Dipping my toe in the water with an NIT play late Wednesday:
Illinois-Chicago +5: Flames had 2 different seasons, struggling hugely in non-conf play and the early part of the MVC season. They lost 8 straight Div. 1 games at one point, but a big factor during that skid was not having injured PG Elijah Crawford for 12 games. Crawford returned and the Flames took off, winning 8 straight themselves and going 12-4 in the rest of league play and then wiping out Murray St and Drake in the MVC tourney. In the tourney final, Northern Iowa had an absolutely ridiculous shooting percentage in the first half, though the Flames didn't quit and made it interesting in the second half before fading late and losing by 15. Crawford has been on fire in post-season play with 19.7 PPG and 4.7 APG, while fellow guards Ahmad Henderson and Rashund Washington have also been lighting it up. Cal?? Well the Berkley boys had an NCAA berth right within their grasp after a key bubble win over SMU, then gave it all away by losing badly at home to mediocre Pitt, at Wake, and then sealing their fate by falling to FSU in the first round of the conf tourney. It's been a long season with a ton of travel for Cal playing in the ACC, they're no doubt hugely disappointed at failing to make the Tournament, and I'm not sure how ready they'll be for this guard-oriented, buzz-saw UIC team that can really shoot while also being solid defensively. Starting off carefully here with a 0.5 unit play.
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