Scouting: Butler @ UIC

By Lindsey Willhite

Butler (19-9, 11-5) at UIC (7-21, 2-14)

When: 1 p.m. at UIC Pavilion

TV: CSN

Radio: WMVP 1000-AM

The skinny: Not even the fabulous Red Panda Acrobat, today’s halftime act, can upstage the final home game for UIC seniors Robo Kreps, Paul Carter, Brad Birton, K.C. Robbins and Jimmy Harding. Kreps ranks eighth on the Flames’ all-time scoring chart with 1,553 points. While he’s not going to catch the school’s trio of 2,000-point scorers — Cedrick Banks, Kenny Williams and Sherell Ford — his next target is Brian Hill (1,578 points). Carter, the Minnesota transfer, has delivered 14.4 points and 8.3 rebounds during his year at UIC. Birton (5.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg), the team’s third senior starter, has come on strong lately. Robbins (4.0 ppg) enjoyed a few big nights this year — including 12 points in the opener at Pittsburgh — while Harding owns 15 career points as a four-year walk-on. Butler has won five games in a row to clamber back to the NCAA Tournament bubble. The run includes a 72-65 win over the Flames on Feb. 7 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.