On paper, the 9–5 Maroons head into their matchup against NYU as the apparent underdog. The Violets enter the game having only dropped one of their 14 games, and are currently ranked No. 9 in the nation. However, as is traditionally true when these two squads face off, there is much more at stake than sheer win-loss records and rankings.
When Chicago hosted NYU last season, a piece of the UAA title was on the line. NYU was ranked No. 11 at the time and boasted a 20–3 record, while the Maroons had dropped six games at that point in the season. All of that, however, mattered little as the Maroons outrebounded, outshot and had more points off the bench in the match, and eventually won the game 66–55.
As is tradition, the game against NYU falls on a themed night. While last year the glow of neon propelled Chicago to victory in the second annual “Neon Night,” this yearthe squad will be playing under a more enchanting light.
“Hoops at Hogwarts” will aim to bring out basketball and Harry Potter fans alike to cheer on both the men’s and women’s basketball teams this Friday. The Maroons will look to win not only the game, but also the House Cup as they suit up in their Gryffindor gear for the night. Not coincidentally, NYU will sport the color purple—make what Ravenclaw association you will.
Chicago is coming off a 1–1 weekend on the road. After falling by a margin of three to No. 20 Carnegie Mellon, the squad bounced back to defeat the Case Western Spartans this past weekend. The team is hoping the win will carry over to this evening.
Starting second-year point guard Elizabeth Nye said, “It felt good to get our first conference win last weekend against Case. I think that win and the extremely close game against Carnegie gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.” Nye is averaging 10 points a game and is joined in double digits by third-year forward Britta Nordstrom, who is averaging 13.
The Maroons are deep, however, with six players averaging more than five points per game. Many of those players, namely a pair of second-year guards Katie Anderson and Madison Dunbar, have found their stride recently and will look to be threats against the Violets. First-year forward Ola Obi is averaging nine points and nine rebounds a game to lead the Maroons on the boards.
After a tough matchup with NYU, the South Siders will have to turn around and do it all over again, sans the excitement of Hoops at Hogwarts, as they take on Brandeis on Sunday. The Judges are 8–5 on the season and have dropped games to both NYU and Rochester thus far in conference play.
Nye said, “Our conference is extremely difficult and on any given day any team
could win. That being said we’re still in it. We 100 percent still have a shot at UAA title if we take it one game at a time. NYU is a good team but we always play well on theme nights. We’re solid one through 14 and tomorrow is the perfect time to show that to everyone.”
