Postseason basketball returns for the Prairie Stars! Friday night brings a rivalry flavor to the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament. 

The third-seeded Prairie Stars will face sixth-seeded McKendree at 7:45 p.m. in St. Louis, renewing one of the program's longest-running rivalries. The winner advances to the GLVC semifinals on Saturday night.

For UIS, it's a return to the postseason stage inside the GLVC championship environment and another chance to chase an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.

Familiar Foes, High Stakes
The Prairie Stars and Bearcats have met 26 times since joining Division II play and 37 times overall dating back to their former NAIA history. The teams split this year's regular-season series.

UIS captured a 63-58 home victory early in the year behind balanced scoring and perimeter shooting. In that matchup, the Prairie Stars shot 40 percent from three-point range and received 16 points from Britton Dutton off the bench to help stabilize the offense.

The Bearcats answered later in the season, edging UIS 77-69 in a game that helped shift conference momentum and knocked the Prairie Stars from a share of the league lead.

Illinois Springfield (17-11, 13-7 GLVC)
This Prairie Stars squad is built to score in multiple ways. UIS ranks among the GLVC's most efficient perimeter offenses, leading the league in team three-point percentage at 37.7 percent while averaging 78.4 points per game.

The offensive production has been balanced across positions. Jordan Rice leads the team at 16.6 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and distributing 5.3 assists per contest. Isaiah Davis adds 12.4 points per game and is shooting 41.2 percent from three-point range, averaging 3.4 made three-pointers per game.

Tye Banks is converting 52.0 percent of his field goal attempts while averaging 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Britton Dutton contributes 10.3 points per game and is shooting 48.1 percent overall, including 43.4 percent from beyond the arc, giving UIS efficiency both in the paint and from the perimeter.

Depth Defines the Prairie Stars
The new-look roster features a mix of experienced returners and winning-program transfers and freshmen ready for the tournament challenge. 

Isaiah Davis has emerged as one of the conference's most dangerous shooters, ranking near the top of the GLVC in three-point attempts and connecting at more than 41 percent from beyond the arc.

Banks continues to provide high-efficiency scoring inside and out, shooting 52 percent from the field while averaging 11.0 points per game.

Alex Stell gives UIS a physical presence on both ends of the floor. Stell leads the team in rebounding at 8.6 boards per game, including strong offensive rebounding production that ranks among the best in the region.

The Prairie Stars also feature one of the conference's deeper rotation groups, with Donaven Younger, Adidas Davis, and others providing minutes that keep the tempo consistent across possessions.

Jordan Rice Leads the Engine
Fifth-year guard Jordan Rice is the Prairie Stars' most experienced postseason performer. Rice has GLVC tournament quarterfinal experience from both his sophomore and junior seasons and returns as the team's primary facilitator and scoring threat.

This season, he has been one of the conference's most productive all-around guards. Rice is averaging 16.6 points per game while adding 5.3 assists per contest and shooting 41.4 percent from the field. He has dished 147 assists — ranking among national leaders — and is one of only two current UIS players with 1,000 career points, joining Springfield native Tye Banks.

Rice averages 5.3 assists per game and has helped UIS rank 14th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5), reflecting the Prairie Stars' emphasis on ball movement and possession control.

RV McKendree (21-7, 14-6 GLVC)
McKendree enters as one of the league's strongest defensive teams. The Bearcats allowed just 63.6 points per game this season — the best defensive average in the GLVC — while pairing that discipline with efficient shooting execution.

McKendree finished 21-7 overall and is receiving votes in the national poll after allowing just 63.6 points per game, the best defensive mark in the GLVC. UIS, which averages 78.4 points per game and leads the league in three-point percentage (37.7%), will look to create separation with its perimeter efficiency.

Tournament Info
The GLVC championship tournament, hosted inside the Mark Twain Building in St. Louis, runs March 5-8.

Quarterfinal games are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, with the Prairie Stars and McKendree playing in Friday's 7:45 p.m. session. Semifinal games will be held Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., and the championship game is set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The tournament champion earns the GLVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.

Tickets may be purchased in advance online through the GLVC's official ticketing link. Arena doors will open one hour prior to the start of each session.

Fans may park in lots off Florissant Road or in designated parking areas along Mark Twain Drive and West Drive.