Maui "Wow"ie!

UC beat down the 24th-ranked Commodores from Vanderbilt last night. The Bearcats outmuscled, outmanned, and outhustled the Nashvillians, and beat them at their own game: defense. Also, 23-offensive rebounds?!? Yes! Let's not dwell on this game too long, however, as we have an even bigger game tonight against #22 Maryland. The first prime-time look at the Bearcats did provide much to be thankful about. For starters, our defense came out to play in the first half and was able to hold some momentum and finish the game, even after our usual post-halftime stupor. Gates showed us he's the man, Cashmere had signs of the greatness that is to come, and most importantly, the Cats showed us they can win with Vaughn in foul trouble.

Player of the game

Yancey MF'ing Gates. Did you see his presence down low? Did you see it, son? This dude's for real. Rebounding, dunking, blocking shots, and actually playing defense? Thank you for honing some skills in the off-season, Yancey. You have set me free! I'm getting chills right now thinking of what's going to happen when Gates and Ibrahima Thomas stand on the court together.

Underrated player of the game

The easy, logical choice would be Dion Dixon with his double-double and off-the-bench-heroics. I'm going to go with Wright, though. Since I was a wee boy and watched the legendary Nicholas Van Exel run up and down the court, I promised myself that i would always be a fan of Point guards. Surprisingly, it seems that UC hasn't had that same passion, and Cashmere Wright is the first true PG we've had since. He controlled the offense. He slashed. He dashed. He played defense. He may have missed some layups, but they'll start to fall. Early choice for EFPOTT (Eric's favorite player on the team).

Non-player of the game

The rebounding numbers on the stat sheet. If you listen to almost every college basketball analyst, they'll tell you that the team with the most rebounds usually wins the game. TruthBTold.

Bummer o' the game

Turnovers - 18 to be exact. It's the same old story written again and again. Fortunately, we handled it. But, come on.

D-D-D-Defeeeennnnsee! Defense wins championships, people. And so does brawn, talent, and rebounding.

Let's bring on the Terps tonight.

Doing Work on Labor Day

"The time has come.”

The air cools, and the days grow shorter. The signs of the time are quite clear: the war-battled veteran has been dethroned by the newest member in the Eastern confederacy of modern-era war games; thoughts of revenge and of dominance resonate through the Jersey air. Known for their ferocity, young style, and something called “defense,” the new Cats on the block are out to prove that they aren’t a one-and-done kind of team: they’re the start of the new way. The historic champs, known for its diligence in leadership and excellence in ground attack, are looking to reclaim what they feel is rightfully theirs, and reclaim the title.

The lights flash on, the crowd is in place – a new season awaits. The mighty Bearcats arrive along the Jersey shore to do battle with the historic Knights of Rutgers. Who will win? Will There Be Bloodshed (hopefully not)(well, ok, some – as long as it’s minor and no one needs to go to the hospital, because I’ve heard the Jersey hospitals are simply subpar)?

Take a deep breath. The time has come.

*cue amazingly awesome ESPN college football music*

The Cincinnati Bearcats head over to Piscataway, NJ as the defending Big East Champions, defenders of justice and peace, and defending dominators of Rutgers in recent years. They’ve got something to prove: that they’re still the best, and despite losing their entire defense (and playing a whole new defensive formation), they’re going to win. Rutgers, on the other hand, is tired of being picked to win the Big East every year, only to have their season ruined by the mighty Bearcats at crunch time, and it’s quite clear that they’ll do everything they can to prevent the opening of the new season at home with yet another loss to Cincinnati.

The Bearcats’ heroic leader, Tony Pike, is going to be a monster. If he can stay healthy, he could even be on a few people’s list for a Heisman candidate. Pike’s main weapons, Gilyard and Barnett , will be big this year too, spreading out the offense and opening up a running game lead by Pead, something Cincinnati didn’t have much confidence with last year. Rutgers is known for its explosive offense and impenetrable offensive line, but Bearcats can and will step up. Let us not forget that the Rutgers star quarterback will be not playing in this game, and a young rube will be thrust into the spotlight on night one. Will he fail? Let’s certainly hope so. A few key interceptions and fumble recoveries can make all the difference in any football game, but nothing to especially count on.

