THE SERIES BREAKDOWN

• Separated by less than 60 miles, UIC and Valparaiso are no strangers to one another, with Saturday's game marking the 63rd meeting between the Flames and Beacons.

• UIC holds a 34-28 series edge over Valparaiso and has won five of the past seven matchups. The Flames are 21-9 all-time against the Beacons when playing in Chicago and have won the past three meetings at Credit Union 1 Arena.

• This is the second of two meetings this season between the Flames and Beacons. UIC won the first matchup, 81-74 on Jan. 18 at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the first Flames' first road win at Valparaiso since 2021 and first in regulation since 2009.

• The past six series games between UIC and Valparaiso have all been decided by 10 points or fewer.

• UIC and Valparaiso have shared membership in three conferences for portions of the past 43 years, first in the Association of Mid-Continent Universities/Mid-Continent Conference (now known as the Summit League) from 1981-82 to 1993-94, and in the Horizon League from 2007-08 through 2016-17 (prior to their current MVC affiliation). In that four-decade span, the schools have met 58 times in conference or postseason tournament play, with UIC owning a 32-26 advantage against Valparaiso in those games.

MORE ON VALPARAISO

• Valparaiso, which has surpassed its overall and MVC win totals from last season, has won three of its last five games, but is coming off a 76-65 loss at home to Bradley on Wednesday.

• Sophomore forward Cooper Schwieger averages team highs of 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game with seven double-doubles (the latter three categories ranking among the top three in the MVC), while freshman guard All Wright has come alive during conference play and adds 14.2 ppg. overall, while ranking eighth in MVC games at 16.0 ppg.

• Roger Powell Jr. is in his second season as head coach at Valparaiso, where he has compiled a 20-42 (.323) record.

GAME #29 RECAP - NORTHERN IOWA

• Sophomore guard Ahmad Henderson II scored a team-high 13 points and UIC battled tooth and nail with Northern Iowa for more than 32 minutes before Northern Iowa closed with a late run to take a 74-52 win on Wednesday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

• The Flames trailed just 53-46 midway through the second half following a driving layup by redshirt senior guard Koby Jeffries and got back to 58-48 inside of eight minutes to go when junior guard Jordan Mason knocked down a foul-line jumper. However, UNI made enough shots and got enough stops down the stretch to take the victory.

NOTING THE NORTHERN IOWA GAME

• UIC was held to a season-low 52 points, one fewer than its total in a 63-53 loss at Murray State on Feb. 11.

• The Flames' 10 free throw attempts tied for their second-lowest of the season (seven vs. East Carolina on Nov. 23 at the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona Beach, Fla.)

• Henderson posted his team-leading 20th double-figure scoring game this season.

• Henderson also finished with a game-high three steals, one short of his season and career high set on Dec. 20 in a win at Seattle U.

BALANCE IS KEY

• UIC has four players posting double-figure scoring averages this season — Javon Jackson (12.2 ppg.), Ahmad Henderson II (11.6), Tyem Freeman (10.4) and Jordan Mason (10.1) — with three others logging over eight points per game in Saša Ciani (9.9), Filip Škobalj (8.4 ppg.) and Modestas Kancleris (8.2 ppg.). 

• The Flames have seen eight different players lead the team in scoring at least once this season.

• UIC has had at least four double-digit scorers in 16 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.

HEART STOPPERS

• Following the advice of CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Flames fans have been prepared to "grab their nitroglycerin pills" a lot this season.

• Nearly half (14) of UIC's 29 games this season have been decided by single digits, including 11 of 19 MVC games.

• The Flames are 8-6 in games decided by single digits, with a 6-5 mark in MVC play.

• No less than 17 of UIC's last 21 games have been decided by 12 points or fewer (the exceptions all coming on the road - 80-63 win at Missouri State on Jan. 7; 93-70 win at Bradley on Jan. 29; 74-57 loss at Drake on Feb. 19; 74-52 loss at UNI on Feb. 26).

• Five of UIC's last nine losses have been by five points or fewer, and in each case, the Flames had a possession to tie or retake the lead inside the final 2:00.

• UIC is 3-0 in overtime games this year, the second-most OT wins in a season in program history (five in 2005-06).

• The Flames have won their last four overtime games, dating back to last year's MVC Tournament (84-82 double-overtime win over Southern Illinois in the first round), with the 2005-06 season the last time UIC won four or more consecutive OT contests.

POTENT NOTABLES

• Entering this weekend, UIC has an average opponent NET ranking of 104, which is tied for the highest in the Valley.

• UIC is 7-6 on the road this year, including a 5-5 road mark in MVC play, with both win totals ranking fourth in the conference.

• The Flames are 2-0 against schools earning votes in the Associated Press poll with victories over Drake on Jan. 1 and at Bradley on Jan. 29.

• UIC is 3-4 against teams ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll (wins over No. 13 Yale on Nov. 18, No. 1 Drake on Jan. 1 and at No. 4 Bradley on Jan. 29). This week, all three of those teams are in the top 10 in the Mid-Major Top 25 (Drake-3; Yale-4; Bradley-10).

• The Flames are 4-1 against current Quad 2 opponents this season (4-3 combined vs. Q1/Q2), winning on Nov. 13 vs. Yale, Dec. 29 at Illinois State, Jan. 1 vs. Drake and Jan. 29 at Bradley.

• UIC nearly claimed a Quad 1 win at Northwestern on Nov. 12 (trailed 74-70 with 1:20 left; lost 83-74).

• 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 on last year's wins over Loyola and George Washington.

• UIC has knocked down at least 10 three-pointers in 11 games this year, including a season-high 14 at Bradley on Jan. 29.

• The Flames have scored at least 80 points 13 times this season and topped the 90-point mark on six 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 17 games this year, and over 50 percent 10 times (season-high 60.0 percent on Nov. 16 against Saint Mary's-Minn.).

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).

UP NEXT: MVC TOURNAMENT

• Either late Sunday or early Monday (if tiebreakers are required), the complete bracket for the 2025 State Farm MVC Tournament (known as "Arch Madness") will be released.

• Depending on Sunday's results, the Flames will be seeded anywhere from No. 5 to No. 9 (UIC was seeded 11th in each of its first two years in the conference) and will play on Thursday in a first-round game.

• UIC's tournament opener will air live on the MVC TV Network and ESPN+ (other clearances TBD depending on what time UIC plays) and will also be broadcast globally on the Flames Network at UICFlames.com.

• UIC is 1-2 in its two prior appearances at Arch Madness, reaching the quarterfinals last year after an 84-82 double-overtime win over Southern Illinois in the first round. The Flames will be seeking their first conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth since 2004.

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.