• UIC and UNI will be squaring off for the 29th time in their series history, with the Panthers holding a 16-12 edge over the Flames. UNI is also 11-2 all-time against UIC when playing in Cedar Falls.
• The Panthers have taken six of the past seven series meetings (five of six since UIC joined the MVC in 2022-23), including the teams' first matchup this season (60-54 on Dec. 17 at Credit Union 1 Arena).
• The Flames are seeking their first win over UNI since Feb. 11, 2024, when they posted a 71-65 victory at Credit Union 1 Arena. UIC last won in Cedar Falls on Feb. 23, 2008, taking a 70-58 decision in a BracketBusters matchup.
• UIC and UNI previously shared membership in the Association of Mid-Continent Universities/Mid-Continent Conference (now known as the Summit League) from 1981-82 to 1990-91, meeting on average twice annually during that span. Between that conference affiliation and their current MVC membership, the schools have met 25 times under the same conference banner, with the Panthers holding a 15-10 series lead over the Flames.

• UNI has one of the nation's most experienced rosters this season, with 11 starters and a nation-best 72 percent of its minutes returning from last year.
• The Panthers have been ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll throughout the season and were up to No. 5 last week before dropping to No. 10 this week.
• In the six games since UNI played UIC on Dec. 17, the Panthers are 3-3, most recently falling in their last two outings at home to Belmont (78-65) and at Bradley (75-69).
• Regardless, UNI remains the nation's leader in scoring defense (59.5 ppg.) and prior to last week, the Panthers had only allowed one team to score 70 points this year.
• Trey Campbell ranks in the top 10 in the MVC in scoring (13.1 ppg.) and assists (3.8 apg.), while Leon Bond III is ninth in the Valley in rebounding (5.9 rpg.).
• Ben Jacobson is in his 20th season as the head coach at UNI with a 386-251 record, including 213 MVC wins (most in league history). He is 6-3 all-time against UIC.

NOTING THE FLAMES

• UIC has won its last two contests, most recently a 63-59 overtime decision at No. 7 (Mid-Major) Illinois State last Saturday. It was the Flames' third consecutive road win over the Redbirds, and also marked the 100th career win for head coach Rob Ehsan (100-81 in six years on the sidelines; 24-24 in two years at UIC).
• The Flames have won five of their last six overtime games, dating back to the 2023-24 season, and are 4-1 in OT games during the Ehsan era (1-1 this year).
• Saturday's win was UIC's fourth against a ranked mid-major squad in Ehsan's two seasons. Last year, the Flames defeated No. 1 Drake, No. 4 Bradley (the last UIC road win over a ranked opponent) and No. 13 Yale.
• Graduate student forward Abdul Momoh was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday after averaging 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in the Flames' dual wins last week. Momoh had a game-high 15 points and six rebounds in Saturday's win at Illinois State and is averaging 13.4 points in his last five games.
• Seven different UIC players have led the team in scoring at least once, tying for the sixth-most unique game-high scorers of any team in the nation this season (only VCU with nine, and Creighton, Kentucky, Northeastern and Saint Louis with eight, have had more). Most recently, junior guard/forward Mekhi Lowery had a career-high 17 points and graduate student forward Abdul Momoh added a season-best 17 points to pace the Flames' Dec. 29 win over Illinois Tech.
• Of the 12 players on UIC's roster who have seen playing time this year, 10 have scored in double figures at least once this season, led by junior guard Ahmad Henderson II (14 games) and freshman guard Andy Johnson (11). The 10 different double-digit scorers ties for second-most in the MVC behind only Illinois State (11).
• UIC has gone very young with its lineup during the past six games, starting three freshmen in guards Andy Johnson and Rashund Washington Jr., along with redshirt forward Jayce Nathaniel. With additional research ongoing, the Flames look to be one of only three schools (along with AP No. 1 Arizona and UT Martin) to have three freshmen start at least six times this year, while only two other schools have fielded a three-freshman lineup even once this year (New Mexico and Fairfield).
• To say UIC's schedule has been challenging this year is putting it mildly. Six of the Flames' 15 Division I opponents have been ranked in the top 20 of the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll at tipoff, including a stretch of three in a row from Dec. 7-17 — No. 6 High Point, No. 3 Yale, No. 5 Belmont, No. 10 UNI and No. 19 Murray State (Oregon State and Robert Morris were receiving votes when they faced UIC).
• The Flames have come oh-so-close to victory on several occasions this year, with eight losses by 10 points or fewer and/or in overtime, including four MVC games to date (average of 5.0 ppg. in losses to Belmont, UNI, Murray State and Valparaiso). UIC has also led at halftime in all six of its conference games this season.
• Five of UIC's close losses have come against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the College Insider Mid-Major poll (OSU, HPU, BEL, UNI, MSU), and four close losses have come by three points or fewer and/or in overtime (OSU, UAPB, BEL, CHA). In those latter four "one-possession" games, UIC had the ball each time with a chance to tie or win the game in the closing seconds, but despite a clean look each time, the Flames' shots did not fall.
• Since trailing 16-6 with 9:56 left in the first half on Dec. 17 vs. UNI, UIC has either led or trailed by just single digits for nearly the full 479+ minutes of game time in that span (all but the final 53 seconds of OT at Charlotte on Dec. 21). In this current stretch of 6 1/2 games, the Flames have led for 180:15 and only trailed for 69:31.
• UIC men's basketball has been hitting the books at a record-setting level this year. The Flames posted a 3.26 team GPA during the Fall 2025 semester, the program's highest semester GPA since at least 2010-11.
• On Nov. 13, UIC announced the signing of Dikembe Shaw, a 6-7 forward from Crown Point, Ind. for 2026-27. Shaw was an all-state selection and Indiana Junior All-Star pick last year while attending Crown Point High School, averaging 16.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg., 3.4 apg. and 1.3 spg., while helping the Bulldogs to a 24-2 record and a berth in the Indiana Class 4A semistate final. He also averaged 12.9 ppg. and 5.9 rpg. during the summer 2025 club season while competing for Indiana Elite 3SSB (3Stripes Select Basketball).
• UIC has looked sharp against its fellow Chicagoland schools across all sports during the 2025-26 academic year. With men's basketball's Dec. 29 win over Illinois Tech, Flames teams are now 12-0-2 head-to-head against Windy City opponents this year (3-0 men's basketball; 3-0 volleyball; 3-0-1 men's soccer; 2-0 women's basketball; 1-0-1 women's soccer), the best intracity record by any of Chicago's Division I schools.
   

UP NEXT: DRAKE
The Flames return home Saturday to face Drake at 2 p.m. (CT) on what will be '80s Day at Credit Union 1 Arena. UIC faculty and staff can obtain up to nine complimentary tickets for Saturday's game by bringing their University ID at the arena box office on game day.
 

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