After a huge win in the season opener against Lake Forest, the Maroons look to keep the momentum rolling through the Chicago Classic this weekend. Chicago welcomes Washington University in St. Louis, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and UW–Stevens Point for a weekend of competitive play. The South Siders will play the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Friday and UW–Stevens Point on Saturday.

Chicago is just getting its season under way. Last week, the women took down Lake Forest 56–45 in their season opener, making UChicago undefeated at 1–0.

The Chicago Classic a unique event where each team gets to play two different opponents in a short time period. It is a competitive event for all the teams involved. The Maroons get the benefit of having two home games against tough opponents, while the other three schools involved have the chance to come together and play against competitive schools from the region early in the season. 

Third-year guard Stephanie Anderson logged 33 minutes, recording nine rebounds and three steals in last week’s victory against Lake Forest. She is ready for more action this weekend in the Classic.

“The Classic is really great opportunity for us to play against tough teams in back-to-back games. The team is definitely pumped up and ready for the challenge,” Anderson said.

Despite the excitement of hosting a tournament and the approaching Thanksgiving break, the Maroons remain focused on their opponents at hand. On Friday, they face their first opponent: the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). MSOE has yet to play this year and will open up its season in Chicago.  It is unclear whether MSOE will be successful this year. 

Last year, however, it finished last year 20–7. Because of its impressive record and weak schedule, MSOE missed out on a bid to the NCAA tournament. It is bringing back four of its five starters. It is fair to assume that this year’s MSOE squad might be as good or better than last year’s.

After Friday night’s game, the South Siders will have to bounce back quickly in order to play UW–Stevens Point on Saturday afternoon. UW–Stevens Point will enter the classic with a record of 1–0. It demolished Finlandia 92–45 last week. After its first game, it is clear that UW–Stevens Point shouldn’t be taken lightly.

However, just like the Maroons, it has to play back-to-back days. Stevens Point plays Wash U on Friday.  It and the Maroons should be equally fatigued on Friday, when the two face off.

UChicago knows that this weekend’s slate of games offers quite the test. “Both teams we are playing are very good teams that have a high chance to get to a bid for the NCAA tournament. This makes winning all the more important. If we win we can increase our chances of postseason play,” Anderson said.

The South Siders are looking forward to hosting the Chicago Classic this weekend. Chicago tips off against MSOE on Friday at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the game begins at 4 p.m, when Chicago will play UW–Stevens Point. After this weekend’s games, UChicago won’t play until it faces Texas–Dallas on Tuesday, November 24.