2014 was not a great year for the five Division I schools in the Chicago area. Three of them finished last in their respective leagues in the 2013-14 season, and Northwestern also finished near the bottom of the Big Ten. But between the second half…
Tag: Cougars
1. Illinois (6-1). Last week: 1 Illinois picked up its first loss at Miami (Fla.) but bounced back with a win against American. The Illini have the opportunity for a huge win Tuesday against Villanova at the Jimmy V Classic. 2. DePaul (6-1). Last week: 3…
DePaul (5-1) defeated Chicago State (2-7) Thursday for its third straight win and the program’s first 5-1 start under coach Oliver Purnell. The Blue Demons never trailed after opening the game on an 8-2 run. They took a 17-point lead into halftime and blew by the Cougars…
1. Illinois (6-0). Last week: 1 Illinois defeated Indiana State and Baylor to win the Las Vegas Invitational. The Illini have another tough matchup Tuesday at Miami (Fla.). 2. Northwestern (5-1). Last week: 2 Northwestern struggled with a poor opponent but won again when it beat…
Purdue defeated Brigham Young in overtime Wednesday to finish fifth at the 2014 Maui Invitational. This was the Boilermakers’ second straight fifth-place finish at the event. After losing to Kansas State in its first game, Purdue knocked off Missouri with ease to reach the fifth-place…
CHICAGO — UIC had a rough weekend at the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic. But with a home game against NAIA opponent St. Xavier on Tuesday, the Flames easily ended a three-game losing with a 87-76 win. “It felt good,” UIC coach Howard Moore said. “The…
UIC ended a three-game losing streak with a 87-76 win Tuesday against St. Xavier. It’s tough to learn too much from this win since St. Xavier is an NAIA opponent, but here is The Catch and Shoot’s reaction to the Flames’ victory: —Having Jay Harris and Lance…
With the college basketball season starting Friday, The Catch and Shoot is taking a look at the best- and worst-case scenarios for Chicago’s team. As you may have guessed, this series of posts tries to evaluate each team’s highest peak as well as their lowest…
1. Wichita State Wichita State is once again the nation’s top mid-major. The Shockers return their backcourt of All-American junior Fred VanVleet, junior Ron Baker and senior Tekele Cotton. Plus they have two talented newcomers in freshman Rashard Kelly and junior college transfer Tom Wamukota. 2. Gonzaga This…
1. Illinois Illinois is the only team in the state with a truly good chance at making the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The Illini return shooting guards Rayvonte Rice and Kendrick Nunn as well as big man Nnanna Egwu. In transfers Ahmad Starks (Oregon State) and Aaron Cosby (Seton Hall), the Illini…