March 12, 2002
GAME: No. 15 Illinois-Chicago (20-13) vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (27-4).
REGIONAL: West, First Round.
TIME: Friday, 12:30 p.m. EST.
SITE: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
Slighted for a top seed, Oklahoma sets out on a quest for respect as it plays Illinois-Chicago in the first round.
The Sooners felt they had made a solid case for a No. 1 seed, especially after defeating then-No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game Sunday. The victory gave Oklahoma wins over two No. 1 seeds, but the selection committee bypassed Kelvin Sampson's team in favor of Cincinnati.
"I told our kids I thought we had earned a 1 seed by winning the championship, but I said ultimately the games are going to be decided on the court," Sampson said after Sunday's victory.
Oklahoma has won eight straight games entering this contest and played outstanding defense in the Big 12 tournament, limiting opponents to an average of 52.7 points in the three games. It is the ninth straight year Sampson has led the Sooners to the NCAA tournament, but he is just 3-8 and has only two first-round wins.
Yet there is plenty of reason for optimism in Norman, Okla. Hollis Price hit three 3-pointers and finished with 23 points in the championship game. The Sooners also have a versatile inside-outside forward in Aaron McGhee, who averages 15 points and 7.8 rebounds. Swingman Ebi Ere also provides another diverse offensive option.
"This team is really anxious to go play and prove we're a good team in the NCAA tournament now," Sampson said.
The Flames are making their second NCAA tournament appearance and are the surprise representative from the Horizon League. UIC finished sixth in the regular season after a .500 conference record, but defeated three higher seeds en route to the tournament title. The Flames, though, did have the luxury of avoiding regular-season champion Butler, which was upset in the quarterfinals.
"We know that they are a very good ball club and we know they have some big guys inside," said Flames coach Jimmy Collins of the fourth-ranked Sooners. "We have a lot of film on them so we will go to the drawing board and see what we can get done."
UIC is a perimeter-oriented team and has made 41.2 percent of its 3-point shots, good for sixth in the nation. Four players made at least 34 shots from beyond the arc, led by Jordan Kardos' 68. Top reserve Jonathan Schneiderman made 44.6 percent (58-for-130) of his shots from 3-point range and was third on the team in scoring at 8.7 points per game.
This is the first meeting between the teams. The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between No. 7 Xavier and No. 10 Hawaii in the second round Sunday.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
UIC - F Cory Little (7.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg), F Cedric Banks (14.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg), C Thor Solverson (6.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G Martell Bailey (6.9 ppg, 4.8 apg), G Kardos (12.5 ppg, 1.1 apg).
Oklahoma - F McGhee (15.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg), F Jabahri Brown (4.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg), G Ere (14.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg), G Price (16.6 ppg, 2.7 apg), G Quannas White (8.0 ppg, 4.6 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
UIC - Automatic bid, Horizon League champion.
Oklahoma - Automatic bid, Big 12 Conference champion.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD:
UIC - 0-1, 2 years.
Oklahoma - 23-20, 21 years.
