Game #14 - @ UIC Friday Dec 30, 4pm (CT)

VUOR63 · December 30, 2016, 05:54:38 PM

Not sure what's more awful. The yellow tights. Or Steve McClain's Eyes.

Smj · December 30, 2016, 06:02:31 PM

Okay - why was Lexus pulled with around 2:30 and never put back in?

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M · December 30, 2016, 06:11:53 PM

An ugly win works fine. Walker was fantastic in the 2nd half, Smits was real good in the first and Peters wound up with great numbers.

I'm biased, despite trying not to be, but did you find McClains antics entertaining or over the top or energizing for his team?

a3uge · December 30, 2016, 06:19:37 PM

I think Smits read some of our posts from the last game thread. He played with a lot of intensity... except with 2 minutes to go where he had a terrible box out and allowed an offensive rebound off a free throw miss. Other than that, he was pretty good.

NativeCheesehead · December 30, 2016, 06:39:33 PM

I feel bad for Derrick that we gave away his number to another big man, but whoever the new guy is could play a key role going forward.

crusadermoe · December 30, 2016, 06:46:52 PM

YES, the guy who put on the 21 jersey could help a lot. And Sorolla has that deadly hook so we may still get quality minutes at the 5.

All in all, we survived a cold shooting start and persevered. Also, Tai Odiase is a scary shot blocker and Alec got a free pair of FTs on one of his blocks.

valpotx · December 30, 2016, 07:29:26 PM

Never a good thing when you get ready to watch the game start at 7 pm, and you see that it already finished

. It would have been much worse if there was an L by the score, however.

Similar to what Vashil did, Odiase has made large strides in the last 2 seasons. He was not good at all when they played us during his FR year, but he held his own last season, as well as apparently in this game. Imagine if he would have chosen our offer, and how our team would be different than the current group we have.

wh · December 30, 2016, 10:00:03 PM

Quote from: M on December 30, 2016, 06:11:53 PM
An ugly win works fine. Walker was fantastic in the 2nd half, Smits was real good in the first and Peters wound up with great numbers.

I'm biased, despite trying not to be, but did you find McClains antics entertaining or over the top or energizing for his team?

I agree that it was an ugly win from an offensive standpoint, but our overall defensive performance was stellar. UIC's 59 point night was 10 points fewer than their previous low scoring game of the season, and 15 fewer than their previous low for a home game.

As to their coach, IMO he looked pretty silly prowling the sidelines. That said, if he can resurrect their program and help raise the profile of the HL, he can do cartwheels for all I care.

wh · December 30, 2016, 10:17:44 PM

Lest I forget, the UIC Pavilion is a great place to watch college basketball. Good atmosphere, roomy but not cavernous, nice scoreboard, excellent PA system, good pop music singer performing pre game and halftime, adjacent parking garage, and a stone's throw from 2 express ways. Oh, did I mention how good the concessions were?

VUBBFan · December 30, 2016, 10:22:58 PM

When Dixon comes back they will be a pretty good team. Last year I thought they had talent but did not play well together. Now it looks like they are playing more as a team and not as undisciplined individuals

FieldGoodie05 · December 30, 2016, 10:26:07 PM

Coach Hunter was good for the Mid-Con...personality is welcome!

hailcrusaders · December 30, 2016, 10:45:19 PM

Quote from: wh on December 30, 2016, 10:17:44 PMLest I forget, the UIC Pavilion is a great place to watch college basketball. Good atmosphere, roomy but not cavernous, nice scoreboard, excellent PA system, good pop music singer performing pre game and halftime, adjacent parking garage, and a stone's throw from 2 express ways. Oh, did I mention how good the concessions were?

I always enjoyed trips to the Pavillion. My only complaint is that the playing surface is just a little too big for a basketball court, so you feel a bit further from the action. Maybe it's the low angle that the bleachers are at. Nonetheless, UIC tends to sell pretty well for their record. I'm looking forward to seeing what the atmosphere is like when the on-court product improves.

oklahomamick · December 30, 2016, 11:56:54 PM

Sideline antics - kampe > hunter > McClain

vu72 · December 31, 2016, 09:44:13 AM

So I made it to the game and really enjoyed the Pavilion. A very good venue and probably the best in the Horizon.. Some smaller variation would be great for the ARC. I was impressed as were others with Derrik's play and Tevonn was lights out. Alec clearly had an "off" night with couple of air balls. Sti, with the final reults you can see how he is had and shouders better then the horizon typicl players.

After the game my group made it to a nearby Italian reataurant and had a great mal. More inteesting to me was the fact that at th nxt table Jabril had dinnr with a arge grou. My first reaction was "oh no", why would he be here rather then returning to camus with the team/ Kicked off? Then it occurrrd to me that the tam has a nice break in th chedule and h most likely was given permission to stay in Chicago as it is his home. Doesn't mak much sense to have him go baack to Valpo and then drive straight back to Chicago. Hopefully with school starting soon this issue cn b resolved.

historyman · December 31, 2016, 01:08:18 PM

Quote from: M on December 28, 2016, 11:53:14 PM
Valpo with a 72-58 win. I just can't see UIC keeping up offensively without Dixon.

