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Post by Chuck A on Nov 19, 2004 9:32:20 GMT -6
DePaul will be on FSN this saturday at 1:00pm. I will be watching to see what we are up against. I heard Dave Leito on the Score one day mention that there's no one on his team that's under 6'6". While our backcourt is at best 6'0" (McGee) and 6'2" (Banks), this affords DePaul post up opportunities.
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Post by uicMayur on Nov 19, 2004 10:15:15 GMT -6
they actually don't have anyone under 6-4, save their main point guard cliff clinksdale...
i dont know much about cliff, but i hear he is really quick. this doesn't concern me, as there probably is no one quicker than ced banks
the only problem is depaul's center: wesley green. he isnt too tall at 6-9/10, but he's like 300 freakin pounds, so it will be hard to box him out and get rebounds low in the post.
still, i think our strengths can overcome theirs. this game will be classic. if we are victorious, it will do wonders to our program. this game is key...
even if we lose to g tech and duke (which is probably going to be the case), a win at depaul (especially since this will be considered an away game) will be huge.
we must get maximum student attendance at this game. however, i'm also confident that our other fans will show up for this game, since the allstate arena is a popular entertainment venue for chicagoans...
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Post by UICJohn on Nov 19, 2004 11:42:37 GMT -6
Winning any of the "Three Big Games" would be huge for our program, all in different ways.
First off, Duke is Duke. The name explains it all. If we beat Duke at Duke, that is something that the entire country will take note of, and would be more than adequate in getting UIC on the map.
Beating Georgia Tech would be big in that they are coming off an appearance in the national championship game and are probably coming into this season with the highest expectations that they have had in school history.
DePaul is not on the same level with those teams, but this is the "Chicago school". Winning this game would be big recruiting - wise, as well as finally getting that Chicago team label off of them, at least a little. We have had some great seasons of late, but this could make us Chicago's team.
All in all, there is no one game I would rather win than the others.
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Post by Big D on Nov 19, 2004 11:49:11 GMT -6
Jimmy and Co. wonder what it's going to take for them to get respect, as the Daily Herald reported.
It's going to take a win over a marquee team. We need to win one of the big three games this year. I think Duke is out of the question and we will have to play our absolute best to beat Depaul and GT....we'll have to hope GT is rusty at the start of the season but I don't see us having an answer for their center.....
Big wins translate into big success....SIU is still riding the success they had a couple years back when they knocked off Texas tech in the tourney.....we need something like that and until we get it, it's going to be the same story every year.
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Post by Chuck A on Nov 19, 2004 12:10:04 GMT -6
Since our victory or Michigan State at the Pavilion during the '97-'98 season, we have not beaten a marquee, Big 6 conference team. I don't really count Northwestern.
In my opinion, we need to defeat Georgia Tech at home or at least lose by less than 5 to get any kind of respectability. We also need to beat DePaul.....period! There can be no moral victories against this team. DePaul is still riding on the seemingly very long coattails of Coach Ray Meyer. Eventhough they've been pretty crappy the last few years (with the exception of last season of course), they have still worn the moniker of "Chicago's Team". In order for us to take that title away and get more exposure in the eyes of potential recruits, we need to win two of the three "Big 3" games (Georgia Tech and DePaul).
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Post by uicMayur on Nov 19, 2004 12:52:42 GMT -6
even though beating Duke in Durham, or anywhere within a 100 miles of their campus, is a huge feat, I still think it is slightly more possible than beating g tech.
duke is well overrated this year. g tech is a much stronger team and will likely repeat last year's success, maybe not to the championship game, but somewhere near there.
if we had duke at the pavilion, i would be much, MUCH more confident. but playing g tech, even at home, is a major task.
i think since we have home court advantage against G Tech, who is clearly a stronger team than Duke, and having a road game against a slightly weaker team balances the two games out.
Bottom line: both games are going to require extreme performances of Ced Banks (for him, points are the only concern--knocking down 25+ is a must, and he can do this), Elliot Poole needs to keep doing what he's been doing and grab boards, McGhee/White need to use their quickness and get a good number of assists, and Boyd/Bowen should also get their number of points in.
if we are going to win either of these two games, everyone needs to pitch in.
this is why i am supremely more optimistic about the depaul game and seriously think that we can win that game.
seems like every horizon league team has "issues" with so-called rivals like depaul who steal the spotlight (i.e. uwm and marquette, us and depaul, wright state and dayton, loyola and depaul (or even uic, lol), green bay and probably wisconsin, detroit and most probably michigan state/michigan, cleveland state/ysu and probably ohio state/xavier/cincinnati, etc...)
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Post by Chuck A on Nov 19, 2004 14:25:52 GMT -6
I hear ya Mayur, but eventhough GaTech is ranked higher that Duke, there's always something about that Duke mystique. Playing at Cameron Indoor only enhances that mystique to the point the even when they're having an "off" year, they still, to the opposing team, are Duke and blow you out by 30. Our team just has to get over the fact that they'll be playing in front of 9,000 fans breathing right down their necks and do what they do best.....whatever that will be this season. I still think we have a better chance of beating Tech than Duke.
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Post by Big D on Nov 20, 2004 21:27:56 GMT -6
Hmmm....is the Depaul game now our best chance of winning one of the big three games? They only beat Bowling Green by 10 after trailing at halftime....and they were at Allstate  If Bowling Green can compete with Depaul, then there is no way we can't be in this game...again, it goes back to the whole laying an egg argument. If we come out scared, we will get destroyed. But this shows that we do have the ability to compete with these guys. |
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Post by Captain A on Nov 21, 2004 22:57:05 GMT -6
I think reasonably DePaul is the game the Flames will win. Georgia Tech KILLED Alabama State in their 1st game Friday night 74-37. Now while I know A-State is not a powerhouse, a 37 point win against a team that only scored 37 points is pretty scary. Cameron is a tough place to play for anyone, but especially since Duke has won 133 of 136 games against non-conference opponents there. So the DePaul game is probably the one that will have the little extra psychological push that will get them the victory.
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Post by catalum2000 on Nov 22, 2004 8:03:28 GMT -6
Since our victory or Michigan State at the Pavilion during the '97-'98 season, we have not beaten a marquee, Big 6 conference team. I don't really count Northwestern. Gee, thanks! Although, the way the 'Cats played this weekend, you may have a point. |
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