DES MOINES, Iowa — The Drake University men's basketball team returns home Saturday  afternoon to play its fifth game in eight days when it hosts visiting UIC. Tipoff against the Flames is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the contest being broadcast via The Valley on ESPN3.

Drake takes to its home floor with a 3-3 record after going 2-1 at the Gulf Coast Showcase earlier in the week with wins over WKU and Pepperdine. The Bulldogs' lone loss came to eventual tournament champion Weber State.

In the team's 69-53 win over Pepperdine in the Gulf Coast Showcase third-place game, the Bulldogs' defense held the Waves to 38.5 percent shooting, 26.9 percent in the second half, and held a 10-rebound advantage.

In the Bulldogs' first game at the Gulf Coast Showcase, Kale Abrahamson scored a career-high 41 points to tie for the seventh-most in a game in school history. That was the highest output by a Bulldog since the last time Drake and UIC met and Richard Carter scored a career-high 38 points to defeat the Flames, 61-59, in Chicago. That win came in Ray Giacoletti's first game as Drake's head coach.

UIC, under first-year head coach Steve McClain, is 1-2 on the young season. The Flames have a win over Roosevelt and losses to San Francisco and Western Illinois to their credit. Leading scorer Tai Odiase is leading the team with 15.0 points per game.

Following Saturday's contest, the Bulldogs will have a week off before taking to the road to face Bowling Green on Dec. 5.