UIC vs Northern Kentucky Recap

What Happened

UIC lost to Northern Kentucky 79-72 Friday night at the UIC Pavilion. The Flames entered the game just one game behind Northern Kentucky for first place. Tai Odiase led UIC (17-13,12-5) with 14 points, while also adding nine rebounds and three blocks. Godwin Boahen, Dikembe Dixson, Tarkus Ferguson and Marcus Ottey all scored in double-figures as well.

UIC struggled offensively in the first half, only accumulating 26 points on 32% shooting from the field. Dixson led the Flames nine points. UIC and Jordan Blount did do a good job of defending Drew McDonald, who came into the game averaging 17.1 points per game. McDonald only scored two points in 12 first-half minutes as foul trouble plagued him.

Northern Kentucky, on the other hand, had every player who entered the game score. Levon’s Holland II led all scorer’s with 12 points. Carson Williams added nine points. NKU had nine offensive rebounds, which led to eight second chance points. UIC only had three offensive rebounds and did not get a second chance point.

UIC got off to a fast start in the second half and eventually tied Northern Kentucky at 61 after an Ottey layup with 5:48 left in the game. But Northern Kentucky, Lavonne Holland II in particular, sealed the deal late in the game. Holland II led Northern Kentucky with 25 points.

Key Sequence
McDonald made a crucial three to give Northern Kentucky a 64-61 lead with 5:31 left in the game. Odiase missed an alley-oop on the next possession and then had the ball stolen. Jordan Garnett then made a three give Northern Kentucky a 67-61 lead with 4:36 left. UIC never got closer than that deficit.

What It Means
UIC is no longer in contention for the regular-season title. But the Flames can finish no lower than third place.

What’s Next
Wright State comes to the UIC Pavilion on Sunday evening. Wright State lost to IUPUI today and are currently in second place in the Horizon League.

Horizon League Notebook

Wildcard of the Horizon League
After Saturday night’s upset over UIC on the road, Cleveland State has now defeated the Flames and Wright State this month. The Vikings are currently in 9th place in the Horizon League with a 4-10 record, and are 7-20 overall. Despite the bad record, first-year head coach Dennis Felton has opposing Horizon League teams dreading matching up with Cleveland State.

Felton’s development of senior wing Kenny Carpenter has been impressive. Carpenter only averaged 5.4 points per game last season while shooting 35% from the field and 19% from three. This year, he’s the teams leading-scorer at 12.7 points while shooting 47% from the field and 35% from three. Carpenter only attempted 46 three’s last season, he’s already made 43 through 26 games. Tyree Appleby has been a standout freshman performer, putting up 11.7 points, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals. He should make the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.

Dark Horse Pick to Make a Run at Motor City Madness
Another first-year head coach has impressed and has his team looking like a tough matchup in the Horizon League Tournament. Pat Baldwin and Milwaukee currently sit at 14-14 and are 7-8 in conference play. Milwaukee had big non-conference victories over Iowa State and Loyola, and have completed a regular-season sweep over Wright State.

Redshirt junior Brock Stull has continued his stat-sheet stuffing ways, but junior guard Jeremiah Bell and sophomore big man Bryce Nze have been revelations. Bell has nearly doubled his scoring output from last year (7.1 ppg in 2016-2017, 13.7 ppg this year) thanks to his effectiveness beyond the arc (61 3-pointers at 39%). He’s playing even better in conference play: 15.6 ppg, 2.5 3pg at 42%. Nze is load inside and a nightly double-double threat at 10.1 ppg and 7.8 rpg. He had a three-game stretch in conference play where he averaged 18.3 ppg and 11.0 rpg. The trio of Bell, Nze and Stull make Milwaukee an intriguing team to monitor at Motor City Madness.

Trio of Wright State Freshman Make for a Solid Foundation
Loudon Love is the runaway favorite to win the Horizon League Freshman of the Year thanks to his 12.4 ppg and 9.9 rpg. What makes this even more impressive is before playing this year as a redshirt freshman, Love last played actual games as a junior in high school during the 2014-2015. Love was injured his senior year (2015-2016) and redshirted last season (2016-2017).