The bells and toils and troubles of the working class may be put on hold for one day a year, but these two groups of men will clash and struggle, all for the price of an admission ticket. Will it be the upcoming, hot shot, attractive Bearcats who leave with a single fist raised high in the night, or will the Scarlet Knights, old and weak, with the unbearable scent of the state of New Jersey, leave on segways and stroking their pencil-thin beards, hailed as the victors?

What’s the consenting predicting here at Bearcats Blog to the outcome of this epic struggle of heroic proportions? 24-14 UC. Gilyard is going to run back a kick early in the game, similar to how he did against West Virginia last year, and it will immediately kill Rutgers’ spirits. They have a good defense, so we think they’ll be able to hang with UC’s high powered offense most of the time, but if UC can keep Rutgers’ defense on the field it will surely break down, and ultimately it will be Cincinnati that will prevail. Pike will end the game with 200+ yards, two TD passes, one TD run, and no interceptions. Gilyard will have 150 yards receiving and another 75 yards on returns, with two TDs (one receiving and one kick return). Pead will rush for around 100 +/-, leading an all-out offensive attack against the home team. Rutgers’ quarterback, who has only taken a few snaps before, will play very cautiously, leading to many small gains but no game-opening plays. He’ll finish respectably but will not be able to execute the crutial 3^rd down in the 4^th quarter and will have one interception.

So, what do you think about the game? Obviously Cincinnati will win, so if you think otherwise, your opinions are not welcome here. We like to keep the rep as being the factual evidence, so we don’t want false lies being spread here. Seriously, don’t post.

EMBARRASSMENT

Pretty much all that is needed to be said about the loss today to Depaul.

I don't even have the words to describe disappointment.  What happened?  Did Cronin push them too far after making them leave the locker room after the Louisville loss?  Does he not have the ability to excite/pump them up?  Do they have no pride?!? These, and many other questions, will maybe never be answered.  I just want this season to be over - I hope we don't even make the NIT.  We surely don't deserve it.

Cap'n Crunch

It is now crunch time.  Correction.  It was crunch time last week.  We stepped up to the challenge against a solid West Virginia team, but shot ourselves in the foot (not literally, Plaxico) in the blowout loss at Syracuse on Sunday.  With two regular season games remaining, we're in "dece" shape.  We can't afford to have any more of these "not ready to play" games.  Fortunately for us, the games remaining are against two of the lowest teams in the Big East standings.  However, every remaining game must be approached with the utmost seriousness. 

Here is what we can expect:  South Florida is not a good team by any means, but they definitely have some players, most notably Dominique Jones (18 points per game).  They're a team that lacks depth, especially with several key injuries.  They're a team that beat Marquette.  (Remember how we lost to Marquette by eleventy billion?)  This game, however, is not about  South Florida.  This game is about whether or not we want to go to the Big Dance or not.  If we come to play with the passion of a desperate team trying to prove ourselves, then we should win in impressive fashion, party like rock stars in Tampa, and come home to ready ourselves for Seton Hall.  If we go into the game thinking it's just a gimmie against a struggling 3-13 Big East team, and we go away from our game plan of giving the man-child a touch every possession and kick it out to the guards if the inside shot isn't there, then we could very easily struggle and possibly leave the sunshine state headed for the NIT.

From here on out, every game is judgment day.  We control how favorably we will be judged.  Prediction:  we win 63-49, and Yancy Gates comes home a father.

-Keller

NCAA Tournament Style of Play

Much like last night's game, I will mention in brevity the former Bearcat coach that is Bob Huggins.

