The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Saturday, November 15th, 6:00 p.m. (et)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Cintas Center (10,250) -- Cincinnati, Ohio. Television: Local. Home Record: Cal-Irvine 0-0, Ill-Chicago 0-0. Away Record: Cal-Irvine> 0-0, Ill-Chicago 0-0. Neutral Record: Cal-Irvine 0-0, Ill-Chicago 0-0. Conference Record: Cal-Irvine 0-0, Ill-Chicago 0-0. Series Record: Cal-Irvine leads 1-0.
GAME NOTES: A couple of teams that are meeting for the first time in over two decades hit the floor this evening at the Cintas Center in the opening round> of the BCA Classic, as the Anteaters of Cal-Irvine battle the Illinois-Chicago Flames. This year the tournament also includes San Diego and Oakland (Michigan) on the same side of the bracket, along with host Xavier and Coppin> State, Mercer and Ohio on the other side. After finishing 20-9 overall and 13-5 in Big West Conference play last season, many think that this could be the year that the Anteaters make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The team has won at least 20 games in each of the last three years, the first time that has happened in school history. On a much larger scale, with 66 victories over the last three seasons, the Anteaters rank second among all Division I California programs, behind only Stanford which has 75 wins during that span. As for the Flames, they finished third in the Horizon League in 2002-03 and as a result moved on to the NIT, but were bounced in the first round by Western Michigan. The school had an overall record of 21-9 and was 12-4 in conference action. This game marks just the second meeting ever between these two schools on the hardwood, with the first contest favoring the Anteaters against what was then known as Illinois-Chicago Circle by a score of 98-61 in Irvine.
The Anteaters might not have the same sort of scoring firepower that Illinois- Chicago has, but that's because they play a different brand of basketball on the West Coast. Senior center Adam Parada, an All-Big West Second Team choice the last two years, has been keeping in a basketball frame of mind during the off season, playing with the Mexican National Team in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, so he should be more than ready to go for the official opener to the 2003-04 campaign. Last year he posted 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per outing and led the conference in shooting at 54.5 percent from the floor. Joining him on the front line are seniors Stanislav Zuzak and Matt Okoro, who scored 8.2 and 5.1 points, respectively, a year ago. The pair also combined for nearly nine rebounds per contest. The backcourt is chock full of experienced athletes, not the least of whom is third-year sophomore Jeff Gloger, who set a school single-season record with 75 steals, ranking 14th in the nation with an average of just over two and a half picks per game. Ross Schraeder will be his mate to start the season after knocking down 31 three- pointers and averaging 4.3 ppg. There will often be times that Gloger will see Mike Efevberha on his wing, especially since the sophomore put up a solid five points per game last season as a true freshman.
According to the people in the know, the Flames are going to be on fire in the Horizon League this season. Senior guard Cedrick Banks has been picked as the Preseason Player of the Year, while both Martell Bailey and Armond Williams join him on the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team. With three players making the cut, Ill-Chicago was the only school to have as many make the 10- man all-league squad. With five returning starters, all of whom are seniors, it's easy to see why the Flames are the favorite to make waves this season, and much of that has to do with Banks. Last year he averaged 19 points and five boards in taking the unit to its first-ever appearance in the NIT. Banks is just 33 points short of 1,000 for his career and might well reach the plateau in this game. Bailey returns as the reigning assist man in Division I, having handed out 8.1 dishes a season ago. He also added 10 ppg, while Williams finished fourth in the nation in field goal percentage at 64 percent, posting 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest in 2002-03. Center Joe Scott plays solid in the post for the Flames, but he understands his role, which makes it easier for his teammates to get things done. Aaron Carr has shown that he can do a little bit of everything at 6-4, averaging 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for Chicago last year.
For being the first game of the season between two schools that have met just once before, this should be a very entertaining contest. However, with the Flames playing right around the corner (relatively speaking) from home, they'll have a distinct advantage over Cal-Irvine, especially if they can dictate the tempo of the game.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Illinois-Chicago 84, Cal-Irvine 75
