#HLMBB Preview: UIC
Joey Yashinsky
UIC Flames
Last year: 17-19 overall, 7-11 Horizon League
Coach: Steve McClain (3rd year)
Team Preview
By Joey Yashinsky, Horizon League Contributor
Watching the UIC Flames at Motor City Madness two seasons ago, you might have come away thinking, “Dikembe Dixson is doing everything for this team.”
Watching Steve McClain’s club in last year’s conference tournament, you might have thought, “There are a lot of pieces here, but they might be missing a true go-to guy.”
In 2017-18, everything is finally coming together.
Already one of the most exciting teams in the Horizon League, the Flames will now bring back an all-conference player in Dixson, who missed the majority of last year with a knee injury. The 6-foot-7 swingman can hurt you every which way on offense and now he’ll be playing alongside a supporting cast that just grew up a whole lot in the span of one year. It will be up to McClain, in his third season at UIC, to carefully weave Dixson back into the lineup. Too much talent; too many scoring options; all-league players coming back from injury; these are “problems” McClain is happy to have on his plate.
While UIC will have all sorts of options on offense, it’ll be the intimidating Tai Odiase protecting the rim with a vengeance on the other end. Odiase was voted the Horizon League’s top defender last season and there’s every reason to believe he’ll make it back-to-back trophies as a senior. He blocked over 100 shots and altered countless others. Remember, as promising as McClain’s group is, the roster is still loaded with underclassmen; having a polished veteran like Odiase anchoring the interior adds incalculable value to the Flames’ cause.
Like so many teams in the talent-rich Horizon League, UIC is loaded at the guard position.
Dominique Matthews was on the All-Freshman team and opened plenty of eyes with his shot-making ability during Motor City Madness. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see his 11 points per game creep up more toward the 15 range this season.
Tarkus Ferguson, another Horizon League All-Freshman performer, is on his way to becoming one of the top players in the conference. A 6-foot-4 point guard with great vision and deep range, there is little that Ferguson can’t do on the court. He was asked to carry a heavy load last year, which did lead to occasional spells of turnover-itis. But with Dixson back in the fold and able to share in some of the ball-handling duties, Ferguson’s numbers should get even better.
The sophomore tandem of Godwin Boahen and Marcus Ottey must not be forgotten, either. Boahen is the Flames’ best outside shooter, having cashed in 44% of his 3-point attempts in his debut season. Ottey is the more athletic of the two, often slashing his way to the basket and finishing with ease. In UIC’s three postseason games last year (CBI Tournament), Ottey made 12 of 15 shots, an almost unfathomable field goal percentage for any player that’s not a 7-footer dunking the ball exclusively (Ottey is 6’2”).
The frontcourt rotation will be bolstered by a pair of new faces. Michael Diggins is a 6-foot-8 jumping jack that McClain says “will add a totally different skill set to the 3/4 position than anything we had last year.” Jordan Blount (redshirted last season) will bring his own unique brand of physicality to the court. Blount comes from a family of boxing champions in Ireland and it shows. McClain joked that he recently fouled out of a scrimmage after two minutes of play. If Blount can be taught to harness that tenacity without incurring so many whistles, it’ll provide a major jolt to the collective UIC heartbeat.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, the Flames were regularly blitzing their way to the NCAA Tournament. Jimmy Collins was pushing all the right buttons, Martell Bailey was one of the top floor generals in the country, and it culminated with Horizon League championships in 1998, 2002, and 2004. The Chicago faithful have been waiting a decade and a half for that return trip. This could be the time.
The Flames are long and athletic. They have shooters all over the floor. Odiase devours scrambled eggs and weak layup attempts for breakfast. And Dixson could very well be the best player in the whole league.
The future is undoubtedly a bright one at UIC; but the here and now looks pretty darn good, too.
Motor City Madness
Support the Flames at the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships March 2-6 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets can be purchased at campus box offices now and online starting December 15. For more information, click here.
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