Game 16 - Missouri State Bears (7-8, 0-4 MVC) vs.  UIC Flames (9-5, 2-2 MVC)
Date and Time	Tuesday, January 7, 2025 | 7:02 p.m. (Central)
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promos & Specials	Promo Calendar
Fan Info	Digital Program | Gates Open at 6:00 p.m.
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live | The Varsity Network App
Television	ESPN+ (Tom Ladd, Jay Spoonhour) | Watch
Series	Missouri State leads 17-4 | Last Meeting: MSU 69, UIC 59 (3/3/24) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | UIC | MVC Weekly Release | MSU Media Guide
Follow	Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Next Game: Saturday, Jan. 11 at Southern Illinois, 6:00 p.m. Next Home Game: Wednesday, Jan. 15 vs. Southern Illinois, 7:00 p.m. | Tickets

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

The Ten Count

• Missouri State is back at Great Southern Bank Arena on Tuesday for a Valley showdown against UIC (7 p.m.). The Bears, who are playing their second of three straight conference mid-week home games, will look to get back on track after a narrow home loss to Valparaiso last week and a single-digit loss at league-leading Bradley on Saturday. MoState is 11-0 all-time at home against UIC, including a 2-0 ledger at GSB Arena.  
• Vincent Brady II (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) has led the Bears in scoring each of the past two games, including a career-high / game-high 29 points at Bradley on Saturday. Over the last week, Brady has averaged 24.0 points per game -- second in The Valley in the span -- while converting 20-of-30 (.667) field goals to go with 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists per game.
• The Bears are coming off a season-high 26 second-chance points (off 16 offensive rebounds) at Bradley. Missouri State ranks No. 45 in the KenPom rankings offensive rebounding percentage (34.9) and leads the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (12.20).
• Makhai Valentine (Fr., Munhall, Pa.) is coming off a breakout week, scoring 21 points in 21 minutes over two games, including his first career double-figure scoring game with 13 points at Bradley. He was 8-for-12 from the field with a team-high 5 three-pointers for the week. 
• Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) averaged a team-best 5.5 assists per game last week, the third-best by any MVC player in that span. For the season, he ranks 2nd in the MVC in total rebounds (116), rebounds per game (7.7), offensive rebounds (3.27) and double-doubles (3), while his 1.60 steals per game ranks 4th.
• The Bears are averaging 8.6 steals per game which ranks 59th nationally and 2nd in the Missouri Valley, including 6 games with 10 or more steals. The Bears are just 13 steals shy of matching their entire season steal total from a year ago (142 in 33 games). MSU's 14.20 takeaways per contest ranks 72nd nationally (2nd in MVC). The Bears have forced 10 or more turnovers in 14-of-15 games this season, including 16 at Bradley. 
• Allen Udemadu (Sr., Lagos, Nigeria) needs 2 rebounds for 200 in his career (40 games).
• Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis) ranks 2nd in the MVC in double-doubles (3), 3rd in rebounds per game (7.5) and 4th in offensive rebounding (2.64). His 27.1 offensive rebound percentage ranks 35th nationally (KenPom). 
• Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) ranks 3rd in the MVC in scoring (16.5 ppg.). He leads The Valley in FG attempts (187), ranks 2nd in FT percentage (.899 -- also 29th nationally), and is 4th in minutes per game (35:14), 3-pointers per game (2.67) and 3-point FG percentage (.377).
• MoState is 49-13 (.790) at home under coach Cuonzo Martin, including a 5-2 ledger this season.

Coach Cuonzo Martin

• After an extensive national search, Missouri State University announced Cuonzo Martin as its men's basketball head coach on March 27, 2024. The man who orchestrated Missouri State's only MVC regular-season championship run during his first tenure in Springfield originally coached at Missouri State from 2008 to 2011.
• Martin begins his second tenure at MoState with a 271-206 (.568) career record in 15 seasons as a Division I head coach with experience at MSU, Tennessee, California and Missouri. His teams have made nine postseason appearances in that span, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament, four appearances in the NIT, and a CIT title with the Bears in 2010. 
• Coach Martin is also 68-49 (.581) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin has never coached against UIC in his career.
• Martin also boasts 56 college graduates during his career with stints at MoState, Tennessee (2011-14), California (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).
• A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Martin was a star player at Purdue from 1991-95 for coach Gene Keady and then played four years professionally. He was on the coaching staff at Purdue for eight years under Keady and Matt Painter before accepting his first head coaching position at MSU on March 26, 2008.
• In Martin's first stint in Springfield (2008-11), he was named Missouri State's 16th head coach in time for the program's 100th anniversary season and its inaugural campaign at Great Southern Bank Arena. In his second season (2009-10), Martin guided MoState to a 24-12 overall ledger, a 19-2 home record, and an impressive run to the CIT Postseason Tournament title.
• His third season at MSU (2010-11) was one of the program's most memorable, as the Bears finished 26-9 overall on the way to the program's first-ever MVC regular-season title with a 15-3 league record. The Bears fell to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis and capped an unforgettable campaign by advancing to the second round of the NIT. Martin was named 2011 MVC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Ben Jobe Award as the nation's top minority head coach. Over Martin's last two years at MoState, the Bears were 35-3 at home and did not lose a non-conference home game.

The Series

• Missouri State leads the all-time series with UIC, 17-4. The Bears are 11-0 at home all-time against the Flames (2-0 at Great Southern Bank Arena). The Bears are also 5-3 in Chicago against UIC and 1-1 at neutral sites in the series. The teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference together from 1984 to 1990.
• The teams played just once last season, a 69-59 MoState win on 3/3/24 at Great Southern Bank Arena. Damien Mayo Jr. posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds to help lead the Bears to a senior day victory in the regular-season finale. The Bears also got 12 points from Cesare Edwards, all in the second half, with Matthew Lee pitching in a dozen points. Likewise, Chance Moore poured in 11 points for MoState with senior Donovan Clay finishing with 8 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Toby Okani led four UIC players in double-figures with 14 points. The Flames also got 12 points apiece from Filip Skobalj and Isaiah Rivers. Missouri State out-rebounded its visitors by a 50-30 margin and accounted for 14 second-chance points on 18 offensive caroms. MSU also racked up a season-high 44 points from its reserves. After leading by five at the intermission, the Bears saw their advantage slip away thanks to a 7-0 run by UIC to start the second half. Lee's 3-pointer returned the lead to the home side with 16:06 to play, and the Bears would never trail again. Coming out of the under-16 media timeout, Mayo's layup ignited a key 8-0 run for the Bears to help put the game away.  | Box Score
• Prior to that game, the two clubs squared off in St. Louis in the opening round of the 2023 MVC Tournament (3/2/23) in the 6-11 game. Behind a dominant second-half effort, Missouri State defeated UIC, 74-57. The Bears shot 55.2 percent from the field in the final stanza and got a game-high 17 points from Alston Mason and 13 from Mayo Jr. to secure the win. With the Bears leading 40-34 with 18:33 to go, Mayo took over, reeling off Missouri State's next 11 points over the next five minutes to extend the lead to 51-38.