Head Coach Scott Nagy has also received solid contributions from redshirt freshman Everett Winchester. He is averaging 7.4 ppg off the bench as an effective face-up four man off the bench.

But Jaylon Hall has really stood out as a true freshman. When Justin Mitchell left the team last month, Hall seized the opportunity on the wing and has flourished. He is averaging 10.0 ppg and 3.1 rpg in conference play, making him a viable candidate for Sixth Man of the Year in the Horizon League. His shooting percentages are low, but Hall is clearly confident and aggressive which leads to double-digit scoring outputs.

UIC Reserve Guard Shooting Lights Out
Godwin Boahen is shooting the long ball at an incredibly efficient rate during conference play. He’s averaging 10.1 ppg off the bench, while shooting 61% from three. He’s making 2.1 three’s out of 3.4 attempts. This makes Boahen the front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year if he can finish off the season strong.

Recruiting Notes

Recent Commitments

Silas Adheke committed to Northern Kentucky on on February 4th. He’s a redshirt freshman at Eastern Florida State, averaging 7.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg and shooting 52% from three. Adheke, a Chattanooga native listed at 6-foot-9 and 237 pounds, redshirted at Evansville during the 2016-2017 season. He then transferred to Eastern Florida State.

Dibaji Walker committed to Cleveland State on February 6th. Walker is taking a post-grad year at Woodstock Academy in Connecticut after graduating from Independence High School in Columbus, OH in 2016-2017. He is listed as a 6-foot-6 lefty wing who didn’t have any DI offers coming out of Independence, but drew several DI offers at Woodstock according to Verbal Commits.

New Offers Out

Oakland offered 2018 guard Kenny Pittman from Simeon in Chicago, IL. Pittman is a standout 3-point shooter playing for the best high school team in Illinois. He also holds offers from Chicago State and UT Martin. Oakland also offered 2019 guard Emmanuel Newsome from Cooper City, FL. The offer is Newsome’s first DI offer according to Verbal Commits.

UIC Basketball has Arrived, Again

(Chicago Sun-Times)

When the final horn sounded at the Athletics Center O’Rena on Friday evening, UIC basketball officially arrived, again, after a 14 year hiatus. The Flames went into hostile territory and defeated an Oakland team that has finished at least third in the Horizon League the past three years.

This accomplishment- a road victory over a perennial Horizon League favorite- was only a pipe dream the previous decade. But now? A reachable goal within arm’s grasp. And by winning and limiting standout Kendrick Nunn- a Chicago native who is the second-leading scorer in the country- to an abysmal 3-of-22 shooting from the field, UIC firmly cemented itself as threat to win the Horizon League now and for the foreseeable future.

How did UIC pull off the victory, and why are they so successful in Horizon League play now after years of mediocrity? The answer is head coach Steve McClain.

McClain has methodically built UIC into a strong mid-major program, and it started right away in his tenure. Here’s a timeline leading up to UIC’s defeat of Oakland on February 2nd:

-UIC formally introduced McClain as its 11th head coach in program history on March 23rd, 2015.

-In an age where it is common for players to transfer after coaching changes, rising sophomore Tai Odiase elects to stay put at UIC. This is McClain’s first major recruiting victory.

-McClain hits the ground running and lands four newcomers in the 2015 class, most notably Dikembe Dixson and Dominique Matthews. UIC beat out high-majors for a commitment from Dixson in June, including DePaul. Considering how late in the recruiting cycle McClain was hired, these two players prove to be great pickups for UIC.

-On October 3rd, 2015, McClain lands a verbal commitment from his point guard of the future in Tarkus Ferguson from Belleville, IL. Regarded as a combo guard and ranked in the top dozen in the class of 2016 in Illinois, Ferguson is an impressive coup for UIC considering McClain had not won or lost a game yet. He is a three-star recruit.

-Nearly a month later on November 5th, 2015, McClain adds to the 2016 class with the verbal commitment of Ireland-native Jordan Blount. He is regarded as a 6-foot-7 forward with a nice skill set on the perimeter.

-Several days later, McClain signs three-star recruit K.J. Santos from Sunrise Christian Academy, adding to his already impressive 2016 class. Originally from Geneva, IL and the 2015 class, Santos reclassified to the 2016 class and went the prep school route. Santos fits a similar mold to Blount, a 6-foot-7 forward comfortable on the perimeter.

