# 2021–22 UIC Flames men's basketball team

The 2021–22 UIC Flames men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Chicago in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flames, led by second-year head coach Luke Yaklich, played their home games at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, Illinois as members of the Horizon League.
On January 26, 2022, UIC announced that this would be the last season for the team in the Horizon League as they would join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Flames finished the 2020–21 season 9–13, 6–10 in Horizon League play to finish in a tie for 10th place. As the No. 11 seed in the Horizon League tournament, they lost to Youngstown State in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Brian Taylor | G | 6'6" | 205 | Sophomore | Detroit, MI | Transferred to Central Michigan |
| Jacob Wiley | F | 6'7 | 210 | Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated |
| Teyvion Kirk | G | 6'4 | 185 | Senior | Joliet, IL | Graduated |
| Demetrius Calip II | G | 6'4 | 165 | Freshman | Woodland Hills, CA | |
| Rob Howard | F | 6'8 | 230 | Senior | Gary, IN | Graduated |
| Bralen Bridges | F | 6'10 | 235 | Junior | Atlanta, GA | Transferred to Georgia |
| Treavon Martin | F | 6'8 | 210 | Junior | Chicago, IL | |
| Deon Ejim | F | 6'6 | 250 | Sophomore | Toronto, Canada | |

### Incoming transfers

Transfers :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Brandon Battle | F | 6'8 | 220 | Graduate Student | Warren, OH | Alabama State |
| Damaria Franklin | G | 6'3 | 205 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Tennessee Tech |
| Kevin Johnson | G | 6'0 | 160 | Graduate Student | Thibodaux, LA | Nicholls State |
| Marcus Larsson | F | 6'11 | 230 | Junior | Oslo, Norway | Incarnate Word |
| Jalen Warren | G | 6'3 | 160 | Graduate Student | Milton, Canada | Florida Gulf Coast |

### Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaden Bronwell PF | Sandy, UT | Alta High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Nov 18, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Jace Carter SG | Titusville, FL | Astronaut High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Sep 4, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Filip Skobalj PF | Belgrade, Serbia | Don-Bosco-Schule Rostock | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Nov 20, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 pm | | Illinois Tech | W 76–59 | – | 18 – K. Johnson | 13 – Diggins | 7 – Griffin | Credit Union 1 Arena (656) Chicago, IL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Dayton | L 54–64 | 0–1 | 17 – Griffin | 6 – Carter | 7 – K. Johnson | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| November 13, 2021* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Valparaiso | W 74–70 $^{OT}$ | 1–1 | 23 – Franklin | 11 – Franklin | 9 – K. Johnson | Athletics–Recreation Center (2,622) Valparaiso, IN |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Trinity Christian | W 91–50 | 2–1 | 15 – Warren | 8 – Batlle | 8 – Tied | Credit Union 1 Arena (1,697) Chicago, IL |
| November 20, 2021* 3:00 pm, NBCSCHI | | at Loyola–Chicago | L 63–80 | 2–2 | 22 – Franklin | 12 – Franklin | 5 – K. Johnson | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,732) Chicago, IL |
| November 25, 2021* 3:00 pm | | vs. Hawaiʻi Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic | L 80–88 | 2–3 | 22 – Franklin | 6 – Tied | 7 – K. Johnson | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| November 26, 2021* 2:30 pm | | vs. San Diego Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic | L 52–64 | 2–4 | 12 – Franklin | 7 – Franklin | 4 – K. Johnson | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| December 2, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Oakland | L 77–81 | 2–5 (0–1) | 24 – Griffin | 9 – Griffin | 7 – K. Johnson | Credit Union 1 Arena (1,724) Chicago, IL |
| December 5, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Detroit Mercy | L 56–64 | 2–6 (0–2) | 18 – Franklin | 14 – Franklin | 6 – K. Johnson | Credit Union 1 Arena (2,111) Chicago, IL |
| December 11, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Central Michigan | W 71–67 | 3–6 | 14 – K. Johnson | 7 – Diggins | 4 – K. Johnson | McGuirk Arena (1,334) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | DePaul | L 66–72 | 3–7 | 24 – Franklin | 12 – Franklin | 8 – Warren | Credit Union 1 Arena (2,789) Chicago, IL |
| December 19, 2021* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Northern Illinois | W 61-60 | 4-7 | 17 – Franklin | 8 – Griffin | 6 – K. Johnson | Credit Union 1 Arena (2,148) Chicago, IL |
| December 30, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Purdue Fort Wayne | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL |
| January 1, 2022 3:12 pm, ESPN+ | | Cleveland State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at UIC | Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL |
| January 6, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Wright State | L 72–90 | 4–8 (0–3) | 19 – K. Johnson | 6 – Skobaji | 3 – Tied | Nutter Center Dayton, OH |
| January 8, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northern Kentucky | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Northern Kentucky | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Northern Kentucky | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Northern Kentucky | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Northern Kentucky | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Northern Kentucky | BB&T Arena Highland Heights, KY |
| January 10, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at IUPUI | W 67–65 | 5–8 (1–3) | 17 – K. Johnson | 8 – Skobalj | 6 – K. Johnson | Indiana Farmers Coliseum (613) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 13, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Milwaukee | W 81–77 | 6–8 (2–3) | 28 – K. Johnson | 6 – Warren | 5 – Warren | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (1,790) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 15, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Green Bay | W 80–63 | 7–8 (3–3) | 19 – Franklin | 9 – Carter | 2 – Tied | Kress Events Center (1,721) Green Bay, WI |
| January 20, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Northern Kentucky | L 70–74 $^{OT}$ | 7–9 (3–4) | 17 – Franklin | 11 – Skobalj | 6 – Franklin | Credit Union 1 Arena (2,024) Chicago, IL |
| January 22, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Wright State | L 81–97 | 7–10 (3–5) | 25 – Franklin | 8 – Carter | 4 – Warren | Credit Union 1 Arena (1,819) Chicago, IL |
| January 27, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Detroit Mercy | L 67–80 | 7–11 (3–6) | 17 – Franklin | 5 – Tied | 7 – K. Johnson | Calihan Hall (1,795) Detroit, MI |
| January 29, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Oakland | L 74–81 | 7–12 (3–7) | 25 – Franklin | 7 – Diggins | 6 – Tied | Athletics Center O'rena (2,966) Auburn Hills, MI |
| February 3, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Robert Morris | W 80–75 | 8–12 (4–7) | 18 – K. Johnson | 8 – Franklin | 4 – Tied | Credit Union 1 Arena (1,725) Chicago, IL |
| February 5, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Youngstown State | L 64–66 | 8–13 (4–8) | 23 – Franklin | 6 – Tied | 5 – K. Johnson | Credit Union 1 Arena (2,314) Chicago, IL |
| February 10, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Cleveland State | W 76–75 | 9–13 (5–8) | 19 – Franklin | 10 – Diggins | 4 – Diggins | Wolstein Center (2,175) Cleveland, OH |
| February 12, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Purdue Fort Wayne | L 66–73 | 9–14 (5–9) | 17 – Franklin | 8 – Franklin | 6 – Johnson | Hilliard Gates Sports Center (1,370) Fort Wayne, IN |
| February 14, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | IUPUI | W 57–54 | 10–14 (6–9) | 12 – Carter | 6 – Carter | 5 – Warren | Credit Union 1 Arena (1,242) Chicago, IL |
| February 17, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Youngstown State | L 79–88 | 10–15 (6–10) | 23 – Franklin | 9 – Franklin | 8 – Warren | Beeghly Center (1,823) Youngstown, OH |
| February 19, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Robert Morris | W 96–88 $^{OT}$ | 11–15 (7–10) | 28 – Franklin | 10 – Griffin | 5 – Skobalj | UPMC Events Center (1,601) Moon, PA |
| February 24, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Green Bay | W 81–77 | 12–15 (8–10) | 21 – Griffin | 8 – Franklin | 5 – Johnson | Credit Union 1 Arena (3,257) Chicago, IL |
| February 26, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Milwaukee | W 71–58 | 13–15 (9–10) | 16 – Diggins | 10 – Carter | 5 – Johnson | Credit Union 1 Arena (3,165) Chicago, IL |
| Horizon League tournament |||||||||
| March 1, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | (8) | (9) Milwaukee First Round | W 80–69 | 14–15 | 21 – K. Johnson | 8 – Carter | 4 – Warren | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena Milwaukee, WI |
| March 3, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | (8) | at (2) Purdue Fort Wayne Quarterfinals | L 72–78 | 14–16 | 16 – Carter | 9 – Carter | 4 – Johnson | Hilliard Gates Sports Center (2,135) Fort Wayne, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time Zone. |||||||||
Source