TicketsEvery great season enjoys great moments. Trimming this year down to 10 was more difficult than I imagined, but anybody who enjoyed it since Day 1 understands why. Much thanks to Tom Gelehrter, Mo Egger, the good folks at BearcatLair and, obviously, the UC basketball team for helping me put this together. Enjoy the season. Again.
Here are Nos. 10-6. I will post 5-1 tomorrow at noon. Please feel free to send me emails (pauldehnerjr@gmail.com) or leave comments on the bottom with any disagreements, snubs or random quotes from Karate Kid II. All are welcome.
10 - overtime win
When:
Where: , Dunkin
The instant analysis: "The last play of regulation was the first possession we've played a 2-3 zone (all season)," Mick Cronin said. "We play it in practice every other day. George Jackson wanted me to play it the whole 2nd half and he might have been right. Right when he suggested it they went on a barrage of 3 pointers so I was scared to go to it. On that last possession I told the guys we're not going to foul and we're not going to lose on a lay up. We're going to make them make a shot here."
Moment inside the moment: With the most prolific scorer in the Big East owning an opportunity to cap a wild 16-point comeback, Cronin switched to a zone defense. Brooks was forced to fire a deep 3 and it missed. Twenty-three UC overtime points later, UC was officially on a role that would lead to the NCAA tournament.
My take: Perhaps this belongs on the "memorable moments" list rather than "top moments." The shear swing of emotions from invincibility to terror to relief over the course of a 30-minute period were unparalleled this year.
Fan's take: "The most memorable moment of the season for me was driving to as an alumnus (Go Bobcats!) and listening to a weak radio signal carrying the Bearcats vs Friars game. My friends and I got a late start so we drove east on 32 to listen to the game. Listening the whole way, we turned it off once UC got up big in the second half because it was basically inaudible. I checked the score when we got close to and was stunned when I saw it was a close game with three minutes to go. We got to our destination just in time to watch go up one and I remember thinking, "Our season can't go down like this." The three guys I was with were in the same mindset. I was worried that it was going to be a bad night but Mr. Bishop and crew saved our traveling party vicious depression. I remember thinking after that win that anything was possible with this team. I attended the last four or five home games but that game meant a lot to me and the Bearcat Faithful!"
-- Jake Baker
9 - Yancy Gates game-winner at
When:
Where:
The instant analysis: Gates bank shot in the post felt like a play that would be the difference between NIT and NCAA at the time. Here was my blog the next day.
Moment inside the moment: Few will talk about the eight-point spurt by Cashmere Wright in the second half that put UC up 44-37. It was the beginning of seeing the true headache Wright could cause for opponents and which spearheaded UC's offensive resurgence.
My take: In much the same fashion as the win, this felt like one UC stole and ran out the building with. In a season where dramatic finishes were few and far between, Gates' banker was the most dramatic shot at the conclusion of a game all year. Considering the run went on following that game, it did served as a prominent feather in UC's cap on Selection Sunday.
Mo Egger's take: Yes, there was Gates's play, but I remember it as the Biggie McClain game. Biggie played meaningful minutes and help keep the Cats afloat. A win that didn't seem huge at the time, but looked more impressive as the Red Storm started to roll. Also, might have been the last game where Steve Lavin wore a tie.
8 - 34-point win against
When:
Where: US Bank Arena
The instant analysis: This was the eye-opener. As I wrote at the time, it allowed Bearcats fans to drop the cautious in front of optimism. Paul Daugherty wrote this column about the depth of this bunch becoming apparent in the win.
Moment inside the moment: The reaction of everyone at halftime was priceless: 42-19!? Nobody expected this to be the score. I remember being on a plane back from , with UC football and thinking there was a typo.
My take: In the moment's following this game, it was the first time I had the realistic discussion of, "What if this team made the tournament?" Prior, it was hard to imagine. We were still so caught up in the Lance Stephenson-Deonta Vaughn offense factor, we didn't see how this team could score consistently enough against top competition. Then we realized a) they might not need to because of their defense and b) they might be able to anyway.
Fan's take: Brian Koehler, Mark Tooley, Matt Buchanan all placed this in their top five.
Tom Gelehrter's take: There was so much talk going into this game that it was going to be a great "bench mark" for exactly where the Bearcats where at that point in the season. Then UC comes out flying, gets exposed and instead of everyone saying "man, UC is pretty good" people reacted with "well UD isn't very good." While he Flyers didn't have a great season, they did make the A-10 championship game and I still think this was a pretty good win for UC. Had they won by 5 or less points, I feel like they would have got more credit for this win, as twisted as that is. Because it was a blowout, I feel like not as many people became believers as should have. I for one, believed this team could be pretty special after watching (and calling) that game.
Mo Egger's take: I won three cases of beer from Dayton fans.
Highlights: Here's some game highlights from WCPO.
Darnell Wilks, Dion Dixon (sporting the towel headdress) and Cashmere Wright talk about the win (h/t BearcatLair)
7 - bid-clincher
When: March 2, 2011
Where:
The instant analysis: This was the one that sealed the deal. It was time to reflect. Here was my column from the next day.
Moment inside the moment: When Marquette pulled the game close, UC couldn't find a bucket and Mick Cronin called timeout, on the ensuing possession Cashmere Wright drained a monster 3-pointer. UC never looked back.
My take: I had a difficult time ranking this one. It felt more special than No. 7. We talked all season about the journey to 10 Big East wins - heck, we talked about that journey the last two years. When it finally came, it felt like the arrival. Yet, with so many great moments that would follow and many of those at home, it was hard to justify moving it up the rankings.
Fan's take: None of the respondents even mentioned , probably because the next day all anybody could talk about was how it wasn't on TV.
Mo Egger's take: Best defensive effort of the season. So many moments in that game.... trucking to the line again and again....UC bouncing back each time. Gates's block, Cash's 3...Bishop's bucket, rebound, assist at the end of the half.
Highlights: Here are some game highlights from Marquette University TV and a kid wearing a skinny tie.
6 - win
When:
Where: Fifth Third Arena
The instant analysis: So, you're saying there's a chance. That was the sentiment following the impressive win as the program went from brink of disaster to renewed optimism in 40 minutes. Here was my game night column.
Moment inside the moment: As soon as the clock reached zero, Justin Jackson and Sean Kilpatrick headed toward the student section. jumped in and made it halfway up the stairs where he decided to hang out. Kilpatrick decided not to. "Nah, I would probably get mugged or something," SK said.
My take: This did not get placed higher only because we didn't know at the time if this level of play would continue. At the time, it was a great night and much-needed victory, but not much more than that. Looking back, we view it as the turning point of the best month in the Mick Cronin era. As for best moment, at the time it was great, but not as fulfilling at the time as the following four.
Fan's take: "Best moment = A tie between wins over Xavier and . How could you choose between two fantastic performances against our top 2 rivals."
- Brian Tooley
Tommy G's take: (Ranked it No. 1) Maybe the biggest win of the year? Just when everyone was ready to turn on the team, run coach out of town and send Yancy to a D-III school for the remainder of his career, the team responded in a HUGE way. Against a top-20 opponent. Whatever was said in the team meeting the day after the SJU loss worked. This team preached the team mentality and stick together in October. Four months later maybe that got away a little bit, but they regrouped and proved everyone wrong. This team was often better after a loss and this game was a prime example. Not sure if it was a "turning point" in the year, but it definitely sent a message.
Highlight: Here were the ESPN highlights.