppg. with three of his four 25-point outings in that six-game span.

KEEPING UP WITH JONES

• Sophomore guard CJ Jones has clearly emerged as one of the MVC's most improved players, ranking third in the MVC with 4.64 assists per game and 12th with a 1.59 assist/turnover ratio.

• Jones has more than doubled his assist average from last year (2.1 apg.) and improved his assist/turnover ratio almost 18 percent from a season ago (1.35). 

• Jones is also averaging 11.5 points per game this season (up more than 85 percent from last year's 6.2 ppg.) and is logging 3.5 rebounds per game (improving nearly 85 percent from last year's 1.9 rpg.).

• Jones has recorded 5+ assists in 13 games this season, including nine contests in which he registered at least seven assists. He is one of just three MVC players with two 10-assist games this season (career-high 11 against Western Michigan on Dec. 16; 10 vs. Evansville on Wednesday night).

• On Jan. 13 against Bradley, Jones poured in a career-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and on Feb. 11, he nearly matched that output with 24 points in a win over UNI.

TOBY OKANI - SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

• Senior guard Toby Okani leads the MVC in blocks (2.00 bpg.), while ranking fifth in double-doubles (4), sixth in rebounding (7.04 rpg.) and defensive rebounds (5.36 drpg.), and ninth in steals (1.39 spg.).

• 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 is fourth in the Valley with seven double-digit rebound games this season.

• 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 conference-high and career-best 56 blocks this year, tying for ninth on the UIC single-season list with Derrick Johnson (56 in 1987-88).

TRIPLE SHOT POWER

• UIC has been particularly proficient beyond the arc this season, making at least 10 three-pointers in 11 games and shooting better than 35 percent from deep 17 times.

• Eight different UIC players have made at least 10 three-pointers this year, including five with 25 treys (and a sixth with 23).

• UIC is the only MVC school to have two players among the top five in the Valley in three-point percentage — senior guard Isaiah Rivera (4th - .415) and junior forward Filip Skobalj (5th - .414).

• The Flames are third in the MVC in three-point percentage (.368) and fifth in three-pointers made (8.61 per game).

FLAMES THROWING A BLOCK PARTY

• As of Friday, UIC ranks 10th in the nation in blocks (5.5 bpg.) and 22nd in three-point percentage defense (.301).

• 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 4.4 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).

CROWDED HOUSE

• The Flames drew a season-high crowd of 4,056 fans for their Feb. 3 game against Southern Illinois at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• That attendance was the best for UIC in the Luke Yaklich era and highest since Feb. 11, 2017 (4,711 vs. Cleveland State).

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.

• Three Flames players — senior guard Isaiah Rivera, junior forward Filip Skobalj and sophomore guard Drew King — earned a 4.0 GPA last semester.

• The men's basketball team's performance was part of a larger academic success story for UIC athletics last fall, as the 300 Flames' student-athletes combined for a 3.34 department-wide GPA.

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.

LAST TIME OUT: EVANSVILLE

• Senior guard Isaiah Rivera scored nine of his game-high 25 points on three consecutive three-pointers in a 56-second span in the second half, sparking UIC to an 88-79 win over Evansville Wednesday at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• Rivera's heroics helped the Flames close the game on a 30-16 run during the final 6:18 and pick up UIC's third win in its last five outings. Rivera also led five UIC players in double figures, paced by sophomore guard CJ Jones, who delivered his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 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: DRAKE

• UIC will play its final regular-season home game at 7 p.m. (CT) Wednesday, hosting Drake on Senior Night at Credit Union 1 Arena. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and free of charge on the Flames Network at UICFlames.com.

• Drake (23-5, 14-3 MVC) is currently tied with Indiana State atop the MVC standings and plays at UNI Saturday before coming to Chicago next week.

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.