Feb. 4, 2008

Chicago, Ill.- The UIC men's basketball team will take on the University of Northern Iowa at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Feb. 23 as part of the 2008 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters, ESPN announced on Monday night.

Tip-off between the Flames and the Panthers is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Central.

As of Monday UIC is 12-10 overall and 6-5 in the Horizon League, while UNI is 14-8 overall and 6-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

The Feb. 23 contest will be the 20th all-time meeting between UIC and UNI. The two teams last faced during the 1990-91 campaign, when the Flames defeated the Panthers in overtime by a 61-59 score at the UIC Pavilion on Jan. 24, 1991.

UIC is 9-10 all-time against UNI.

UNI will be the fourth Missouri Valley team to face the Flames this season. UIC has a win over Bradley and losses to Wichita State and Illinois State in 2007-08.

The Flames will be the Panthers' third Horizon League opponent this year, as UNI defeated Milwaukee and Loyola earlier in the campaign.

Pacing the Flames' attack is junior guard Josh Mayo (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville H.S.). Mayo averages 18.4 points per game and leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage, hitting from downtown at a clip of 55.6 percent (70-for-126) to lead all NCAA Division I players.

Six-foot-six senior forward Eric Coleman leads the Panthers in scoring and rebounding, putting up 12.2 points and pulling down 8.6 rebounds per game.

This marks the sixth consecutive year that UIC will participate in the BracketBusters event. It is only the second time that the Flames will play on the road in BracketBusters.

The UIC-UNI game is one of four BracketBuster games pitting Horizon League teams against foes from the Missouri Valley. No. 15 Drake will travel to No. 11 Butler, Milwaukee will meet Bradley in Peoria and Wright State will play Illinois State in Normal.

Stay tuned to uicflames.com for more information on the Flames' Feb. 23 BracketBuster matchup against UNI.