TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Sycamores return home for the first time in 2023 Saturday afternoon when they host first-year Valley member UIC at Hulman Center. Saturday will be just the third all-time meeting between the two teams, and tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
The Sycamores are 5-0 to start Valley play for the first time since 2014-15 and have a chance to improve to 6-0 Saturday. The last time Indiana State started out 6-0 in valley play was the 1978-79 season when the Sycamores made it to the NCAA Championship game.
 
At 12-4 this season, the Sycamores have already surpassed last season's total wins overall and in Valley play.
 
Indiana State is coming off a 76-67 road win at Illinois State this past Wednesday, and it's the first time the Sycamores have won back-to-back road Valley games since Jan. 16 and Jan. 17, 2022 when the Sycamores defeated the Redbirds on back-to-back nights in Normal.
 
The Sycamores were without leading scorer Courvoisier McCauley Wednesday night due to illness, but Julian Larry and Cameron Henry each stepped up with 18 points apiece to lead Indiana State.
 
McCauley, along with Xavier Bledson and Rob Martin who were both out on concussion protocol, will be available for Saturday's game.
 
Since returning to Valley play, Julian Larry is shooting 20-of-23 from the field in those three games. He has shot a perfect 100 percent twice and has missed just two shots, both 3-pointer attempts in that span. He is averaging 16.7 points with 15 assists and just two turnovers in the last three games.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be just the third-ever meeting between Indiana State and UIC, and the first meeting since 2002 as the 2022-23 season marks UIC's first season in the Missouri Valley Conference. The series is tied 1-1 with each team taking the win on its home court.

LAST GAME AGAINST THE FLAMES
The last time the Sycamores met was Dec. 23, 2002 in Terre Haute. Indiana State snapped a four-game UIC win streak with a 73-53 win at home.
 
UIC shot a season-low 35% from the field while the Sycamores netted 51% of their attempts, the highest shooting percentage the Flames had allowed up to that point in the season.
 
Indiana State also became just the second team to beat UIC on the boards in a game that season, outrebounding the Flames, 39-37.
 
Indiana State was able to control UIC's leading scorer, Cedrick Banks, who tabbed just seven points on 3-for-18 shooting.
 
The Sycamores were paced by the hot hand of Marcus Arnold who scored 23 points, converting 8-of-11 field goals and 5-of-7 three-point shots. Lamar Grimes also reached double figures with 10 points.
 
UIC trailed by just five at intermission, but Indiana State would go on a 16-7 run in the first seven minutes of the second half to push its lead to 16 points, 53-37, with 12:38 left.

UIC AT A GLANCE
It was announced on Jan. 26 that UIC would be officially joining the Missouri Valley Conference for the start of the 2022-23 academic year. The Flames were picked to finish ninth in the Valley preseason poll and are currently 1-4 in league play with their lone win coming against Illinois State Dec. 28.
 
The Flames are 2-4 on the road this season, including 0-2 against Valley teams on the road. UIC is coming off back-to-back losses, most recently falling to Belmont 77-71 at home Jan. 4.
 
Jace Carter paces all UIC scorers with 16.1 points per game alongside 5.9 rebounds per game. Toby Okani leads the Flames on the boards with 7.7 rebounds per game, and he's averaging 12.5 points per game. Tre Anderson dishes out a team-high 3.7 assists per game alongside 11.1 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT
Indiana State was without its leading scorer Wednesday night, but that did not matter as the Sycamores defeated Illinois State, 76-67, for their fifth straight Valley win and second straight Valley win on the road. The Sycamores remain perfect in Valley play so far this season at 5-0.
 
After finding out Courvoisier McCauley was unavailable due to illness right before tip-off, several Sycamores stepped up in his absence as Julian Larry and Cameron Henry were part of four Sycamores in double figures with 18 points each.
 
The Sycamores (12-4, 5-0 MVC) did not trail the Redbirds (6-10, 1-4 MVC) at any point in the game, though it got close at the end. Indiana State led by as many as 21 points in the first half, but Illinois State cut its deficit to just five points with 35 seconds to go in the second half. Indiana State got a couple crucial stops and took advantage of a pair of late trips to the line, hitting four free throws in the last half minute of the game to help secure the win.
 
Julian Larry shot a perfect 100 percent for the second time in three games, going 7-of-7 from the field for 18 points in his third straight double-figure scoring game. It's the first time the junior guard has posted double figures three games in a row.
 
Cameron Henry's 18 points mark the first time he has scored in doubles since the Duquesne game. He shot 9-of-11 and had three steals and two blocks. Robbie Avila posted 14 points and six rebounds for his first double-digit scoring game since Southern Illinois. Jayson Kent rounded out the Sycamores in double figures with 12 points in his second double-figure scoring outing in three games.
 
Cooper Neese pulled down a career-high nine rebounds, and he had already surpassed his season-high with six boards in the first half alone. He was 4-of-4 at the charity stripe to remain perfect at the line in Valley play.

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