Missouri Valley Update: UIC handles Robert Morris, UNC Greensboro

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 18: Rashund Washington Jr. #5 of the UIC Flames dunks against Milos Ilic #8 of the California Golden Bears in the second half during the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at Haas Pavilion on March 18, 2026 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) | Getty Images It wasn’t too long ago that UIC had just finished up its’ second straight (and final) losing season in the Horizon League. The move to the Missouri Valley Conference was going to be a massive challenge for a program that was behind its’ peers in terms of investment on many levels. After a year in the Missouri Valley, UIC hired Rob Ehsan, and things have changed since then. The Flames have taken care of business to start the season.On Friday, UIC played its first Division-I opponent of the season with Andy Toole’s Robert Morris squad coming to town. The Colonials have finished top two in the Horizon League each of the last two seasons with an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025. In what should have been a tough test for Chicago’s College Team, UIC passed with flying colors.The Flames started slow from 3-point range and from the free-throw line but outscored Robert Morris by 25 in the second half to win the game 79-56. They held the Colonials to just .75 points per possession in the second half and scored over 1.3 points per possession themselves. Rashund Washington Jr. had a fantastic night with 19 points and 12 rebounds, but he also delivered the highlight of the night with a tip dunk that made it to SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. Ahmad Henderson II added 16 points in the impressive win.👀 Rashund Washington Jr.'s monster slam last night made No. 8 on #SCTop10#ChicagosCollegeTeampic.twitter.com/2QEyis7Pfm— UIC Men's Basketball 🔥🏀 (@UIC_MBB) November 7, 2026Then came Monday night, where Ehsan faced an old friend. The UIC head coach had worked under UNC Greensboro head coach Jerod Haase at both UAB and Stanford and now the two squared off in Haase’s third game at UNCG. Once again it was a good start for the Flames’ opponent, but this time it was due to some burning hot shooting from the Spartans. UNCG hit its first five threes of the game and led by double digits for much of the first half, but as we found out on Friday night, the Flames are resilient.UIC battled back to take a halftime lead behind a balanced scoring attack. Once they took the lead into the break, they never looked back. The Flames led by as many as 20 in the second half and closed out their third straight win to start the season by a score of 82-72. Gabe Cupps made excellent decisions all night long, finishing with 14 points, four assists and two steals. Washington Jr. was the leading scorer once again, and through three games, he is living up to the hype as one of the best players in the Missouri Valley this season.View LinkThe performances that the Flames have strung together to start the season are impressive on their own, but they become even more noteworthy when you factor in that Andy Johnson isn’t even playing for them right now. Johnson was one of the best freshmen in the MVC last season and could be in for a major breakout when he returns. When Johnson gets back, we could see UIC reach another level.Other results from around the MVCEvansville took down crosstown rival Southern Indiana in an overtime thriller on Saturday night. Bryce Quinet, AJ Casey and Max Langenfeld combined for 56 of the Purple Aces’ 78 points. Evansville also battled with a Middle Tennessee State team on Tuesday night that should compete in CUSA.Kyle Green picked up his first win over a Division-I opponent as the head coach at Northern Iowa as the Panthers took care of a solid Green Bay squad who had played well so far this season.Indiana State spoiled Chris Capko’s home debut at Ball State on Friday night with a 69-66 win. Karmani Gregory looks to be a very real All-League candidate for the Sycamores and has now scored 29 and 20 in his first two games.Belmont took a tough rivalry loss to Lipscomb. The Bison are a solid team, but the Bruins’ defense was not particularly inspiring on Tuesday night.