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Post by UIC Homer on Aug 27, 2018 19:10:04 GMT -6
Anybody else getting the itch? Seems like forever since we had college basketball.
CFB On top of basketball, I'm really looking forward to college football (as usual). I made it a little interesting on the win total over/under for my team this year.
NFL Bears have got me excited too. I think the Bears are an unknown this year which is better than the last 5 years knowing that they'll suck. So the Bears are intriguing to me. Not to mention everything we still don't know about what Trubisky can do.
NBA Bulls are probably the most polarizing right now. The Vegas over/under win total at 28 is absolutely ridiculous, but they always know something the public doesn't know. I feel pretty safe in saying that the Bulls are at least a 30 win team - and I don't even think it's crazy to say they could sniff a playoff spot. I think the Bulls are also intriguing due to the unknowns: how good will LaVine be after a full recover? how big of a jump will Lauri take from rookie to sophomore season? what will Carter Jr. be? will Hutchinson get any pt and will he be any good? and of course Jabari - him being on the Bulls is very intriguing.
NHL I'm probably least excited about the NHL this year. Blackhawks are in a semi-rebuild. But I'll still be watching because Patrick Kane is must watch hockey. Plus I'm very interested to see Dylan Sikura play. I know he played last year but it was only 5 games at the end of the season.
MLB For those of us that are Cubs fans, it's looking pretty good. And if you're a Sox fan, you gotta grind through the rebuild. I did tune into Michael Kopeck's first major league start and it was pretty awesome actually. He looks like he's going to be really good - so Sox fans have that going for them. Not to mention Eloy Jimenez.
It's going to be an exciting Fall/Winter of sports. And of course I'm itching to see the Flames play at the Pavilion.
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Post by Big D on Aug 27, 2018 19:44:03 GMT -6
UIC basketball is the only sport I follow religiously. It’s more difficult watching other Chicago teams on the east coast.
With that said, I’m a Cubs fan and they are clicking right now. Epstein is making the right moves. Hamels has been lights out and a very pleasant surprise. And how we landed Murphy?...no idea. You’d figure the Brewers or Cards would at least block us from getting him. I know there’s more to it than that, but it really worked out a far.
Sox, don’t know, don’t care.
Same with college football. If UIC had a team, I’d watch it religiously.
Bears, excited to see the new offense and what Trubisky can do. I wasn’t that impressed with him last year...he’s got a lot to prove. Some nice building blocks though. Excited for Anthony Miller, and Roquan, though not thrilled about his holdout given week 1 against the Packers.
Hawks, I usually only watch playoff hockey. Disappointing in how they’ve fallen. The core really doesn’t look the same as it did even two years ago. Hockey’s a crazy sport though. We could be right back in it.
Bulls I feel they’re gonna be better than 28 games. Playoffs definitely a possibility. I really don’t like the NBA much anymore though. Defense is trash. I don’t think I missed a Bulls game between 95 and 98. Jordan years were the best.
NFL and NBA becoming more political is also souring me a bit. Stay out of it and play the game. Politics is everywhere. When I watch sports, the last thing I want to see is millionaires whining and protesting.
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Post by UICJohn on Aug 27, 2018 21:12:52 GMT -6
College Football - I can't say I really have 'a team'. A lot of college football, for me, is teams I root against. I have always hated Ohio State and recent happenings have made that a lot easier to do! In fact, I really just don't like the Big '10' as a whole which is kind of odd because if I did have a team that I follow I would probably say Northwestern because of proximity. Also, as a midwestern Catholic I've always found that I should be cheering for Notre Dame in some capacity. However, I don't come close to living and dying by their games or even making them 'must watch' TV. I'll watch when it is on because I watch sports.
MLB - I've loved the Cubs since I was 8 years old and my grandmother took me on the Addison bus down to Wrigley Field and I cried like a baby in 2016. The team is playing well right now. It's all about playing well at the right time in the MLB and they're doing just that. Winning the division is key in MLB playoff and the Cubs don't have it wrapped up but a 4 game lead does look nice. Their pitching is doing quite well right now and come playoffs there aren't many, if any, teams in the NL that can match starters 1-3 with them (or 1-4 for that matter). The hitting is starting to act like how they should and not how they did during that rough two weeks span earlier this month.
I work in a south suburb so I have a little bit of 'Sox' around me. I don't hate them - that hatred is reserved for St. Louis.
