Scouting @ college basketball
Scouting reports
North Florida (1-5) at Northwestern (7-1)
When: 8 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena
TV: ESPNU; Radio: WIND 560-AM
Skinny: North Florida is one of the four Division I schools in its first year of eligibility for the NCAA Tournament, but the Ospreys aren't exactly going to pull a North Dakota State and get there their first time out. North Florida, which already has lost by 21 at Notre Dame, 16 at Illinois State and 22 at Alabama, has its bigger issues on defense. That suggests the Wildcats could enjoy another shooting night similar to their Big Ten record 20 3-pointers Sunday. NU owns a six-game winning streak. A win today would mark the program's longest streak since Ricky Byrdsong's 1993-94 squad opened 9-0.
American (1-8) at DePaul (6-3)
When: 7:30 p.m. at Allstate Arena
Web: depaulbluedemons.com
Skinny: American went to the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons - and had eventual Final Four team Villanova on the ropes in the first round last year (the Eagles led by 14 early in the second half) before falling 80-67. Alas, American lost seven seniors from that squad. The Eagles do unveil 6-foot-9 junior forward Vlad Moldoveanu today. He transferred in from George Mason. DePaul continues to soldier on without junior center Mac Koshwal. Sophomore guards Jeremiah Kelly and Mike Bizoukas have combined for a nice 41-to-18 assist-to-turnover ratio, but the Demons are shooting 39 percent from the floor and 53 percent from the line.
Oregon State (4-4) at UIC (1-6)
When: 7 p.m. at UIC Pavilion
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM
Skinny: We're contractually obligated to start by mentioning Oregon State coach Craig Robinson (the former Northwestern assistant) is President Obama's brother-in-law. With that out of the way, please know the Beavers average 17.4 turnovers per game. That's way too many for the Princeton offense. Couple that with UIC's solid field-goal defense (39.9 percent) and there's a shot for the Flames to stay in the game. Alas, UIC needs to start making shots. According to kenpom.com, the Flames rank 334th out of 347 Div. I teams in offensive efficiency.
Loyola (6-2) at Bradley (5-3)
When: 7:05 p.m. at Carver Arena
Radio: WAUR 930-AM, WNTD 950-AM, WLUW 88.7-FM
Skinny: It's a battle between our state's most underrated teams. The Ramblers aren't flashy, but they stick to the fundamentals to get the shots they want in the halfcourt. Plus, high-flying sophomore guard Jordan Hicks returned to the court Saturday. He hit a 3-pointer in the first 20 seconds of his season debut, but little else during his 9 minutes. He should play more today. Bradley has played just twice since its 72-68 win over Illinois on Nov. 28. Taylor Brown, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, leads the Braves with 16.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.