THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK HOOPS… The Peacocks travel to Indiana and Illinois this weekend as they face Indianapolis on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Lewis on Saturday at 3 p.m. in two big road tests. Upper Iowa comes into this weekend 14-6 overall and 9-3 in the GLVC, one game out of first place behind UIndy who is 10-2 in the GLVC. 
 
FOLLOW ALONG…  There will be a pair of live options for those who are unable to make it to the road games this weekend. Both live stats and a webcast can be found through the links attached with this story. Fans can also refer to UIUPeacocks.com/Live for all links on each gameday. 
 
INSIDE THE SUCCESS… Upper Iowa has spent the season fine-tuning several components that have helped shape their identity. They are at the forefront of the GLVC in scoring with 88.3 points per game, good for 14^th in the nation. The Peacocks sit atop the list nationally in turnovers per game with an average of 7.8. 
 
Jake Hilmer continues to lead the league in points per game with 24, ranking him third in the country. Noah King sits third in the GLVC with his average of 17.7 per contest, while Nick Reid is third on the team with 13.8. The trio shoots a combined 88.1% from the charity stripe, with 238 makes. Kyle Hrncir leads the Peacocks in field goal percentage (61.3%), while Caleb Delzell and Christian Haffner pace the team in three-point percentage at 43%. Delzell has tallied 21 blocks and Reid has rejected 19, while Hilmer has dished out 88 assists and Reid hauls in 6.3 rebounds per contest. 
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS…The University of Indianapolis has hung out near the top of the conference season for the entire season, shifting in and out of first place. They managed to escape another loss last weekend as they edged out Missouri S&T 71-68 in OT. Their two conference losses this season have come from Lewis (82-81 OT) and William Jewell (73-71). The Greyhounds lead the league on the defensive end with the lowest average of points allowed per game with 64.1. They are also at the top of the list in opponent field goal percentage, limiting other teams to an average of 39.6% per game. 
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE FLYERS…In Upper Iowa's first go-around with Lewis, they defeated them in an 80-70 decision here in Fayette. The Peacocks emphasized the defensive side of the ball that evening as the 70 points they gave up was their second-lowest of the season and 13 points less than their average (83) allowed per game at that point in time. The two teams battled even in the first half, neither squad possessing more than a five-point lead. With 3:20 left to play in the opening period, the Peacocks were down 33-31 but strung together an 8-0 run to close the half, commanding a 37-33 advantage going into the break.
 
Nick Reid connected on two layups to open the second half, putting the Peacocks up by eight. The Flyers soon closed the gap as they pulled within two points and trailed 50-48. A momentum three-point basket from Christian Haffner kickstarted a 12-2 burst, giving Upper Iowa a 62-50 advantage with 7:30 remaining. UIU maintained their distance on the scoreboard as the Flyers could get any closer than a seven-point margin for the remainder of the contest.
 
A LOOK INTO POSTSEASON… The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) uses a Point Rating System (PRS) as the main qualifying procedure for its annual men's basketball tournament as those with the highest ratings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the postseason tournament.  The GLVC developed the PRS prior to the 2017-18 season, and it has been renewed annually by the league's men's and women's basketball head coaches.The PRS will be used to determine the top-eight teams that will advance to the 2024 GLVC Basketball Championship Tournaments, which will be held March 7-10, at Hyland Arena on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
 
For more information and the current standings, see the GLVC's release with the link attached to this story. The standings were last updated on Feb. 3. 
 
ON THE HORIZON… UIU men's basketball returns to Fayette the following weekend as they see Missouri S&T and Maryville for the first time this season. The Peacocks battle the Miners on Thursday, Feb. 15 and the Saints on Saturday, Feb. 17.