Now that that is over, let us move onward to bigger and better things, such as, I don't know, the fact that Cincinnati finally beat a top-15 RPI team?! Or that dunk Yancy Gates had at the beginning of the game (I know you talked about it around the water cooler)?! Yes, Cincinnati finally played up to their potential and beat a big-name tournament team, and yes, we defeated Cincinnati's Prodigal (or dysfunctional) son returned for a moment of glory. We finally played to Cronin's acceptance level, and looked like the UC teams of old.

And I just want to say, that every time Wilks touches the ball my heart is literally in my throat, and I want to scream. But he didn't do too much damage, and was flying all over the court trying to be Space Jam and rebound dunk from the opposite side of the court.

Player of the Game Yancy Gates

Like there was any argument. Gates played big-boy basketball: the kind of game we need every game down the stretch. The best game I've seen him play.

Underrated Player of the Game Rashad Bishop
Bish had a pretty solid game overall. He played some solid D and handled the ball fairly well. He's still no pure point guard, but he alleviates some pressure from Vaughn, which down the stretch in the NCAA TOURNAMENT, he'll be what we need to make our Cinderella story run to the championship

Non-Player of the Game Bob Huggins
The dude deserves some credit. He was UC's coach for 399 victories, and is a main reason why we've known such success in Cincinnati. Even though he was the opposing coach, he deserves the nod.

Bummer of the Game Offensive Rebounding

On both ends of the court. We didn't really do it all too well, and West Virginia seemed to have half of their points on second chance offensive boards. It really hurt not having Williams in there throwing bows around to get some boards, but we made do and won the game. He's questionable for Sunday, and we need him down low to bang up against those bigger Syracuse inside players.

The End is Not the End

Looking back a few posts, I've noticed that it has been mentioned, in almost any post (by myself),that UC is in a "must-win" situation.  Such is life in the Big East conference.  And this scenario especially falls into line tonight against West Virginia.  

ESPN's Bracketology still has Cincinnati listed in the elusive "first four out" category for the NCAA tournament.  We've ultimately lost our chance in the regular season to beat a ranked opponent, so there's really no room for mistakes the rest of the year.  

I see two options for this game:  Win or DIE.  End of story.  There's no other options, we HAVE to win this game.  If we can't beat West Virginia at home, then we can't beat Syracuse at Syracuse, and we will soon find ourselves moping through the NIT tournament.  There's no reason to believe we can't beat West Virginia, especially at home.  We played pretty well against an amazing Pitt team, and very well (except for rebounding) against a 1 or 2 seed Louisville team.  We come out agressive, hold WVU to 20% shooting like last season, and actually see some of our jumpers fall, we'll be around the water cooler tomorrow talking about that awesome dunk Yancey Gates had, or that ridiculous behind the back alley oop from the opposite side of the court that Vaughn made to Brandon Miller.  Otherwise, it'll be coffee, spiked with Vodka, and Bob Huggins will be clucking back to WV with his big bird suit on.

Here's how you can play along at home: either a) go to the game if you're in Cincinnati, or b) go to your respective bars, clubs, living rooms, or computers, and cheer your little faces off.  And LET'S GO CATS!!

Tournament Resume Reset

From now until Selection Sunday, we will be examining what has to be done for the Bearcats to make it to the Dance. Unless they pull a "Cincinnati-sports" and start losing constantly, thus crushing our feeble hopes like so many oyster crackers onto the bowl of chili (and tears) that's sits before us on the dinner table of life. Let's do this:

Bracketology:
Still has the Cats in the "last four out" group after the beating that we took in Pittsburgh (which was, by the way, not a bad game by the Bearcats. We hit shots and I would argue that we played the best defense that has ever been played on a team that still shot over 65% from the floor. We turned the ball over too many times in the first half leading to an early deficit that we could not crawl out of. In many ways, the UC-Pitt game mirrored the countless times that the Steelers have beaten the Bengals in the last few years. Get an early lead and then play solidly the rest of the way and don't allow any big runs. And, injure any Cincinnati player that is giving you trouble.) (How's that for a parenthetical addendum?)

