Nov. 9, 2007

UIC vs. Bradley Game Notes in PDF Format

Chicago, Ill.- The UIC men's basketball team officially opens the 2007-08 season at home this Saturday night against Missouri Valley power Bradley at the UIC Pavilion.

Tip-off between the Flames and the Braves is set for 7:00 p.m.

This marks only the third all-time meeting between the two intrastate rivals. Bradley won the two previous meetings, including last year's encounter. Both games were played in Peoria.

UIC is 31-30 all-time in season openers, holding a 6-5 mark in campaign lid-lifters under head coach Jimmy Collins.

Saturday's game will be Collins' first regular season game since last December, when he was forced to take a leave of absence to recover from an abdominal aortic aneurysm that caused him to miss the final 19 games of the 2006-07 season.

The veteran head coach will begin his 12th season at the helm of the Flames. Collins is UIC's all-time winningest head coach with 176 victories under his belt.

UIC will be led by junior guard Josh Mayo and junior center Scott VanderMeer. Mayo is UIC's top returning scorer after posting 12.2 ppg last year, while VanderMeer is one of the most fearsome forces in the paint nationally after ranking in the NCAA's top five in total blocks (111) and blocks per game (3.5 bpg).

Bradley will feature the Missouri Valley Conference's top returning scorers in senior guards Daniel Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch. Both averaged 13.2 points per game and were members of the Braves' 2006 NCAA Sweet 16 run and last year's NIT Round of 16 finish.

A limited number of tickets to the game are available by going to Ticketmaster or by walking up to the UIC Pavilion Box Office on Saturday.

For more information on Saturday's season-opening clash against the Braves at the Pavilion, click on the inaugural edition of UIC Men's Basketball 2007-08 Gameday Notes above.