Peoria, IL – The Bradley Men's Basketball team will head to Chicago, IL, to take on the UIC Flames.

Game Information
Bradley Braves 19-10 (12-6 MVC) at Illinois-Chicago Flames 16-13 (11-7 MVC)
Date & Time: Tuesday, February 24th | 7:00 PM CST
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Watch | Listen
Location: Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL
All Time Series: Bradley Leads 12-4

The Valley
Belmont will remain atop the Valley after picking up their 15th win on Saturday. With Bradley's win over Illinois State, the Braves move back into second place in the Valley, setting themselves up to control their own destiny with wins this week. Murray State sits one game behind Bradley in third place, yet this is the Racers' off week, not seeing action until the regular season finale on March 1, inside Carver Arena. The UIC Flames sit in fourth place in the Valley with 11 wins. Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Valparaiso all currently sit with 10-8 records, yet due to tiebreakers, the Redbirds are currently the last team seeing a day off at Arch Madness.

Compared to the rest of the conference, Bradley has the third-highest scoring offense, averaging 76.8 points per game. UIC's defense holds opponents to just 42 percent from the field, the third-highest mark in the Valley. Bradley's 35.9 three-point percentage is the second-best in the MVC. UIC is strong at the post, collecting the third most total rebounds and the most offensive rebounds, tallying 36.6 and 13.1 this season. The Braves have the top turnover margin in the conference at 4.41 per night, the sixth-best in the Nation.

The Bradley Braves
The Braves hit the road after earning a 14-point victory over I-74 rival Illinois State. The Braves earned the 75th all-time win over the Redbirds, notching their 50th at home. Sophomore Jaquan Johnson led the team with 23 points, adding to his day with a team-high four assists and a pair of steals. Senior AJ Smith led the Braves at the boards, collecting eight rebounds, adding to his day by scoring seven. Senior Ahmet Jonovic was a key contributor in the paint for the Braves, shooting 5-7 and scoring 14 points while grabbing six rebounds, five coming off the offensive glass. Senior Corey Thomas, along with Smith and Jonovic, delivered huge dunks throughout the contest. As a team, the Braves scored 48 of their points in the paint, which is 65 percent of the team's total.

Johnson has continued to cement his name as one of the best in the Missouri Valley Conference. The sophomores' 17.1 points a night is the second-highest per game in the Valley. Johnson is the only player in the conference who is averaging over two steals a contest, tallying 2.66 a game, nearly a full steal a game ahead of second. His 77 total steals on the year are the second most in the Nation. In the past five games, Johnson has scored 30 percent of the team's points, as Bully has taken eight steals in the past four games.

The UIC Flames
The opponent comes into the contest having lost at home to Valparaiso, 71-67. Before Saturday's loss, the Flames had won the previous three games. Elijah Crawford, Ahmad Henderson II and Andy Johnson each average 11 points or more. Despite a team average of 36.6 rebounds a night, no individual averages six rebounds a game. Even if he's not scoring, Crawford is a pivotal part of the offense, leading the team with 75 assists.

History Says!
The Braves have earned a dozen wins in 16 meetings against the Flames. Even in Chicago, Bradley leads the series 4-2. Bradley hasn't lost a game against the Flames in the Windy City since 2018. In Bradley's last meeting against UIC, sophomore Timoty van der Knaap was just a hair shy of a double-double, as he led the Braves with 12 points and nine rebounds. Graduate Student Alex Huibregtse and Jonovic both added 11 points to the team's tally. Jonovic grabbed five rebounds, while Huibregtse drained three from beyond the arc. 

The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+, with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff at the Credit Union 1 Arena. Fans can also tune in to 1470 WMBD to listen to the Bradley Basketball radio broadcast featuring Dave Snell and Chad Kleine.