The Maroons hit the road this weekend to take on NYU and Brandeis University. The Maroons are coming off of a solid home stand against Emory and Rochester in which they split the pair of games. The Maroons head into the weekend with a 5–4 record in the UAA, which positions them in fourth place behind Wash U, Emory, and Case Western Reserve.  

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Chicago faces some of the worst teams in the UAA. NYU and Brandeis have a combined UAA record of 4–14. However, the road has not been kind to the Maroons this season. With a 2–8 record on the road this season, the Maroons are looking to add two huge wins this weekend. Fourth-year guard Jake Fenlon commented on this weekend’s games, saying, “These are huge games for us. Obviously, every team in the UAA is tough, but if we want to cement our place amongst the conference’s elite, then we need to win these games.” The Maroons have recent success against both NYU and Brandeis, knocking both of them off earlier in the year at Ratner Athletic Center.  

Some of the keys to the games this weekend include controlling tempo by limiting transition points and playing solid defense. Against NYU earlier in the year, the Maroons dominated the game early, but NYU caught fire in the second half and brought the game to within two points.  

Second-year point guard Jordan Baum discussed the earlier game against NYU and said, “They are a tough, scrappy team. They are young and can got hot quickly. We have to close out to shooters and limit them in transition. I feel like we let our guard down a little bit earlier in the year. We were in control, but then they made a huge run and caught us by surprise. We need to keep our foot on the gas and put them away early.” If the Maroons put their foot down this weekend, they could come out in third place in the UAA with three huge conference games left to play.  

The Maroons tip off against NYU at 8 p.m. E.T. Friday and then tip off again Sunday at 12 p.m. against Brandeis.