• Halftime performance by Chicago rap star and social media personality Adamn Killa
• First 500 students (21 and older) receive a voucher for a free beer, courtesy of head coach Rob Ehsan
• UIC Faculty & Staff can purchase up to nine complimentary tickets for themselves and guests by showing their University ID at the arena box office on game night
• $2.60 tickets for general public (purchase at arena box office on game night)
• UIC students also encouraged to attend the Flames Force Pregame Party at the Student Center East Bowling Alley from 5:30-7:30 p.m., then ride a free shuttle to the game. Free game shuttles will pick up at all East Campus dorms and outside Student Center East starting one hour before tipoff.

• The series between UIC and Belmont began when both schools joined the MVC prior to the 2022-23 season. The Bruins are 6-0 all-time against the Flames (2-0 in Chicago) following a victory in their first meeting this year (87-84 on Dec. 13 in Nashville).
• In that December encounter, UIC led by 13 points at the half before Belmont rallied behind white-hot second-half shooting to edge out the Flames. UIC graduate student guard Josiah Hammons scored a career-high 31 points (the most by a Flames' player in a regulation game since 2016), going 8-of-16 from three-point range, but his last-second bid for a game-tying triple just missed before the final horn.
• Four of the previous six series games have been decided by single digits, including the last two. Along with this year's nailbiter, Belmont pulled out a 92-87 win over UIC in Nashville in their only matchup last season.
• Belmont last visited Credit Union 1 Arena on Feb. 18, 2024, taking a 75-60 decision over UIC.

• Belmont has been in the driver's seat in the Missouri Valley Conference standings for much of the season and currently holds a two-game lead over Murray State and Bradley, and a three-game edge over UIC.
• The Bruins have won eight in a row and have already surpassed the 20-win mark this season, becoming the fifth Valley program ever to do so before the end of January.
• Belmont has topped 100 points in its last two wins, most recently a 103-90 win over visiting Drake on Tuesday.
• Tyler Lundblade ranks fourth in the MVC in scoring (15.1 ppg.), while leading the loop in free throw percentage (.932) and three-pointers per game (3.29). Drew Scharnowski is fourth in the Valley in rebounding (6.5 rpg.) and tops in field-goal percentage (.675), while Eoin Dillon is the MVC leader with a .506 three-point percentage.
• Head coach Casey Alexander is in his seventh year at his alma mater and 15th season overall with a 298-177 record (161-57 at Belmont). He is 6-0 all-time against UIC.

NOTING THE FLAMES

• UIC is rolling out a number of special promotions for Friday's game, including $2.60 tickets (UIC students, faculty, staff and guests are admitted free), the first 500 students (ages 21 and older) receiving a voucher for a free beer at the arena concession stand (courtesy of UIC head coach Rob Ehsan) and a halftime performance by Chicago rap star and social media personality Adamn Killa.
• UIC saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday with an 81-74 loss at Murray State. The Flames were within single digits for large portions of the game (including the vast majority of the first half) and were within three points with 16 seconds left before the Racers made four free throws to put the game away.
• UIC's eight-game winning streak (all against MVC opponents) was its longest since Nov. 17-Dec. 15, 2012, a run that included one non-Division I victory. It was also the Flames' longest conference (and entirely Division I) winning streak since Jan. 24-Feb. 28, 2004, when UIC won its final 10 Horizon League games of the season — it then won both conference tournament games, capped by a 65-62 victory at Milwaukee in the Horizon League final to book UIC's most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Freshman guard Rashund Washington Jr. posted his second career double-double (both in the past five games) on Tuesday at Murray State with career highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Washington's first double-double came Jan. 20 against Evansville (10 points/10 rebounds) at Credit Union 1 Arena.
• Sophomore guard Elijah Crawford's steal and layup with 1.8 seconds left on Jan. 27 against Indiana State marked the Flames' first buzzer-beating win since Jan. 21, 2021, when Michael Diggins' tip-in gave UIC a 67-66 road win at Youngstown State.
• Eight different UIC players have led the team in scoring at least once, tying for the second-most unique game-high scorers in the nation this season (VCU has nine, while Arizona, Creighton, Illinois, Kentucky, Northeastern and Saint Louis also have eight).
• 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 (19 games) and freshman guard Andy Johnson (14). The 10 different double-digit scorers ties for second-most in the MVC behind Illinois State (11).
• UIC has gone very young with its lineup during the past 13 games, starting three freshmen in guards Andy Johnson and Rashund Washington Jr., along with redshirt forward Jayce Nathaniel. The Flames are one of only four schools in the nation (along with Arizona, Fairfield and UT Martin) to have three freshmen start at least 13 times this year, with only one other school (New Mexico) having fielded a three-freshman lineup even once this year.
• To say UIC's schedule has been challenging this year is putting it mildly. Half (11) of the Flames' 22 Division I opponents have been ranked or receiving votes in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll at tipoff, including a stretch of three in a row from Dec. 7-17 (No. 3 Yale, No. 5 Belmont, No. 10 UNI).
• With recent road wins at No. 7 Illinois State and No. 10 UNI, UIC has five victories over ranked mid-major squads (four vs. top-10 programs) in head coach Rob Ehsan's two seasons. Last year, the Flames defeated No. 1 Drake, No. 4 Bradley and No. 13 Yale.
• The Flames have come oh-so-close to victory on several occasions this year, with nine losses by 10 points or fewer and/or in OT, including all five MVC losses to date (average of 5.4 ppg. in losses to Belmont, UNI, Murray State (2x) and Valparaiso).
• UIC has led at halftime in 10 of its 13 conference games this season (the lone exceptions — Jan. 13 at UNI by a 32-29 margin, Jan. 31 at SIU by a 36-25 score, and Feb. 2 at MSU by a 40-33 tally).
• Six 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-2x), 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.
• 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 and Indiana Junior All-Star pick last year at Crown Point High School, posting 16.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg. and 3.4 apg., while helping the Bulldogs go 24-2 and make the Indiana Class 4A semistate final. He also had 12.9 ppg. and 5.9 rpg. in the summer 2025 club season with Indiana Elite 3SSB (3Stripes Select Basketball).

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