Remaining games that MUST be won:
Either Louisville on Saturday or Syracuse on March 1st.
South Florida -- March 3rd
Seton hall -- March 7th

**We need to beat a legit ranked team. Duh. Louisville would be a HUGE win. Doy. The wrinkle is, there's a good chance we can get away with losing to WVU next Thursday if we're able to beat Loserville or Syralose(rs) (I know, thanks) because we would still be undefeated against nontournament teams as long as WVU doesn't shit the bed against a the relatively easy opponents that they have left this season.

Remaining game that I care most about:
West Virginia -- Feb. 26th

**The Bob Huggins supporters wore out their welcome in this city like two years ago. The dude was a good coach who did a lot for the program, collected large and well-deserved compensation for it, brought in some great players, kind of got a little slimey in the last couple of years, moved on, and (probably) inadvertantly drove all the rednecks and briars in the entire UC fan base to show their real colors and stop supporting the UC basketball program. I would love for guys like Mick Cronin and Deonta Vaughn, who constantly have to hear about all this Huggins Glory Days shit, to go 2 and 0 against him and the toothless Huggins fans. Sure I'd give Huggins a clap or two when they announce him at the Shoe a week from today, but then I'd revel in the Bearcats just stomping on Huggins' team and embarrasing their families.

The Straight Gravy:
UC needs a top 20 win and 12 losses or less and they are IN the tournament. Period. Exclamation point!

This Is It, Don't Get Scared Now

Pittsburgh. No. 1 RPI. Defending Big East Champions. These, and many other adjectives describing Pitt may make them sound like a formidable opponent, but that's because they are.

Later today, our mighty Bearcats will make the trek to the Steel City for a showdown that could go down in the books as one of epic proportions. Just think how awesome it'd be if we wake up tomorrow morning, fresh off of our victory celebration, to watch 3 straight hours of Sportscenter, just too see the likes of Scott Van Pelt and Stu Scott recap what some may call an "upset." Pretty awesome, huh?

The thing is: it could happen. Yes, Pittsburgh has 3 potential All-Big East picks in Young, Blair, and Fields, but we have a little unknown player named "Deonta Vaughn" who could, at any time, score 100 straight points, and a growing man-child in Yancey Gates, hungry for annihilation. It won't be easy. Some people aren't too optimistic about this game, but I say, "Be optimistic." Here are some key strategies, surely to allow us to come out the victor.

Rebound the Frickin' Ball
Everyone knows we got manhandled against St. John's, but we were the better team, so it could more or less "slip by." Pittsburgh is not going to miss easy shots, and they are not going to let us get any. Come on, Cats (Gates, Williams, Toyloy), get in there and throw some D's and bows on it!

Literally Shoot the Lights Out
We shot 62% against St. John's. 62%?!?! Now I'm not expecting another performance like that, but honestly, it has to be close. The way this is accomplished is to NOT SETTLE FOR 3's! I know we have some shooters, but it's not alwaysthe best option. Unless it's Vaughn. We need to work their inside men with some shots down low, maybe try to get them into foul trouble.

Don't Get Intimidated
Most important point. Gates has shown he can roll with just about anyone, and Vaughn is one of the best pure shooters in the league, so why not take that into this game and act like you own Pitt's gym? Yes, there'll be thousands of screaming Pitt fans, but do what they you should do, and picture them all naked, then chuckle because who comes to a basketball game naked? That'll ease the tension. You could even play that "ooh ooh oh OOH OHH Oh Oh oh oh" song they play before every game, that'll get'em fired up.

The Smackdown Layeth

Cincinnati completed its second sweep of the B.East season, capitalizing on an "easy-win" situation over St. John's.  7-5, now tied for 6th in the B.East.  

