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13 MEN'S BASKETBALL UIC accepted a bid to the College Basketball Invitational and made an impressive run through the 16-team tournament. The Flames won multiple postseason games in a season for the first time ever as they defeated both Stony Brook and George Washington at the UIC Pavilion before falling in a close contest at Coastal Carolina in the semifinal round. It was the sixth postseason opportunity in program history, and the first in two seasons under head coach Steve McClain. MEANT TO BE BROKEN As a team, the Flames set or tied several single-season statistical records during the 2016-17 season, including: games played (36), points (2,749), field-goal attempts (2,113), 3-point field goals (272), rebounds (1,426), assists (524), and blocks (184). Out of 351 Division I teams, UIC was the youngest in the country during the 2016-17 season according to KenPom.com. The Flames, who did not have a senior on the roster, had an average of 0.67 years of Division I experience on the team, yet the squad was one of the nation's most improved by increasing its year-to-year win total by 12. Junior Tai Odiase became the first player in UIC history to be named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year. He led the conference and ranked fourth in the NCAA with 104 total blocks, which was the second-best single-season output in program history. The Glenwood, Ill., native started all 36 games and led the Flames in both scoring and rebounding with 11.4 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per contest. UIC was the only Horizon League school to place two players on the five-man All-Freshman squad with both Tarkus Ferguson and Dominique Matthews earning nods. It was the first time since 2005-06 that two Flames were placed on the All-Newcomer list in the same season. UIC was the first team in League history to see four different players collect Freshman of the Week accolades during the season with Marcus Ottey (Nov. 21) and Godwin Boahen (Dec. 26) joining Matthews (Feb. 13) and Ferguson (Feb. 27).