CORVALLIS, Ore. – UIC hits the road for the first time in the 2025-26 season when the Flames travel west on Friday for a 7 p.m. (PT)/9 p.m. (CT) matchup against Oregon State at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. ESPN+ will carry Friday's game with Ted Robinson (play-by-play) and Mary Murphy (color) describing the action.

This will mark the second consecutive year UIC has traveled to the Pacific Northwest. Last December, the Flames ventured to Seattle and came away with a 79-68 victory at Seattle U. (which is in its inaugural season in the West Coast Conference, alongside temporary WCC member Oregon State).

For the third year in a row, UIC is opening its road schedule at a power-conference opponent, and in both prior instances, the Flames were extremely competitive. In 2023-24, UIC led much of the first half at Cincinnati and was within eight points midway through the second half before the Bearcats prevailed, 69-58. Last year, the Flames played Northwestern tough throughout in their road opener and were within 74-70 with 90 seconds left before NU won, 83-74.

• UIC and Oregon State will be playing for just the fourth time in series history on Friday night. The Beavers are 2-1 all-time against the Flames and won both prior matchups at Gill Coliseum.
• UIC and OSU played a home-and-home series in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, with each side successfully defending its home court.
• In their inaugural meeting, the Flames edged the Beavers, 63-61 on Dec. 16, 2009, at Credit Union 1 Arena, with Robo Kreps wearing the hero's laurels after driving in for the winning layup with 5.6 seconds remaining. It was UIC's first-ever victory against a Pac-12 (then Pac-10) Conference school.
• Oregon State earned a 74-54 win in the return encounter on Dec. 22, 2010, in Corvallis. Kreps had 21 points to lead the Flames, who experienced a bit of a hangover following their landmark victory over No. 12/14 Illinois at the United Center four days earlier.
• The Beavers won the most recent series meeting, 95-53 on Dec. 14, 2011, also at Gill Coliseum.

• UIC last played a team representing the West Coast Conference on Nov. 26, 2021 — a 64-52 loss to San Diego at the Las Vegas Classic. The Flames' last win over a WCC squad came two seasons earlier on Dec. 2, 2019, an 89-83 triumph over that same San Diego squad at the Boca Raton Beach Classic.
• Oregon State has been a longstanding member of the Pac-12 Conference, which will return to conference play next season — the last time UIC played a Pac-12 team was Dec. 8, 2018, at Colorado (which has since returned to the Big 12), when the Buffaloes outlasted the Flames, 84-72. UIC's one and only victory over a Pac-12 team was the aforementioned 63-61 win over Oregon State on Dec. 16, 2009, in Chicago.
• While Friday will be UIC's first matchup with Oregon State in more than a decade, the Flames' second-year head coach Rob Ehsan and assistant coach David Berkun have more recent experience facing the Beavers when both served on the Stanford coaching staff from 2021-22 through 2023-24. The pair helped the Cardinal go 4-1 against Oregon State during that three-year span, including three wins in Corvallis.
• UIC opened its 2025-26 season on a high note Monday evening with a 91-71 victory over Detroit Mercy at Credit Union 1 Arena.
• Junior guard Ahmad Henderson II came off the bench to pour in a game-high 23 points, including a career high-tying five three-pointers, pacing five UIC players in double figures. Sophomore guard Elijah Crawford and freshman guards Rashund Washington Jr. and Andy Johnson each scored 13 points (Washington adding six rebounds and five assists), while junior guard/forward Mekhi Lowery dodged foul trouble to finish with 10 points and seven rebounds.
• After spotting Detroit Mercy an early 10-point lead, UIC clamped down on the visiting Titans, 21-6 over the final eight minutes of the first half. The Flames then methodically stretched their lead out during the second half, building the margin as high as 22 points with less than four minutes remaining. UIC found its shooting eye after an early rough patch, connecting at nearly 45 percent from the floor (56 percent in the second half), as well as 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the three-point line and a stellar 83.3 percent (30-of-36) from the free throw stripe.
• UIC picked up its second consecutive season-opening win, the first time the Flames have started with a victory in back-to-back seasons since 2019-20 and 2020-21. UIC is 39-40 (.494) all-time in season openers, including a 24-21 (.533) mark since moving to NCAA Division I in 1981-82.
• Rob Ehsan becomes the first UIC head coach in 40 years to win his first two season openers as the Flames' skipper (the last to do so was Willie Little in 1983-84 and 1984-85).
• UIC won its 10th consecutive home opener, a streak that began with the 2016-17 season.
• UIC's 30 made free throws were the most for the Flames since Nov. 22, 2024, when they went 30-of-34 from the line in a 96-83 win over La Salle at the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona Beach, Fla.
• The Flames' 11 three-pointers and .423 percentage were their best production from distance since Jan. 29, 2025, when they went 14-of-27 (.519) in a 93-70 win at Bradley.
• UIC captures its first win over Detroit Mercy since Feb. 27, 2020, an 84-67 Horizon League decision at Credit Union 1 Arena that came two weeks before the season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• UIC is coming off its best season in two decades, as the Flames finished 17-14 in 2024-25 and tied for fifth in the MVC. Last year, UIC also had four Quad 1 & 2 wins (second in the Valley) and five wins over postseason qualifiers.