How about Yancey manning up beyond belief?  And when was the last time that Vaughn was the 3rd leading scorer when he still scored about his average?  (Never).  We tried our best to lose by giving St. John's literally infinity offensive rebounds; however, they're St. John's, so they didn't capitalize.  After Georgetown we were selected as one of the ever-coveted "last-four-out-of-the-tourney" team.  I'm looking on the bright side of things, as far as UC is concerned, and my optimism may be more wishful thinking than anything else, but regardless, we have a good team this year, THIS year.  Time will tell how the season plays out, but I think we deserve to go to the NCAA tournament, and I think we will.  And when this happens, I will fill out every bracket with the Bearcats as the victors, naturally.  

Player of the Game: Yancey Gates

Making his second straight POTG nomination, Gates did some serious work and took it to the struggling Red Storm.  He made mere child's play of their big men, throwing down 21 in one of his best overall games.  Good work, kid.

Underrated Player of the Game: Mike Williams

There you go, son!  Finally getting back into it!  Williams is Gates' compliment, and with the added threat down low we're going to be hard to beat during (what's that?) TOURNAMENT TIME!

Bummer of the Game: Rebounds

As I said before, we got manned up in the o-rebounding category.  We do that to Pitt or Louisville, and keep giving them second chances, we will get run over.  We're lucky it was St. Johns.

St. John's: Trap Game Or Next Stop On The Tourney Train?

FIRST. FOUR. OUT! FIRST. FOUR. OUT! Say it with me: FIRST FOUR OUT!

For those of you who 1. Have followed Bearcats basketball for the last three years and 2. Know anything about college basketball media, attaching "First four out" to the Cats is a pretty loaded statement.

After UC went into D.C. last weekend and smacked the Hoyas in the mouth, ESPN's Bracketologist, Joe Lunardi, has shifted his prediction of UC to "Not in" the NCAA tournament, to one of the last four team's that will be left out of the tournament "if (and this is important) Selection Sunday was today."

The last time UC was mentioned in the NCAA tournament conversation was about 10 minutes after the selections were made for the 2006 tournament. This makes the Bearcat's inclusion into the "Last Four Out" category a pretty big deal.

The next step, of course, is to move into the actual predicted field for March Madness and that is only done by winning games. Especially games you should win, like tonight against St. John's. Here's what it will take:

1. Shrug off complacency
The Cats are getting the most cred any UC basketball team has received since 2006, before any of these players were wearing the black and red. The way veterans deal with that cred is to continue to prove that they ARE on that level.

2. More Solid defense from Davis and Bishop
Undoubtedly, the play of these two guys has taken the Cats from where they were early in the conference season to where they are now. Them complimenting Vaughn and the more or less consistent play of Gates and Williams down low, makes for an outstanding press and great pressure defense in the half court man-to-man.

3. Hey, let's stop making these stupid turnovers, you guys
Taking care of the ball is a constant worry for this PG-less team, especially for Vaughn and the guards. You know who doesn't make turnovers, Rashad Bishop (look it up). I'd like to see him control the ball at the top of the key a little more, let Vaughn run free and set up a good shot.

4. 5/3 Arena
This game, and all subsequent home games need to be sold out and absolutley nuts. I want the damn thing to burn down when Huggins comes to town. I'm about to book a flight for that Thursday I'm so fired up.

Bearcats Make Hoyas Georgefrown

Georgetown Sweep. 6-5.  Mature.  Attractive.  These are phrases that a mere 3 weeks ago we would have uttered only under our breath, embarrassed to say we actually "believed" they would happen this season.  But, they did.  The Bearcats took care of business in the Verizon center, overcoming yet another deficit, putting excitement in a season that started bleak and depressing.  

Yes, we swept a young Georgetown team who, when faced with a challenge, has failed all year.  But last time I checked (and I checked on Saturday) they still had "Georgetown" on their jerseys, and a sweep of Georgetown is good no matter what.  THIS is the Cats, the team Cronin has claimed actually does exist all season long, and the NCAA tourney-worthy team.  But, BUT, we are in the Big East, where anything and everything can happen.  While the Cats are worthy of our praise/laud/contentment, there is still a long remaining schedule of 7 B.East games, none of which are going to be a walk in the park.  So, let us continue with high hopes, but still that sense of urgency.

