Basketball News has Flames #38 nationally

(9/29/03)

As the college basketball preseason preview magazines start to flood the newsstands, the UIC Flames are getting even more recognition.

After Athlon’s preview picked the Flames to win the Horizon League and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament, four more magazines have been released. Three of the four have UIC winning the Horizon League and advancing to the “Big Dance.”

Basketball News had the best reviews of Flames and guard Cedrick Banks (pictured). BN picked the Flames first in the Horizon and ranked them No. 38 in the country just behind Lou Henson’s New Mexico State squad and just ahead of UCLA.

Banks was named the league’s top player and point guard Martell Bailey was named to All-Horizon Second-Team. BN’s order of finish was: UIC, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (which was rated No. 64 nationally), Butler, Detroit, Loyola, Wright State, Youngstown State, Cleveland State, and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

BN projects UIC to be a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament and pairs them up with Xavier in the first round, while UWM got a No. 16 seed and date with top-ranked Connecticut. The magazine also hails the Flames as one of six potential Cinderellas in the NCAA tournament.

Sporting News’ preview magazine also picked the Flames to win the conference title, while giving Banks props as the Horizon’s top player, saying that “he’s NBA material because of the quick release of his jump shot and his relentless quest to get open without the ball.”

Sporting News also names Bailey to the All-Horizon Second Team and also says that Flames could be Chicago’s best team.

The Sporting News’ order of finish was as follows: UIC, Butler, Detroit, Loyola, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Youngstown State, Wright State and Cleveland State.

Lindy’s Preview also had UIC winning the Horizon League with Banks, again getting top player honors. Bailey was also All-Horizon First Team, while getting named as the conference’s top playmaker. Forward Armond Williams was named All-Horizon Second Team.

Lindy’s order of finish was: UIC, Detroit, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Butler, Loyola, Wright State, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Cleveland State, and Youngstown State.

The only magazine not to select UIC No. 1 was Street & Smith’s College Basketball National Preview. The Flames were picked to finish second in the Horizon League, while senior guard Cedrick Banks was picked to be on the All-Horizon team and the league’s top player.

The article written by Joe Maxse, the Cleveland State beat writer from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, projects the conference’s finish to be: Butler, UIC, Detroit, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Loyola, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Cleveland State, Wright State and Youngstown State.

Maxse says the Flames have everything place for a season-long run at Butler, and that the team “won’t be creeping up” on anyone as compared to the UIC team that won the 2002 Horizon League tournament championship.