CHICAGO (Jan. 26, 2026) – For the second time in three weeks and third time this season, a UIC men's basketball player has earned a weekly conference honor, as sophomore guard Elijah Crawford (Augusta, Ga./Brewster Academy/BYU) was named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Newcomer of the Week, the conference announced Monday. He joins two other Flames who received the same Newcomer of the Week honor earlier this season — junior guard/forward Mekhi Lowery on Nov. 24 and graduate student forward Abdul Momoh on Jan. 12.
 
Crawford posted career scoring highs in both of UIC's wins last week, averaging 21.5 points, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game with a .615 field-goal percentage (16-of-26) and .667 three-point percentage (6-of-9). The highlight of his week came this past Saturday night on the road at Bradley, when Crawford dropped in a career-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a career-best 5-of-6 from three-point range, punctuated by a running triple at the halftime horn that gave the Flames a double-digit lead over the Braves that they would not relinquish. Last Tuesday (Jan. 20), Crawford tallied a (then) career-high 16 points and added seven assists in UIC's near wire-to-wire victory over Evansville at Credit Union 1 Arena.
 
For the season, Crawford ranks third on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg.) and tops in both assists (4.4 apg.) and assist/turnover ratio (1.82) despite missing the balance of the first two months of the season with an injury. He has scored in double figures in six of the nine games he has played in this year, and he has five games with at least five assists, including a career-high nine helpers in a Jan. 13 road win at Northern Iowa.
 
Winners of six in a row, UIC (11-10, 6-4 MVC) will be back at home inside Credit Union 1 Arena Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. (CT) matchup against Indiana State. It will be Pride Night, with UIC students admitted free and UIC faculty and staff able to obtain discounted $5 tickets for Tuesday's game by bringing their University ID to the Credit Union 1 Arena box office on game night. In addition, there will be a free Flames Force Pregame Tailgate Party for UIC students from 5-6:30 p.m. (CT) in the Student Center East Bowling Alley on campus before students are shuttled to the arena for Tuesday's UIC-Indiana State game. Of note, complimentary shuttles will run from campus halls to Credit Union 1 Arena starting one hour prior to tipoff for each remaining Flames' home game this season.
 
UIC basketball season and single-game tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster (Men's Basketball or Women's Basketball), UICFlames.com/Tickets or by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office at (312) 413-UIC1 (8421) or athleticsticketing@uic.edu. UIC students are admitted free for all Flames' home games.
 
In addition, the US Solar Courtside Club is open for each game at Credit Union 1 Arena, with Club passes available for purchase through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office or at the Courtside Club entrance on game nights. Located just steps away from the action on the event level at Credit Union 1 Arena, the US Solar Courtside Club provides a premium experience for all UIC basketball fans, including enhanced food and beverage options. The Club also offers luxury seating and flat-screen televisions, and fans will have earlier access to the arena through a dedicated separate gate entrance, allowing them to get a quicker start on supporting their Flames each and every night.
 
For more information on UIC men's basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).