In the last week, the Illinois-Chicago Flames` men`s basketball team has been to these exotic ports of call: Valparaiso, Ind.; Ames, Iowa; and Cleveland.
In Valparaiso, they struggled and lost. At Ames, they played well and lost. In Cleveland, they were stunned at the buzzer. And their reward for their midwinter sojourn?
A bus trip through a snowstorm to Macomb, Ill.
”We got off the plane at Midway at 10 this morning, and the bus was there waiting for us outside the terminal,” UIC coach Bob Hallberg said Sunday from his Holiday Inn room as he looked ahead to Monday night`s game against Western Illinois. ”Four hours later, it dropped us off at our hotel. We haven`t been home since Friday.
”We`ve just had too darn many road games, and it`s finally caught up with us.”
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In the beginning, the Flames seemed to enjoy the adventure of the road. Maybe that`s because two of their games were in Honolulu. But lately, the road has been taking its toll in more than spare change.
UIC, which opened the season with seven straight victories, has played nine of its last 13 games on the road. It has lost its last three games in a row and its last six road games to fall to 10-6.
”Each loss was hard to take,” said Hallberg, ”but each loss was different. At Valpo (a 75-68 upset loss) we probably turned in our worst performance of the year. At Iowa State, we were down three with a minute to go and missed a shot that would have tied it up. At Cleveland State, we had trouble shooting again (42 percent from the floor, 50 percent from the line).”
The result is that the Flames are 1-3 in the Mid-Continent and already in danger of being knocked out of the race for the regular-season title.
Hallberg can only hope that a return to the Pavilion, where UIC is 6-0 this season, 19-2 over the last two seasons, will provide a cure for his team`s hotel-motel blues.
Yes, there is still this to cling to: The Flames play eight of their last 12 games at home.
Countdown to 400: Hallberg has an excellent chance to record his 400th career coaching victory in the next week. If UIC knocks off Western Illinois Monday, Hallberg could pick up his 400th win against Northern Iowa Thursday night at the Pavilion. Failing that, he should get it Jan. 28 at the Pavilion against Eastern Illinois.
Windy City wrapup: Led by all-arounder Barry McDonald, who totaled 106.80, UIC`s gymnasts finished an impressive fourth in their own Windy City Invitational last weekend. Iowa won with 274.15 points, Ohio State was second with 273.60 and 1990 NCAA runner-up Minnesota was third with 270.85. UIC scored 270.55 to beat out Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois, among others.