Player of the Game (besides Vaughn): Yancey MFing Gates.  

The difference Gates has down low compared to McClain and Toyloy is not really worth putting into words, because Gates is a MAN, and will literally rip limbs off if need be whereas Biggy cries at the thought of contact.  The Cats turned to Sir Yancey late in the game to do serious work down low, and he was the reason we won.

Underrated Player of the Game: Larry Davis

Consecutive good games is giving a prior LD-Hater (myself) a reason to be excited and go out and buy a #11 jersey.

Non-Player(s) of the Game: The UC Fans in Section 433

That's right folks, we were at the game.  My trusty counterpart and I made the trek to D.C. from NYC to cheer on our beloved Cats.  I personally even got the post-game wink from none other than Coach Cronin.

Bummer of the Game: Turnovers (again)

We had to go to OT to beat a very struggling Georgetown team with 17 Turnovers.  We have no chance against the likes of Louisville and Pitt.  With Vaughn having 6 of his own, we need to figure something out.

US Bank Arena Showdown!

It's becoming quite normal for us Bearcat faithful to see a couple different teams represent Cincinnati on the basketball court.  You have the second-half team in the Villanova game, who settled for 3's (while not making them), couldn't drive, had only 11 free throws, and played turnover-full (17!) ball.  Not surprisingly, we lost.  

Then you have Notre Dame-game UC, with selfless play, made shots, drives to the lane, and only, wait for it, 5 TURNOVERS!!  It's amazing how different teams show up at different times.  Granted that Villanova is a super hot and sexy team right now, and Notre Dame seems to be in a downward spiral of destruction, but we showed up on Wednesday night.  

We didn't really stop Harrongody, but who cares?  It's obvious he can't win a game by himself.  We've said it here like 400 times, but UC is going to win if they play turnover-free ball.  We've got the talent, why not just pay attention when you're passing the ball?  Only committing 5 Turnovers in any game is excellent.  

Player of the Game(besides Vaughn): Larry Davis

Never thought I'd say this one, but LD came with that fire only a man named Larry can fully bring.  He ran, he jumped, he shot, he scored, he passed, he stopped the 3-point threat of McAlarney, and he even moved some people in the crowd.

Underrated Player of the Game: Yancey Gates

Gates put in a solid effort once again.  This kid is going to be a stud in the years to come, and I just hope he stays at UC.  Let's hope he doesn't do the whole "Demarr Johnson/Kenny Satterfield" thing and think he's NBA worthy at an early age.  We all saw how that worked out.

Bummer of the Game: US Bank Arena

Time and time again US Bank area shows how to put on a classic basketball game.  With great atmosphere, easy access for students, and an all-around "fun experience," the question arises: Why doesn't UC play here every game?  Way to go Bankers!  Sarcasm....

Why does UC think it's a good idea to play here?

'Nova Preview

The Bearcat faithful were shown a glance into the future on Wednesday night against Georgetown (you know, the one where UC is riding away into the sunset with 3 straight NCAA championship rings).  Before we all book our trips to the NCAA tournament, bust out the champagne, or overwhelm the Bearcats online store to get the sweet new gear, let's discuss some suggestions of how and why UC will get there, starting with the Villanova game on Sunday.

Suggestion #1:

Stop Scottie Reynolds.  Villanova has a really good front court. That we know.  Reynolds is a D O double G on the b-ball court, and stopping him is of utmost priority, and is the reason we beat Villanova last year.  Bishop is the obvious pick for this role.  Villanova also has a shooter in Corey Stokes at 45% from 3.  We'll see if UC remembers how to guard players outside the arc, which has been our downfall in B.East play thus far.

