|
Horizon play opens with mirror images FLAMES, PANTHERS HAVE ENDURED SIMILAR STARTS December 5, 2007
Want an idea of how the teams shape up? Well, look in the mirror. Both teams came into the contest with a 3-4 record. Both teams have lost four of their last five. Both teams started the season 2-0 with an impressive win and a victory over a non-Division-I program. Finally, both squads lost their last games by huge margins to intrastate rivals. So it appears both clubs are reeling, which begs the question, what will give when the Flames and the Panthers hit the UIC Pavilion floor? UIC was blitzed in the second half of a 73-47 loss at Illinois State on Saturday after the game was tied at 29-29 at halftime. A day before, Milwaukee crossed the street to play Marquette at the Bradley Center and were whipped 100-65 by the Golden Eagles. The beginning of the Horizon League season could be a fresh start for the Flames as they open conference with consecutive home games. So far, UIC is 2-0 at home, but they haven’t played at the Pavilion since an 81-55 win over Illinois-Springfield on Nov. 13. Junior guard Josh Mayo leads the Flames at 15.6 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, though Mayo has cooled off since his 34-point outburst against Bradley in the season opener. Seven-foot junior center Scott VanderMeer could give the Panthers some fits on the inside with his defensive presence. After blocking 111 shots last season, VanderMeer already has 26 rejections in seven contests for an average of 3.7 per game. He has also become more of an offensive force, averaging 10.6 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game. A wildcard for the Flames could be senior forward Robert Bush, who has seen only limited minutes in his first two games back from a left knee injury. Bush has the potential to be a double-digit scorer and can stretch the defense with his mid-range and perimeter game. Milwaukee has several quality players but is still trying to find good fit with its rotation. Seniors Torre Johnson, Paige Paulsen and Allan Hanson have started all seven Panther games this season. Johnson, expected by many to contend for Newcomer of the Year honors after transferring from Oklahoma State, is averaging 17.0 points and 8.6 rebounds. Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward could give the Flames with his quickness and athleticism.
Hanson is a steady point guard, averaging 2.9 points and 2.9 assists per contest. Milwaukee faithful had high expectations in junior guard Ricky Franklin, and he is showing flashes of brilliance at times. Franklin averages 8.2 points per game and hits at a 42 percent clip from three-point range. Two Chicago products also grace the Panthers’ roster in former Simeon High School teammates Tim Flowers and Kevin Johnson. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Flowers has enjoyed more success in the early going, averaging 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Johnson, a sleek 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward, averages 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds off the bench. UIC will look to get the ball inside either by passing it to VanderMeer or trying to penetrate against Milwaukee’s man-to-man defense. If the Flames’ guards can have some success driving to the basket, the perimeter will open up. Defensively, the Flames must contain Milwaukee’s shooters, including Paulsen and Franklin from beyond the arc. FLAMES FLICKERS: UIC has three of the last four meetings with Milwaukee, including the last two at the UIC Pavilion. The Flames defeated the Panthers 83-77 in a hotly-contested Horizon League tournament game at the Pavilion on Feb. 27. … Flames coach Jimmy Collins is 3-2 in head-to-head matchups with Milwaukee’s Rob Jeter. Collins is 13-13 against the Panthers in his career with a 3-1 mark in Horizon League tournament play. … Flowers and Johnson played at the Pavilion last season as seniors at Simeon as part of the Wolverines’ victory over national powerhouse Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, a game that was nationally televised. … The game tips off at 7 p.m. and it will be UIC’s debut telecast on Lakeshore Public TV (available on most cable and satellite providers). The game will also be broadcast on WIND-AM 560 with Flames’ play-by-play man Adam Levinson and color man Kenny Williams on the call. … UIC signee Zavion Neely of Hope scored 25 points in back-to-back games against Crane and King last weekend. The 6-foot guard also corralled seven rebounds in the King game.
Former Flames guard T.J. Gray is averaging a team-best 17.8 points per game for Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. He is hitting at 58 percent clip from three-point range for the 3-3 Cougars. Gray had a season-high 26 points and eight three-pointers in a win over Robert Morris-Springfield on Nov. 20. Othyus Jeffers, who left UIC over the summer, is leading NAIA power Robert Morris of Chicago. The Eagles are 9-1 as Jeffers tops the team at 18.7 points per game on 59 percent shooting. He is also averaging 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 steals per contest. Jeffers had a monster game of 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in an 88-84 overtime win at Illinois-Springfield on Tuesday night. |
|||||||||
