Food at the UIC Pavillion is pretty bad, although I think that it's much the same for any big sports venue. There are a bunch of resturants in the area, though, so if you want to walk a short ways in the Chicago cold to get lunch, that would probably be your best bet!
As far as pizza goes, Chicago is known for its pizza, or so my parents tell me
If you're staying at a hotel, you should probably just ask at the front desk - I don't know what's around the area specifically.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in two (ish) weeks!