Tip off: 10 PM EST
Spread: Ore -16.5
Total: 136
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO
There aren’t a lot of things that the Illinois-Chicago Flames do well, but they do one thing extrememely well: rebound the basketball. Despite being only 3-5 thus far, the Flames are 11th in the nation in rebounding with 41.9 boards per game. They don’t really have any standout rebounders persay, but rather 3 guys who contribute 6 a game, and a host of others that pitch in 2 or 3.
It’s little consolation, though, as they are averaging only 66 points per game. Quite remarkably, there are no players at all on the Flames averaging double figure points. They have three guys (Gary Talton, Daniel Barnes, and Darrin Williams) who average 9 per game, and employ a 7 man rotation for the most part.
Talton, a 6’1″ junior guard has put up decent numbers; 9.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, and 3.1 apg. He has posted double figures in 5 of their 8 games and had a high game of 18 in a loss to Milwaukee on December 3rd. In the Flames’ losses, Talton is averaging more points per game than in the wins (11.4 in losses vs. 7.7 in wins). So perhaps Talton being LESS aggressive is the key. In games in which he has shot more than 10 shots, the Flames have lost all 4.
OREGON STATE
Oregon State has a lot of reasons to believe that this year is going to be a lot better than last year’s disappointing 11-20 campaign. The Beavers have begun the year by winning 6 of their first 8 games, and actually took down Texas, while losing to #22 ranked Vandy by only 2 points. While they lost to Idaho last game, they blewout their two previous opponents by 20+ points (Towson and Montana).
They are scoring a lot of points (46th in the nation) with 78 per game. Leading the way there is Jared Cunningham, a 6’4″ junior guard, who is putting up 18.3 points per game. Cunningham has improved his scoring average every season so far, and is averaging 4.1 more points per game than last season.In games in which Cunningham has scored double figures, the Beavers are 6-0, while when he has scored 10 pionts or less, they have gone 0-2. So, clearly Cunningham is the key to the Beavers’ attack.
Devon Collier and Ahmad Starks round out the other Beavers’ players in double figures. Collier is putting up 14.4 a game, while Starks is scoring 10.8 a night. Collier’s versatility is making a big difference on defense, as well, as he averages well over a steal and a block per contest.
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