CHICAGO – As attention turns to postseason play and the 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship this weekend, the conference announced its All-Horizon League teams and specialty award winners on Wednesday, March 1. Three UIC Flames are among those recognized by the League's head coaches, media members and sports information directors.


 
Tai Odiase has been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, and to the five-member All-Defensive Team for the second consecutive season. Tarkus Ferguson and Dominique Matthews are two of the five players on the All-Freshman Team. The Flames, one of the nation's youngest teams, are the only Horizon League program to place multiple selections on this year's All-Freshman squad.
 
Odiase is the first player in UIC history to win the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year award. He led the Horizon League and ranks among the nation's leaders in shot blocking for the second consecutive season. The Glenwood, Ill., native sent back 90 shots during the regular season, which ranks fourth in the NCAA as of Feb. 28. It also stands as the third-highest single-season output in program history behind Scott VanderMeer's 111 in 2006-07 and Odiase's own 97 a year ago.
 
The center averaged 2.9 blocks per game during the 2016-17 campaign, which ranks fifth in the nation as of Feb. 28. Odiase is one of four players in the country to block at least eight shots on at least two occasions this season. He first hit that mark (8) in the home opener against UTSA on Nov. 16, and again on Jan. 6 vs. Detroit Mercy. In UIC's 18 Horizon League games, Odiase's average jumped to 3.2 blocks per game; he blocked five-or-more shots six times during conference play alone.
 
In addition to blocking shots, Odiase played a pivotal role in clearing them off the glass for the Flames. He led UIC and tied for fifth in the Horizon League in defensive rebounds with 5.6 per game. He had six-or-more defensive boards six times, including on Feb. 19 at Oakland (10), when he finished the game with a career-high 14 rebounds.
 
Odiase joins Armond Williams and VanderMeer as the only Flames in program history to earn multiple nods to the conference's All-Defensive Team. Williams was recognized in back-to-back seasons from 2003-05, while VanderMeer is UIC's only three-time honoree from 2006-09.


 
The Flames received impactful contributions from five freshmen on the roster throughout the season and two of those players, Ferguson and Matthews, earned spots on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. It is the fourth time in program history that multiple players were named to an All-Newcomer team in the same season, but the first since the 2005-06 campaign when Othyus Jeffers and Josh Mayo were honored.
 
Ferguson contributed in a variety of different ways throughout the season. He led UIC in scoring and ranked second among the conference's freshmen during Horizon League play with 13.1 points per game, while also averaging 5.4 assists per game. That number led not only freshmen, but all conference players. He also averaged 5.9 rebounds per game in League play, leading all freshmen and ranking tied for 11^th overall. Ferguson recorded five double-doubles this season, all in Horizon League games, to lead all freshmen in the conference.
 
Ferguson, who started all 31 games, turned in multiple memorable performances throughout his first season of college basketball, but perhaps none more notable than his effort in a 105-100 win at Milwaukee on Feb. 4. The Belleville, Ill., native not only scored a career-high 25 points against the Panthers, but he also dished out a career-high 11 assists as he accounted for 30 more points by setting up his teammates. He was also named the Horizon League Co-Freshman of the Week on Feb. 26 after he averaged 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists during a span of three games in six days.
 
Matthews also came on strong during Horizon League play. He led the Flames in scoring through much of the conference slate, finishing only 12 points behind Ferguson through the 18 games. Matthews averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field with a team-best 34 three-pointers in League games.
 
The Chicago, native registered four performances of at least 20 points, helping the Flames to victory in three of those games. Matthews poured in 21 of UIC's 51 points off the bench in an overtime win at Youngstown State on Jan. 14. He later topped that effort on Feb. 2 at Green Bay when he netted 22, only to go off for 23 two days later in the win at Milwaukee.
 
In the team's next game, Feb. 9 vs. YSU, Matthews scored a career-high 28 points while shooting close to 65 percent from the field and over 71 percent from beyond the arc with a career-high five 3-pointers. He also matched a career high with seven rebounds against the Penguins. Matthews collected his first Horizon League Freshman of the Week honor on Feb. 13.
 
A list of the 2016-17 All-Horizon League Teams and specialty award winners can be found below:
 
Player of the Year: Alec Peters, Valparaiso
Defensive Player of the Year: Tai Odiase, UIC
Freshman of the Year: Corey Allen, Detroit Mercy
Sixth Man of the Year: Warren Jones, Green Bay
Coach of the Year: John Brannen, Northern Kentucky
 
All-Horizon League First Team
Mark Alstork, Wright State
Jalen Hayes, Oakland
Drew McDonald, Northern Kentucky
Cameron Morse, Youngstown State
Alec Peters, Valparaiso
 
All-Horizon League Second Team
Charles Cooper, Green Bay
Rob Edwards, Cleveland State
Shane Hammink, Valparaiso
Jaleel Hogan, Detroit Mercy
Martez Walker, Oakland
 
All-Defensive Team
Isaiah Brock, Oakland
Kenneth Lowe, Green Bay
Tai Odiase, UIC
Khalil Small, Green Bay
Tevonn Walker, Valparaiso
 
All-Freshman Team
Corey Allen, Detroit Mercy
Isaiah Brock, Oakland
Tarkus Ferguson, UIC
Dominique Matthews, UIC
Carson Williams, Northern Kentucky