-Despite a 5-22 record, UIC lands yet another verbal commitment in the 2016 class, this time from junior college big man Kyle Guice on February 22nd, 2016. Guice helped lead North Idaho College to a 30-0 record up to that point and thrived as a stretch-four at 6-foot-7.

-Year one only yields a 5-25 record, with only three wins against Division I opponents. UIC finishes in last place in the Horizon League at 3-15. The lone bright spots are Dixson unanimously winning Horizon League Freshman of the Year and Odiase making the Horizon League All-Defensive Team. Dixson averaged a team-leading 19.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in his debut. Odiase not only led the Horizon League in blocks per game with 3.2, but the entire country as well.

-McClain continues hitting the recruiting trail, landing three-star recruit Godwin Boahen on March 18th, 2016. Boahen is a 5-foot-11 point guard from The Hill Academy in Toronto, Canada.

-UIC once again beats out high-majors for a prized recruit on April 10th, 2016, this time 2016 combo guard Marcus Ottey who is also from the Toronto-area. Ottey officially visited Cincinnati but opted for UIC. He is also a three-star recruit.

-The Flames make one last addition to the 2016 class with the addition of junior college big man Clint Robinson on June 20th, 2016. Robinson, a 6-foot-8 big man from State Fair Community College, adds depth to UIC’s frontcourt. He is the finishing touch on arguably the best 2016 recruiting class in the Horizon League.

-The Flames start out the 2016-2017 season with a 4-5 record. UIC already matches the previous years’ victory total against Division I teams heading into their matchup against DePaul on December 14th, 2016. UIC pulls off the upset and defeats DePaul 80-75 at McGrath-Phillips in Lincoln Park. Guice connects on pivotal three with less than a minute left to seal the victory. But the triumph comes at a great cost, as Dixson suffers a season-ending knee injury.      

-Boahen records UIC’s first triple-double in their Division I era in a rout of Roosevelt on December 22nd, 2016. He finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 91-53 victory.                                                                  

-On January 17th, 2017, UIC wins its third consecutive Horizon League game by defeating Milwaukee to improve to 11-8 overall and 4-2 in conference. The Flames easily surpass the previous years’ Horizon League win total. Odiase dominated with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks.

-UIC heads into the Horizon League Tournament with a 14-17 record and sixth place finish in conference with a 7-11 record. The Flames draw third-seeded Green Bay and pull off the upset with a 79-70 victory. Odiase anchored the paint to the tune of 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. UIC eventually loses to tenth-seeded Milwaukee in the semi-finals.

-On March 13th, 2017, UIC accepts an invite to the College Basketball Invitational. The Flames defeat Stony Brook and George Washington, but fall to Coastal Carolina in the semi-finals.

-McClain earns a contract extension on April 19th, 2017, extending his contract through the 2020-2021 season.

-UIC adds Ralph Bissainthe, Michael Diggins, Naradain James and Jacob Wiley to the 2017 class in the spring.

-With the defections of assistant coaches Ronald Coleman and Brendan Mullins, McClain adds Dee Brown and Tony Harvey to the staff on September 1st, 2017.

-UIC stumbles out to a 2-4 record to start the season and lose Ferguson to a foot injury. Ferguson misses all of December as UIC goes 3-6 in the month and loses its first two Horizon League games.

-Ferguson returns on January 4th, 2018 and UIC promptly defeats IUPUI on the road 70-65.

-UIC precedes to go 9-1 with Ferguson back, including Friday night’s road victory over Oakland. The Flames have won six in a row, and even more impressively, their last six road games. UIC sits at 14-11 and 9-3 in Horizon League play. The Flames are just one game out of first place, as Northern Kentucky and Wright State are 10-2 in conference play. UIC gets its rematch against both programs at home at the end of the month.

As noted above, McClain has made shrewd recruiting moves but has also dealt with significant injuries. Blount, Boahen, Dixson, Ferguson, Matthews and Ottey are all sophomores that are key contributors this season. They combine to nearly score 60 points per game, UIC averages 73 points as a team. That’s roughly 81% of UIC’s scoring.