Nice prediction. Few more free throws and you would have been right on. Anyone ever predicted one exactly?

historyman · December 31, 2016, 01:12:40 PM

I was so impressed by the total turnaround by Derrik and how he made a difference in this game. Great job, Mr Smits!

Alec is going to have off games. When Hammink has one too it really hurts. It was great to see Tavonn and the big men respond enough to pull out the win. The final push by Peters at the end had a great impact on the final score. This team has certainly shown some great versatility to pull out wins in many different circumstances.

Smj · December 31, 2016, 03:09:17 PM

Quote from: Smj on December 30, 2016, 06:02:31 PM
Okay - why was Lexus pulled with around 2:30 and never put back in?

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Comments On this?

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usc4valpo · December 31, 2016, 03:22:59 PM

Ron Hunter seems like he genuinely cares about his players too. great character.

RS · December 31, 2016, 05:08:42 PM

Jubril was probably at the game but I don't think he traveled with the team. Did not see him with the team on the bench and I would think because he is suspended from the team is not allowed to travel to away games. The Missouri Sate game was the exception because they had just traveled from Kentucky where he had played. Peters definetly had an off night shooting but other aspects of his game did not suffer. And as far as Coach Lottich and his substitutions I felt he went with the players that were most on their game that night and the switching of Smits and Sorolla kept them fresh against perhaps the best center in the Horizon league this year.

wh · December 31, 2016, 05:37:50 PM

Quote from: Smj on December 30, 2016, 06:02:31 PM
Okay - why was Lexus pulled with around 2:30 and never put back in?

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Actually, he was replaced by Max at the 3:34 mark. I don't recall anything going on right then that would have prompted Matt to pull him. That said, this was not one of Lexis' better games. Offensively, he was 0-6 from the field, 0-3 from 3 and 1-2 FT. Defensively, he struggled from time to time to fight through picks. He also was susceptible to getting walled off on screens, and at times was slow to get out on the shooter on kicks-outs off of penetration. Max had a basket and 2 FT's in that last 3:34, finished with 9 points, and was very physical. Of course, the fact that he's built like an NFL linebacker doesn't hurt any.

FieldGoodie05 · December 31, 2016, 05:46:59 PM

Coach Lottich said this was one of their most physical games of the year during the post game. Max has the physique to handle games like these, thankfully he has come to play this year.

Agreed, Lexus wasn't effective for this type of game. Good to have a few options depending on type of game. Coming into this season we weren't sure we even had (1) starting PG up to the task.

a3uge · December 31, 2016, 06:25:52 PM

Yeah, that game was a classic Horizon League bloodbath. As suspected, the new points of emphasis rules are getting thrown out the window now that conference play has started.

valporun · December 31, 2016, 08:32:54 PM

Quote from: hailcrusaders on December 30, 2016, 10:45:19 PM
Quote from: wh on December 30, 2016, 10:17:44 PMLest I forget, the UIC Pavilion is a great place to watch college basketball. Good atmosphere, roomy but not cavernous, nice scoreboard, excellent PA system, good pop music singer performing pre game and halftime, adjacent parking garage, and a stone's throw from 2 express ways. Oh, did I mention how good the concessions were?

I always enjoyed trips to the Pavillion. My only complaint is that the playing surface is just a little too big for a basketball court, so you feel a bit further from the action. Maybe it's the low angle that the bleachers are at. Nonetheless, UIC tends to sell pretty well for their record. I'm looking forward to seeing what the atmosphere is like when the on-court product improves.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s, the Pavillion also hosted UIC Flames hockey. In about 1992, UIC disbanded their hockey team, so the facility does seem huge for basketball purposes, but because of Flames hockey then, and that the Pavillion hoped to host a lot of Chicago area high school and youth hockey games, they never renovated the facility to be a basketball/concert facility.

VUBBFan · January 01, 2017, 02:09:40 AM

Quote from: RS on December 31, 2016, 05:08:42 PMJubril was probably at the game but I don't think he traveled with the team. Did not see him with the team on the bench and I would think because he is suspended from the team is not allowed to travel to away games

Jubril was at the game. He sat at the far end of the bench, a little to the side and was up with the team during time outs.

Smj · January 01, 2017, 12:52:00 PM

I was asking about Lexus because we have noticed in a couple games he gets pulled at the end and I was not sure if others thing he struggles.... I also question because I thing he does better at controlling the offense art the end and we have had a couple games where the end of the game we struggle and my wife realized that we have pulled our starting point. (Even have had Shane and Alec running the point at the end of a couple games - remember Shane's turnovers in a recent game)

Maybe Lexus was not showing but he controls the point better than Shane to end games)

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