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Final score: Bradley 77 UIC 59

Da Coach

Da Coach

Moderator
Staff member
Bradley's next game: Bradley (11-5, 3-2) at UIC (8-8, 1-4), Saturday, Jan. 13, 1:00 pm

TV- MVC-TV Network (NBCSports Chicago, Bally Sports Network St. Louis)
Streamed on ESPN+ - https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/0e276f6d-7853-4de1-880a-fc5a4f5718d3
Or- https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401601842?gameId=401601842
Chat room- https://www.chatzy.com/bradleyfans​
Live stats- https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=485026
Radio- www.wmbdradio.com

In their first season in the MVC, UIC finished 2022-23 with a record of 12-20 overall and 4-16 in the MVC, and in 11th place- https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/standings/_/season/2023/group/18

UIC was picked 10th in the 2023-24 MVC Preseason Poll- https://mvc-sports.com/news/2023/10/16/drake-tabbed-as-mvc-mens-basketball-preseason-favorite.aspx

Schedule/results- https://uicflames.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2023-24
Roster- https://uicflames.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Stats- https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/.../uicflames.com/stats/mbball/2023/pdf/cume.pdf

Leading scorer is Isaiah Rivera (14.8 ppg, 40.3% 3ptFG%), a senior transfer from Colorado State- https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/82
Bradley recruited Rivera out of Geneseo HS- https://www.bradleyfans.com/forum/s...beyond-recruiting-targets?p=488234#post488234
Their only other double-digit scorer is Toby Okani, a 6'8" senior forward (12.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 36.4% 3ptFG%). He also leads the MVC in blocks (2.5 bpg).

UIC has lost 4 of their last 5, with the only win being over Valparaiso- https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/82
This is UIC Head Coach Luke Yaklich's 4th season at UIC, and they have not yet had a winning season overall, nor a winning conference record (2 seasons in Horizon League and now 2nd in MVC). There are fans questioning whether it's time to consider a change.
UIC historical record- https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/illinois-chicago/men/

​UIC's last game was a 67-59 loss at Northern Iowa, in which they played very well and stayed close the entire game. UIC never trailed by more than 6 points until the final seconds when they were forced to foul.
Box score & play by play- https://dxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.ne...ts/mbball/2023/pdf/20240110092023-2341593.pdf

Bradley stats- https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/...earmsports.com/stats/mbball/2023/pdf/cume.pdf
MVC stats- https://mvc-sports.com/documents/2023/11/7//2023_24_MVC_MBB_Stats.pdf
 
If Coach Yack is let go, I wish we could find a spot for him on staff. I really like him. Much like I wish we had room for Lottich when he was let go at Valpo.
 
Da Coach said:
Tickets are still available for this game.- https://www.ticketmaster.com/uic-fl...go-illinois-01-13-2024/event/04005F3A7AEC0BCA

I've been to several past Bradley games at UIC, including last year's first MVC game there, and usually Bradley fans outnumber actual UIC fans.
Is anyone else going?
Click to expand...

I will be there with my 9-yr-old son, DC! It will be his first ever live college basketball game.
I am wondering though if the game will be pushed to Sunday with the inclement weather. Schools are closed in the Chicago area and many suburbs today. We are sitting in section 115 - not where the bulk of BU fans are, but they were cheaper. I will try to come by to say hello to you during halftime or before the game. It's been a while!
 
patrick_o'brian said:
If Coach Yack is let go, I wish we could find a spot for him on staff. I really like him. Much like I wish we had room for Lottich when he was let go at Valpo.
Click to expand...

Agree, POB! Lottich was a class act and a talented guy in a tough position. He would be a great addition if we ever had something open up. Wonder if he's doing anything currently? That Valpo HC job seems like a death sentence to me and I though Lottich had them playing above expectations, even making the MVC tourney final (albeit only to be crushed by BU!) in 2020.
 
