CHICAGO (July 15, 2026) – For the second year in a row, the UIC men's basketball team has been chosen as a recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award, the organization announced Wednesday. In addition, four members of last year's Flames' squad earned a spot on the NABC Honors Court, the second consecutive year four UIC players received that accolade.
 
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognized more than 400 programs across all levels of college basketball that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a team grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. UIC finished with a 3.053 cumulative team GPA in '25-26 and was one of four Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball programs to receive the honor.
 
The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes more than 2,300 junior, senior and graduate student players who completed last year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. The Flames were represented by the quartet of redshirt junior Ante Beljan, and graduate students Josiah Hammons, Sam Silverstein and Tai Walters-Whitaker.
 
In head coach Rob Ehsan's second season at UIC, the Flames posted a 19-win season and a third-place finish in the MVC, capped off by a trip to the 2026 NIT (National Invitation Tournament), the school's first berth in that elite event since 2003, and the Flames' first-ever appearance in the MVC Tournament championship game. UIC also posted its highest overall KenPom rating since 2004 (No. 110) and highest defensive efficiency mark since 2008 (No. 91), along with its highest-ever NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking at No. 115. What's more, during Ehsan's first two years at UIC, the Flames have collected eight Quad 1 & 2 wins, the second-most in the MVC, as well as six wins over teams ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll (four against top-10 squads).
 
Details on season ticket packages for the 2026-27 Flames' men's basketball campaign will be distributed later this month. Further information will be available via the UIC Athletics Ticket Office, which can be reached by phone (312.413.8421) or e-mail (athleticsticketing@uic.edu).
  
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).