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Horizon League Basketball: Northern Kentucky vs. Illinois-Chicago game preview

By Bryan Mauro

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 17: Lavone Holland II #30 of the Northern Kentucky Norse dribbles against Dominique Hawkins #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 17: Lavone Holland II #30 of the Northern Kentucky Norse dribbles against Dominique Hawkins #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 17: Lavone Holland II #30 of the Northern Kentucky Norse dribbles against Dominique Hawkins #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 17: Lavone Holland II #30 of the Northern Kentucky Norse dribbles against Dominique Hawkins #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Northern Kentucky Norse and the Illinois-Chicago Flames will meet in a pivotal late-season Horizon League basketball matchup.

Where: UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois

Date and time: 8:00 PM EST on Friday, Feb. 23, 2018

TV:  Check Local Listings or ESPN3

Coming into the season, the Northern Kentucky Norse were the favorites to win the regular-season crown in the Horizon League. If not for a surprising season by the Wright State Raiders, the Norse would be holding serve and keeping up their end of the bargain. The Norse have appeared to be a matchup nightmare for most of the teams in the Horizon League this season.

The Norse came into the season after giving Kentucky all they could handle in the first round of the NCAA tournament a year ago. As conference play winds down, will the Norse find their way back into the NCAA tournament?

The UIC Flames are an upstart program and they had some expectations coming into the year. The Flames had a miserable non-conference stretch, though, and many of their fans figured it could be a lost season. The Flames seem to have righted the ship in conference play and are playing some of the best basketball in the country going into conference tournament time.

The Flames are not a team to be taken lightly and can absolutely win the Horizon League tournament and grab the automatic bid to the Big Dance. If the Flames do make the NCAA Tournament, they are going to make a Power-6 school really have to sweat one out and are going to take them down to the wire. This is an experienced team who has learned how to win.