Suggestion #2:

Play turnover-free ball.  Sounds easy, right?  Just don't screw up, it's a piece o' cake.  We saw how 10 turnovers in the first half compared to only 4 in the second half can elevate us to beat a team like Georgetown.  Villanova's got the speed that'll translate a bad pass by Vaughn into 2 points before Yancey Gates wakes up to notice.

Suggestion #3:
Somehow rig Villanova's court in a way that will take Reynolds and/or Cunningham out of the game with a "sprained ankle."  Hey, it worked with DuJuan Summers of Georgetown, so it's gotta work with 'Nova.  And it's not cheating, it's "smart."

Vaughn's gonna drop 20+ points, and if we can just get another Georgetown-like effort from Gates on D, Dixon on offense, and Bishop on both ends of the court, we'll talk on Monday as thenew 5-4 Cincinnati Bearcats.

With the win over G-town, this game doesn't necessarily fall into the must win category that we're usually in.  That is, as long as we beat Notre Dame AND Georgetown again in the next week, and pull out another 3 wins.  Your call.

That's What I'm Talking About Bishop, Get Some!

UC beat the 22nd ranked Georgetown Hoyas last night.

There is no need to blow this win out of proportion. Georgetown was missing one of their top players (probably their BEST player) with DaJaun Summers on the bench.

We can't get too excited because Georgetown is a team that is struggling and had lost three straight before getting to Cincinnati last night.

Let's try not to put too much stock in one good game.

We shouldn't get too jacked up, but we're going to anyway.

Rashad Bishop is emerging from his shell and slowly becoming an outstanding Pete Mickael-ish threat on offense, Dion Dixon is turning into an Eric Martin clone (yeh, I went there), and Alvin Mitchell finally mixed a bit of coffee in with his cocoa and showed some energy on the floor last night. I know Cronin has said it about this team ad nauseum, but this team is finally maturing and realizing what it takes to win at this level.

It will take another win against either Villanova or Notre Dame to be completely convinced that this game wasn't just a flash in the pan for this year's Cats. Taking care of business tonight was step one, and this team stepped up.

Player of the Game: Rashad Bishop
Has realized that he needs to drive and dish and/or shoot more for this team to be successful. He's not a freshman anymore and he knows that now.

Underrated Player of the Game: Yancey Gates
Four blocks, including a clutch rejection down the stretch to preserve the lead.

Non-player of the game: Mick Cronin
Facing a Princeton-style offense, no back door baskets. That's good big man coaching and the first clearly well-coached game of the season for Cronin.

Bummer of the game: Turnovers
Very very very stupid turnovers (mainly in the first half) is what kept the Hoyas close when the Cats could have got some mid-game seperation.

Hoyas Are Bearcats First Step to Becoming a "Good" Team This Year

Ultimately, the measure of whether this Bearcats season was a good one or a bad one will be determined by whether or not UC finishes in the top 9 of the conference with at least a .500 record in conference play. I think we can all agree to that.

To that end, the next four games the Bearcats play WILL decide whether this season is going to be good or bad.

It's rare that a team gets a chance to make such a black or white statement, but the next two weeks is just that for UC:

G-Town, @ Villanova, Notre Dame, @Georgetown.

UC has not lost to any bad teams yet (note: Providence was the worst with an RPI of 72) and they haven't beaten any good teams. Georgetown, Villanova, Notre Dame, and West Virginia are the four NCAA tourney teams that UC has a legit shot to take down and they play 3 of those teams in their next four games.

Of all the teams in the B.East, Cincy matches up best with Georgetown, mainly because they can't shoot. Every team that has beaten us has shot the lights out it seems like, but it''s a good bet the Hoyas won't be able to do that tonight.

Gates will have to be a man down low and keep his fouling to a minimum and Williams will have to keep up with 6'10" freshman Greg Monroe, who plays more like a small forward than a Center. And, has one of those really douchey chin strap beards.