UIC Splits Road Trip at Youngstown State

Strong 3-point defense continues, albeit against a poor shooting team.

UIC continued on shorthanded on the road against Youngstown State, winning the first game 67-66 on a buzzer-beating tip-in by Michael Diggins. The Penguins responded with a 85-78 victory thanks to a dominant performance at the free throw line (20-25).

Teyvion Kirk filled up the stat sheet once again for the Flames (8-5, 5-3) and Maurice Commander provided a reliable backcourt mate. But the absences of Zion Griffin and RayQuawndis Mitchell continue to hurt UIC as Jamie Ahale, Commander and Kirk are forced to play heavy minutes.

Who Takes The Final Shot?

In the first game, UIC was down 66-65 with 8.6 seconds left with Youngstown State big man Naz Bohannon at the free throw line for two shots. He missed both, and Diggins rebounded the second attempt and immediately passed the ball. With the game on the line, UIC gave the ball to its best player, Kirk.

Ahale faked a screen for Kirk, which set off a ripple effect leading to a double-team against Kirk. With Ahale open for a deep three, Kirk opted for the difficult step back three that was strongly contested by Myles Hunter. Kirk airballed the three but Diggins crashed the offensive glass for an easy tip-in. The rest is history.

UIC will take the end result, but it wasn’t pretty. All things considered, you have to put the ball in the top player’s hands and hope for the best. Kirk is a dual-threat in that he can create for himself or others, so these situations will be more manageable with a player like Mitchell available.

Commander Becoming Great Complement to Kirk

With Kirk, you have to live with the good (14.8 points and 6.9 assists per game) and bad (54.8 ft% and 4.9 turnovers per game). Commander is coming into his own and benefitting from the extra minutes available. He’s become a nice backcourt mate alongside a high-usage player like Kirk.

This two game series against Youngstown State was a perfect example. Kirk committed ten turnovers across the two games but rebounded well and scored in double-figures. Commander, in a complementary role mostly off the ball, did not commit a single turnover in 76 minutes. He only contributed two assists, but he’s not asked to create in that capacity. Commander is in the game to keep the ball moving (think hockey assists, the pass that leads to the assist) and make the offense flow well, and to hit shots to keep the defense honest. He made nine three’s across the two games, and led UIC in scoring in the second game with 18 points (6-9 from three).

Commander is now shooting 35.5% from three on 5.2 attempts per game. That is critical when you consider Kirk’s struggles with his perimeter shot. Commander isn’t effective inside the arc, but as long as he continues his play from three (and the free throw line, key in late-game situations) he’s firmly entrenched in the rotation, even with the return of Griffin and Mitchell.

Howard’s Foul Trouble Issues Persist

UIC is 4-1 when Rob Howard plays at least 20 minutes. In those games, Howard averages 15.4 points, 7.2 rebounds. The Flames need its most well-rounded big man playing and not sitting with foul trouble. In the victory over Youngstown State, Howard thrived in typical fashion: 15 points, 3-4 from deep and seven rebounds. But in the loss, he only played 19 minutes and only scored six points on 1-4 from three. It’s important to note that Howard was in foul trouble in both games, and that Braelen Bridges is a more-than-capable backup big off the bench (he scored in double-digits in both games).

Howard’s shooting splits (50% from 2, 50% from three and 88.9% at the free throw line) are impressive but on a small sample size on low attempts. Regardless, he is a player UIC needs on the floor at the five. And he can potentially play alongside Bridges in a jumbo-sized lineup because he can shoot the three. Howard will need to manage his foul issues as conference play continues.