Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Welcomes UIC to Welsh-Ryan Arena Wednesday Night
12/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2005
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EVANSTON, Ill. - After a week off for final exams, the Wildcats return to the hardwood at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in Evanston when they play host to crosstown foe Illinois-Chicago.
Northwestern is coming off a 61-54 overtime win over Delaware State on Dec. 3. Vedran Vukusic led the cats with 19 points, but it was senior Mohamed Hachad who carried the load, scoring 15 of his season-high 17 points after halftime. Tim Doyle added 13 points.
UIC enters Wednesday's game with a 4-4 record, highlighted by a 22-point win on the road at Georgia Tech and a recent home win in overtime over SEC foe Mississippi, 87-75.
The Series With UIC
Northwestern leads the all-time series with UIC, 3-2, but have lost the last two meetings. The Flames won the last meeting at the UIC Pavilion 90-71 on Dec. 20, 2003.
A Look at the 'Cats
Senior Vedran Vukusic has been lighting it up offensively for the Wildcats this season. The senior from Croatia leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth nationally in scoring with 23.6 points per game. Vukusic has accounted for over 40 percent of Northwestern's offense this season and has scored 20 or more points in six of seven games, including a season-high 28 in the win over Charlotte at the BCA Invitational. On the season, Vukusic is shooting 58 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range and leads the conference with an average of 38.6 minutes per game.
Junior Tim Doyle has been solid through the first seven games, averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-best 5.0 assists, which currently ranks him sixth in the Big Ten in that category (tied with Illinois' Dee Brown). Doyle is averaging 13.0 points in his last two games and is shooting 80 percent (20-of-25) from the free throw line.
True freshman Craig Moore has emerged of late to score 25 points over the last four games. He had nine points in 23 minutes in the win over FAU and sank three treys in the loss to DePaul, playing 33 minutes and all 20 in the second half. More importantly, he has impressed many with his ball-handling and decision making with 16 assists and just three turnovers in the last four games.
Senior Mohamed Hachad has cleaned up on the glass, averaging a team-best 5.3 rebounds per game, including nine in the win over Charlotte, tying his personal best. He is averaging 8.3 points per game and leads the team with 11 steals. After scoring just 14 points in the three previous games, Hachad broke out in a big way in the win over Delaware State, scoring a season-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field.
Junior Vince Scott has given NU a nice lift off the bench and has produced in the starting lineup of late with 4.7 points and 4.1 caroms per game.
About The Flames
The Flames have had a rollercoaster season in the early going, going 4-4 with wins over Georgia Tech and Mississippi. UIC averages just under 70 points per game and is outrebounding their opponents by more than 10 caroms per game.
Senior Justin Bowen leads all UIC scorers with 15.6 ppg and 8.3 rebounds per game and has hit for double figures in all eight games this season. Sophomore Othyus Jeffers is second with 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. The Flames have six players averaging more then six points per game.
Flames Head Coach Jimmy Collins
Jimmy Collins, in his 10th season at UIC, is already the program's all-time winningest coach with 150 career victories. Collins has guided UIC to four postseason appearances, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament (1998, 2002, 2004) and one to the NIT (2003) during his tenure. He also has a conference regular-season championship (1998) and a pair of tournament titles (2002, 2004) to his credit while posting four 20-win seasons, including a school-record 24 victories in 2003-04.
Wildcats in the Big Ten
Though early, Vedran Vukusic has established himself as a prime candidate for top conference honors this season. He is currently leads the Big Ten in scoring with 23.6 ppg and ranks among the conference leaders in FG percentage (8th, 58.2), three-pointers per game (5th, 2.4), free throw percentage (14th, 77.3) and minutes played (1st, 38.5).
Other Wildcats among the Big Ten statistical leaders include Tim Doyle who is tied for sixth with 5.0 assists, 30th in scoring (10.3 ppg), FG percentage (10th, 57.1) and ninth in free throw percentage (80.0). Mohamed Hachad is 15th in rebounding (5.3) and ninth in steals (1.57).
Next Up
The Wildcats travel east to take on Seton Hall at 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.
