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Collins “pleased” for Bracket Buster opportunity

(2/04/03)

The Flames found out Sunday that they will host Bowling Green in the inaugural ESPN Bracket Buster on Feb. 22, and UIC coach Jimmy Collins had a positive reaction to the news.

“We are very pleased to get an opportunity to show to rest of the country that the Horizon League is the quality league that all us know and believe in,” Collins said in a Monday morning teleconference. “We have played Bowling Green in the past. [Coach] Dan [Dakich] does a great job with that team, so the challenge is there and we are certainly looking forward to it.

The game tips off at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2, following Wisconsin-Milwaukee-Southern Illinois.

NO SURPRISE: Detroit’s Willie Green, who set a UIC Pavilion-record with 43 points in an 80-73 victory over the Flames on Jan. 27, was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Monday.

UP NEXT: The Flames take to the floor Wednesday night to host Wright State for the second time in eight days. UIC beat Wright State 89-76 last week in Dayton when Cedrick Banks poured in 33 points. The Flames are seeking their first regular-season sweep of the Raiders since the 1997-98 season.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. with a radio broadcast on ESPN Radio 1000.

RANKINGS: UIC slipped to No. 12 in this week’s Mid-Major Top 25 poll (provided by CAAZone.com) after a 2-1 week. The Flames were ninth last week.

The Flames check in at No. 82 on the latest version of CBS SportsLine’s RPI ranking. UIC’s Bracket Buster opponent Bowling Green is No. 137, while the Flames’ next foe, Wright State, is No. 161.

In other recent news:
Flames get Bowling Green in Bracket Buster (2/03/03)
Flames get milestone win for Collins (2/01/03)
Banks, Bailey, Carr star as Flames bounce back (1/30/03)
Willie Green "Money" at the Pavilion (1/28/03)
Flames escape Penguins' igloo with narrow win (1/25/03)
Williams' monster game lifts Flames past Loyola (1/23/03)
The rivalry, the rematch comes to the Pavilion (1/21/03)
Flames get monumental road win at Detroit (1/18/03)
Flames "lucky" against Cleveland State (1/17/03)
Banks named Horizon League Player of the Week (1/13/03)
Farragut grad McGee set to be a Flame next season (1/12/03)
Collins' eruption spurs Flames past UWM (1/09/03)
Expect excitement from Flames, Panthers (1/08/03)
Williams named Horizon League Player of the Week (1/07/03)
Williams, Schneiderman efforts not enough for Flames against Butler (1/05/03)
Flames, Bulldogs prepare for Horizon war (1/03/03)