Saturday, December 17, 2016 7:00 p.m.
UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Ill.
Six minutes into their game against DePaul on Wednesday, UIC lost their leading scorer and best player to a tweak of his left knee. It looks like it might be pretty serious, probably requiring a few missed starts (including against Loyola on Saturday). Yet somehow, UIC managed to come back from an eight-point halftime deficit and get their first road win since Feb. 25, 2015. It’s a testament to the turnaround and level of young talent put together by second year head coach Steve McClain.
UIC’s injured player is Dikembe Dixson, and he’s pretty much a stud. The 6’7” sophomore forward from strife-steeped Matewan, W.Va. plays with a lot of determination, and felt so bad about having to miss the majority of the game Wednesday against DePaul he was wiping tears as he sat icing his knee during the second half. Dixson had never missed a game in his 1 1/3 season college career. In fact, he’s never played fewer than 25 minutes in any game since his first college game, when he played 23 minutes. He’s only fouled out once– in the final minute of a game where he’d played every second until his 5th foul. In other words, he’s a gamer who wants the ball.
Going into that game against DePaul, Dixson was certainly the focal point of the game plan. He was working on a streak of 28 consecutive games in double figures, averaging 22.2 points, and on pace to finish his sophomore season with nearly 1300 career points. He led the Flames in rebounding (6.7 rpg) and steals, and was the largest part of an offense that entered the game leading college basketball in free throw attempts. Yet despite not having his gaudy numbers, tenacity, and desire to take the ball, the Flames eked out an upset against a Big East team on the road. Go figure.
Without Dixson, UIC’s top player is 6’9” junior forward/center Tai Odiase, a shot-blocker and inside scorer who averages 11.0 ppg to go with 5.8 rebounds. He’s brought his field goal percentage up to nearly 60% by taking fewer but better shots this season, and he’s reduced his turnovers. Free throw attempts and free throw shooting is a bright spot for UIC—they’re in the top 20 nationally in free throw attempts and have scored 58 more points from the line than their opponents. Odiase is their only real liability from the line, where he shoots just 50%. Yet he clinched the win at DePaul with two late freebies.
Without Dixson in the lineup, the Flames will likely start 6’8” juco forward/center Kyle Guice, who played 20 minutes (twice his average) and scored 14 points against DePaul. Guice is not much of a defender and takes quite a lot of shots from the perimeter, where he’s a 50% three point shooter.
Three freshman guards have been mixed and matched for two starting guard spots for the Flames. Marcus Ottey is a 6’2” Canadian who started six games and averages 11.7 points—he’s been coming off the bench the past few games, but he has played a lot of minutes. He grabbed six crucial rebounds and scored 11 against DePaul. Six-foot-four Tarkus Ferguson has started all the Flames’ games; he scores 8.5 per game and adds 3.4 boards. And 5’11” three-point specialist Godwin Boahen just cracked the starting lineup two games ago against Grand Canyon. Boahen averages 8.0 ppg with almost all his shots coming from behind the arc. He handles the ball and passes with accuracy. All three of UIC’s freshmen guards are very good free throw shooters– the worst of them shoots 69%.
The final spot in the starting five will likely either go to 6’8” forward/center Clint Robinson or redshirt 6’2” freshman guard Dominique Matthews. Robinson had a fantastic game against DePaul, and averages 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds. Matthews averages 5.9 points, and has some wingspan to go with speed. Six-five sophomore guard Michael Kolawole also gets considerable time off the bench, chipping in 3.8 ppg, and he hit some key baskets against DePaul.
UIC is one of the youngest teams in the nation, without a single scholarship senior, which makes their win at DePaul on Wednesday all the more impressive. They have a lot of young and exuberant talent that sometimes has trouble maintaining focus, leading to a lot of turnovers. They like to run, they like to drive the lane, and they have surprising depth—10 players scored and eight players put in double digit minutes against DePaul despite Dixson’s injury. But here’s another theory—maybe Dixson’s offensive and defensive dominance was in a way discouraging others from playing needed roles. Perhaps UIC is actually better with Dixson as a lesser focal point.
The Ramblers are playing well even without the services of two important frontcourt players, Donte Ingram (MCL) and Matt Chastain (season-ending ACL). Loyola’s makeshift starting lineup of Milton Doyle, Clayton Custer, Ben Richardson, Aundre Jackson and Bruno Skokna is 2-0, with convincing double-digit wins over Wright State and Milwaukee. The Ramblers have embraced the adversity and played with a lot of focus and intensity since Chastain was lost for the season, and especially since Ingram was sidelined. The injuries to both teams, the history between the programs, and the intra-city rivalry between the schools will all likely play a big role, again, as Loyola and UIC meet for the 54th time.
LINKS
UIC game notes: Pending
TV/streaming video: ESPN 3
Vegas odds: Pending
