GAME NOTES

Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team (18-12) will participate in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) for the third time in the last four years when it heads to Chicago to play the University of Illinois-Chicago in the opening round on Wednesday, Mar. 14, at 8 p.m. ET.
 
Scouting Illinois-Chicago

The Flames were a contender for the Horizon League Title before stumbling down the stretch with three straight losses to finish 17-15. The third-seed in the Horizon League Tournament, UIC lost its opening game to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 80-75. The Flames have impressive length, particularly among its post players. Tai Odiase was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, leading the Horizon League and ranking fourth in all of NCAA Division I in blocks per game at 3.19 per contest. As a team, Illinois-Chicago ranks second in the country in blocks per game (7.0) behind only Michigan State. Odiase, a  6'9" center, averages 9.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg and teams with leading rebounder Jordan Blount (6.9 rpg) to give UIC a +1.6 rebounding margin. Sophomore forward Dikembe Dixson is the team's top scorer at 14.2 ppg followed by sophomore Marcus Ottey at 13.5 ppg. The Red Flash will have to account for Horizon League 6^th Man of the Year Godwin Boahen, the team's top three-point shooter at 42.7%.

Series History
 
The Red Flash are 0-2 all-time vs. the Flames, falling 110-90 during the 1983-84 season and 69-65 during the 1999-00 campaign.
 
CIT HISTORY
 
This will be SFU's third CIT appearance in the last four seasons. The Red Flash hosted Bowling Green in its inaugural CIT game in 2014-15, losing 67-64. Last season, the Red Flash opened at Jacksonville in the Hugh Durham Classic. Then-sophomore Andre Wolford (Willowick, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) was named the game's MVP, scoring 14 points in a 78-76 win. Saint Francis lost its next game at UMBC, 87-79, despite 16 points from Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte).
 
CHASING THE CENTURY MARK
 
Junior Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) and sophomore Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) are looking to become the 40^th and 41^st players in program history, and the first since Earl Brown (2011-15), to reach 1,000 career points. The two First Team All-NEC performers have taken their games' to new heights this season. King has scored 548 points this season (18.3 ppg), the 15^th most in a single season in school history and the most since Darshan Luckey during the 2004-05 season. He needs just 10 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Braxton, who has increased his scoring average from 13.1 ppg as a freshman to 17.4 as a sophomore, needs just 35 points to become the fourth player to reach 1,000 career points in his first two seasons with the program. The other three are Joe Anderson, Mike Iuzzolino and Darshan Luckey.
 
WOLFORD HUNTING THE 3-PT RECORD
 
Junior Andre Wolford (Willowick, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) is nine three-pointers shy of tying the single-season three-point record of 103 set by Iuzzolino in 1990-91. Wolford ranks third in all of NCAA Division I in 3 PT FG% at 49.5% and has made at least three three-pointers in 21 of his last 27 games.
 
TOP-RANKED OFFENSE
 
Not only is Saint Francis's offense tops among the 10-team NEC, but it has proven to be one of the best offensive units in program history. Through 30 games, SFU has scored 2,389 points, the third highest total in school history. Sharp shooting has been the main reason for its success. The Red Flash is 76.4% from the charity stripe, the second-best mark in school history, and has made 243 three-pointers on the year, also the second-best mark in school history. SFU has scored 80 or more points in 16 of 30 games (53.3%).