A few things from going there many times in the past:
  • They don't even sell all the tickets on Ticketmaster so what you see doesn't mean the arena is going to be full. Honestly, you can pretty much sit wherever you want, so go over to the BU section even if you get seats on the other side.
  • I laughed because before reading the thread, I was literally going to say, "BU fans usually outnumber UIC fans".
  • Parking is easy, right next to the arena, especially if you get there a tiny bit early.
  • The food options are limited usually to your basics and I don't recall eating anything all that special in the past but the vendors were usually friendly.
  • The weather up there might really limit attendance if it's going to snow all day today and tomorrow in Chicago as it is showing currently. I'm guessing actual "butts in seats" won't crack four digits.
 
LittleBrave said:
I will be there with my 9-yr-old son, DC! It will be his first ever live college basketball game.
I am wondering though if the game will be pushed to Sunday with the inclement weather. Schools are closed in the Chicago area and many suburbs today. We are sitting in section 115 - not where the bulk of BU fans are, but they were cheaper. I will try to come by to say hello to you during halftime or before the game. It's been a while!
Click to expand...

I haven't seen anything to suggest the game time or date will get changed. But it could depend on the weather conditions. From most predictions, Sunday could be worse than Saturday. Temperatures will be much colder. So I am planning on it staying on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
​​​​​​​
My tickets are in Section 114, but I might slide over to 113 (behind the visiting team bench) if there are open seats. See ya there!
 
Da Coach said:
My tickets are in Section 114, but I might slide over to 113 (behind the visiting team bench) if there are open seats. See ya there!
Click to expand...
Ok thanks! I'll look for ya DC! I've never met anyone else on here in person, so if you get the urge, feel free to approach me if you see me in a Braves script jersey with my 9-yr-old son. I'd love to meet some of you other fellas!
 
patrick_o'brian said:
If Coach Yack is let go, I wish we could find a spot for him on staff. I really like him. Much like I wish we had room for Lottich when he was let go at Valpo.
Click to expand...

it's a business, and he is now into his 4th year there with very little success.
In 2022, his contract was extended thru the end of the 2025-26 season, so barring any "for cause" issues, if they let him go now, he will still
collect a paycheck (75% of his regular salary- see below). One of the Chicago writers obtained his original contract and said this,
altho the salary may have been boosted in 2022 when he got the extension to 2026.

- 410k base
- 12.5k per year for vehicle allowance
- 25k for relocation (one-time)
- 10k per year for local country club
- add 1 year to contract for HL reg season championship
- add 2 years to contract for NCAA bid
- buyout w/ 1 remaining year = 50% of salary
- buyout w/ 2 remaining years = 75% of salary
- various incentive-based salary increases and bonuses​

unfortunately, just like other MVC teams, he did have some good young players but they all get phone calls at the end of the season
and bolt for the Transfer Portal (Jace Carter, Damaria Franklin, Jalen Jackson)
Yaklich is a young coach and needs time... they'd be fools to fire him and start over. ISU was similarly foolish when they canned
Porter Moser in his 4th year, just as he had landed commitments from Osiris Eldridge, Anthony Slack, and several other very talented players.
(& I dare say both Mo & JL were hastily & ignorantly fired to try to please whiney fans when they were on the verge of sustained success.)
 
I know it's hard to win on the road in the Valley as I've posted many times ... But that is a really strange line. I would have expected us to be at least a 7-10 point favorite.
 
To me this is a must win game in the sense that if we want to finish as a top 4 seed in the Mo Valley you have to win these games that you're favored to win. Defense normally travels so hopefully we're ready to go and don't give UIC any hope that they can win. The longer you give a team hope, especially at home, the more they think they can win it.
 
Bradley with a great opening half.

Just some things I was thinking through: Let’s say we hold on. I don’t want to overstate this streak against the clear bottom four in the league, a D2 team, and SIUE. The four Valley teams we will have beaten in that scenario have a combined three Valley wins, all of which are against each other except Evansville’s overtime home win in December against a below .500 UNI team. These are not good teams. However, we have played really well and blown most of these games out, as we should. We have looked much sharper to the eye too.

The next four are against good Valley teams, that will give a great picture on where we are. I would really like to see 3-1 in those four to prove we are contenders. Win the home games and split the road games with SIU and Indiana State. We should be fired up for Belmont after being the one Valley team we couldn’t beat last year after a tough home loss.
 
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