NHL - No league hurts their teams with the salary cap like the NHL does. It's killed the Hawks the last few years and has now basically caused a mini-rebuild. I honestly watched one game last season and it is one that I attended. I could see the same happen this year.
NBA - I am actually a little intrigued by the Bulls this year. As others have said, I have a hard time seeing the Bulls as a 28 win team. The East is so weak! They have some guys but they have a ton of question marks especially in regards to injury.
NFL - I love the Bears and can't wait for the season to start. Even when they're bad, Bears games are like a party every week. And with the optimism around the team that makes it even better. Can't wait!
The only thing that is rough about this time of year is the lack of news surrounding our UIC basketball team. Since they're not covered like a Duke or Kentucky we don't really get that much (and even the blue bloods don't either as it is just a slow time of year)
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Post by UIC Homer on Aug 27, 2018 22:16:22 GMT -6
I work in a south suburb so I have a little bit of 'Sox' around me. I don't hate them - that hatred is reserved for St. Louis. The only thing that is rough about this time of year is the lack of news surrounding our UIC basketball team. Since they're not covered like a Duke or Kentucky we don't really get that much (and even the blue bloods don't either as it is just a slow time of year) 100% agree. I really hate the Cardinals. They're my most hated team. Also good point about cbb coverage. I guess I wouldn't really be into round-the-clock coverage of any of my favorite teams. It's nice to get a break after the season. But the itch also starts a few months early.
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UIC96
Starter
We don't need to get any better, we just need everyone to get a little worse...
Posts: 407
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Post by UIC96 on Aug 28, 2018 17:56:17 GMT -6
Good news is... According to Twitter, first practice was today!
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Post by uicc79 on Aug 29, 2018 8:19:11 GMT -6
Well, I hope that means SOME news is forthcoming! I know they wanted to hype the program in years past, which is why I suppose they put much more info out there, like bios on the new recruits, etc. There would be videos of workouts, things like that. This year; nothing. I don't think they even announced guys that have signed NOI's. Last I checked (about two days ago), they hadn't even updated the roster or the team picture, it was still last years' team. I wonder why so quiet this year?
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Post by UICJohn on Aug 29, 2018 10:17:17 GMT -6
And let’s get a schedule already. No news re: that in a while!
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Post by FlexPlanner on Aug 30, 2018 18:06:43 GMT -6
Well, I hope that means SOME news is forthcoming! I know they wanted to hype the program in years past, which is why I suppose they put much more info out there, like bios on the new recruits, etc. There would be videos of workouts, things like that. This year; nothing. I don't think they even announced guys that have signed NOI's. Last I checked (about two days ago), they hadn't even updated the roster or the team picture, it was still last years' team. I wonder why so quiet this year? I want to echo this post. All summer long I was wondering if the players stuck around for the summer to practice as a group and if so, what was being emphasized in practice. Also wondered if the freshmen were here for the summer or waited until fall to report. It wouldn't take much, maybe just a short video at the end of summer session. But please, put something out there for curious fans. In this day and age, this sort of PR is both common and easy to make. C'mon UIC, act like you belong.
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Post by UICJohn on Aug 30, 2018 20:23:30 GMT -6
Can't we get some Marketing or Communications interns to work on this? I mean, we have a campus full of students that can get real life experience in the field they want to get into? Social Media NEEDS to be something that we hit and hit hard. That is HOW people get news today. That is HOW people communicate today. I'd be willing to be 99% of students on campus are on social media of some kind and not just Facebook or Twitter (I have no idea how much, if at all, UIC basketball, athletics, or the university itself promotes via Snapchat, Instagram, etc.
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Post by UICJohn on Sept 1, 2018 14:52:47 GMT -6
Two words - KHALIL MACK!
Wow!
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Post by UIC Homer on Sept 2, 2018 8:36:27 GMT -6
Two words - KHALIL MACK! Wow! HUGE MOVE BY PACE Super excited for the season. I want to beat the Packers in Green Bay so bad.
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Post by Big D on Sept 9, 2018 21:54:58 GMT -6
Watching the Bears is like watching UIC basketball. I have zero confidence in them closing a game out. Anti-clutch in every way...play-calling was horrible for the entire 2nd half. When Fuller missed that INT, I knew it was over.
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Post by UIC Homer on Sept 9, 2018 23:13:45 GMT -6
I knew it was over after only the Bears' 2nd drive of the 3rd quarter when they went 3 and out. It was so obvious Rodgers was going to win this game for Green Bay.
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