Panthers are coming to town

PAVILION HOUSE OF HORRORS FOR UWM

(12/3/04)

Wisconsin-Milwaukee has been ultra-confident coming into the UIC Pavilion over the past few years.

Usually after 40 minutes or so of intense basketball, the Panthers have made the drive back North on I-94 with their tails between their legs.

The Panthers, despite their recent run of success, haven’t been able to win at UIC in six years.

The Flames have taken the last five meetings in Chicago, all in dramatic fashion. The last two meetings at the Pavilion have seen a head coach ejected. Three years ago, Martell Bailey banked home a 30-footer to bring UIC back from a late nine-point deficit. Four years ago, the Flames outlasted the Panthers, 112-106, in four overtimes, as Jon-Pierre Mitchom scored a career-best 33 points.

UWM has even more incentive this season after UIC stunned the Panthers 65-62 in March’s Horizon League championship at U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee.

On top of all that, there is, of course, the bad blood between the head coaches of the two teams.

The Panthers enter this special pre-Christmas Horizon League opener with UIC at 4-0. UWM has blown out three of its four foes—its average of margin victory is nearly 35 points, but all four games have been at “the Cell.”

UIC is 2-2 after a hard-fought road 60-56 victory at Illinois State on Tuesday. The Flames are starting to discover some new stars, like forwards Justin Bowen and Jovan Stefanov, who were role players on last year’s NCAA tournament team, and freshman guard Karl White, who has burst on the scene, averaging 8.0 points per game.

With Dylan Page gone and a few new athletic faces on the team, UWM has cranked up the press again. When it’s right, the Panthers’ press can turn a close game into a blowout in just minutes.

The Flames have had mixed success with the press over the past couple of seasons. UWM took out UIC 78-62 at the Cell last December, hassling the Flames into turnovers. UIC did better in the last two meetings, maintaining its poise at crucial moments and hanging on for wins.

Georgia Tech used the press against the Flames a few times, and while it wasn’t as intense as UWM’s, UIC was able to handle fairly well.

All in all, figure Marcetteaus McGee and White to face serious tests at the point. Stefanov’s size may also be a key to help break the press.

ANALYSIS: Arguably the two best players in the Horizon League will face off in this game: UWM’s Ed McCants and Horizon League Player of the Year Cedrick Banks, the Flames’ leading scorer.

Banks (pictured) is a wizard without the ball, running until he finds an open space. His scoring has been down since the Georgia Tech game, but he usually gets warm in time for the Panthers.

McCants just might be the conference’s best all-around player with his scoring, shooting and defensive capabilities.

The game could come down to the role players, of which both teams have a good amount.

Elliott Poole scored 10 key points, including the game-winning basket against the Panthers in last year’s Horizon League championship. Poole is beginning to display the offensive talent that the major schools liked when they were recruiting him in high school.

The team’s point guards are improving as the season moves on. McGee, who started 0-for-17 from the field, has found his confidence, making 7 of his last 13 attempts—and he’s done it, while driving to the basket. His assist totals are also on the rise, and he’s been the team’s best free-throw shooter. White, whose first NCAA basket was three-pointer after a killer crossover on Georgia Tech’s Jarrett Jack, is also starting to get a feel for the college game, whether he’s driving or shooting from the outside.

Bowen and Stefanov have also shown improvement in their offensive games.

The Panthers are getting strong play from their forwards. Adrian Tigert has been a monster, averaging 11.8 points (on 78 percent from the field) and 7.8 rebounds, while athletic Joah Tucker, who has a similar game to Armond Williams, averages 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. Center Derrick Ford is a solid addition and adds beef to the front line, but he must stay out of foul trouble to be effective.

UWM’s Chicago connection at the guard spot has also been a key. Newcomer Ronald “Boo” Davis combines athleticism with three-point shooting. He was a teammate of Bowen at Marshall High School. Chris Hill, who graduated from Young High, is Milwaukee’s sixth man, has a steady hand and possesses a solid intermediate game.

One of the keys to the game could be the turnover battle. The Flames’ magic number is 12 turnovers. Generally when UIC coach Jimmy Collins sees that number or fewer, the Flames win. If the press affects the Flames’ young point guards, then it could be a long night.