The development of Odiase into one of the country’s best rim-protectors has been critical as he anchors the defense. The Flames currently rank as top-100 defense according to Ken Pomeroy. UIC also does not lose much of a beat when Robinson subs in for Odiase.

Diggins and Wiley have shown flashes of their potential, and Bissainthe is redshirting this season.

UIC is trending up, and while the looming departures of Odiase and Robinson will leave a gaping hole in the middle, the Flames will return four sophomore starter’s in 2018-2019.

Year three under McClain has proven to be fruitful and finally yielded the results he spoke of at his introductory press conference. This final month of conference play and Motor City Madness could potentially land UIC back in March Madness. It’s been too long, but worth the wait for McClain and UIC.

New 2018 Offer

New class of 2018 targets continue to emerge as David Wingett received a scholarship offer from UIC today, according to Bull City Prep Academy head coach Darryl Harris.

Wingett, listed as a 6-foot-7 wing, is playing a prep year at Bull City after starring at Winnebago High School in Nebraska the previous four years.

The Winnebago native finished third all-time in scoring at Nebraska with 2388 points and led his team to a state championship in 2015 and third place finish last season. He averaged 24.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.9 steals and 2.7 blocks during his senior season according to the Sioux City Journal. Winnebago went 28-3 last year, and 110-9 during Wingett’s four years.

Wingett elected to take a prep year and it has led to scholarship offers from Delaware State and UIC according to Verbal Commits. North Carolina State has also expressed interest.

UIC has two scholarship openings for the 2018-2019 season, with junior college big man Isaac Bassey already in the fold.

The Flames have several scholarships out to high school and juco prospects in the 2018 class including Chase Adams, Tyler Cheese and Tyreek Scott-Grayson.

UIC vs IUPUI Recap

What Happened
UIC rallied back in the second half to defeat IUPUI 71-62 at the UIC Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Jordan Blount paved the way for UIC (11-11, 6-3) despite only scoring seven points. He caused three straight turnovers late in the game to give UIC the lead for good. Blount left his mark with 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in an all-around effort that led to UIC’s victory.

Sophomore Marcus Ottey led the Flames with 18 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Redshirt sophomore Dikembe Dixson added 15 points and senior Tai Odiase contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as IUPUI led 32-27 after 20 minutes. UIC only shot 33.3% from the field, with Dixson leading the way with nine points. Odiase added a strong interior presence with five points, five rebounds and two blocks.

IUPUI only shot 36.7% from the field in the first half, but made 4-of-9 three’s to separate themselves from UIC. Ron Patterson scored nine points and shot 3-of-4 from three.

With the Flames down 32-27 at the half, the defense sparked the comeback victory. IUPUI only shot 29.2% in the second half, while UIC shot 60% from the field. This led to the Flames outscoring IUPUI 44-30 in the second half.

Reserves Godwin Boahen and Clint Robinson were the catalysts for the second-half comeback, combining to score 13 consecutive points for the Flames during a 13-7 run that allowed them to reclaim the lead 49-48 with 8:17 left in the game.

Key Sequence
Blount turned defense to offense three consecutive times to give UIC the lead for good late in the game. He stole the ball from Aaron Brennan with 7:09 left, then proceeded to start the fast break and connect with Odiase for an alley-oop. Blount stole the ball from Brennan again on the next possession, which led to two free throw’s from Ottey to give UIC a 54-50 lead with 6:29 left. He put the icing on the cake with a third consecutive steal, and he converted on the other end with an emphatic dunk to give UIC a 56-50 lead with 6:19 left in the game. UIC never relinquished the lead and went on to win.

What It Means
UIC has won 6 of its last 7 games to improve 6-3 in the Horizon League and retain 4th place.

What’s Next
The Flames head on a pivotal three-game road trip that starts on Monday at Milwaukee. Although UIC routed Milwaukee 88-73 earlier this month at home, the Panthers have won three straight including a win over first-place Wright State.

Notes
-Robinson returned after a one-game absence to score seven crucial points off the bench. He was effective on both ends of the floor, also blocking three shots. Robinson appears to be healthy, which is good news moving forward for UIC.