TicketsBearcats Host Vandy, Seeking 5th Win
UC launches 6-game home stretch.
Contact: Brian Teter
12/7/2004
Jason Maxiell will seek his 700th career rebound in Thursday's game. |
CINCINNATI vs. VANDERBILT
Date: Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Site: Fifth Third Arena (13,176), Cincinnati, Ohio
Records:
Cincinnati (No. 20 ESPN/USA): 4-0
Vanderbilt: 4-3
TV: WXIX-TV 19 (Jeff Piecoro, Anthony Buford). Fox Sports Net South (Bob Rathbun, Eddie Fogler).
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock).
Tickets: Available, $25, 513-556-CATS or www.UCBearcats.com.
Series: Cincinnati leads, 3-1.
Last Meeting: Dec. 29, 1970 in New Orleans, La.; Vanderbilt 86, Cincinnati 83.
The Coaches:
? BOB HUGGINS (West Virginia ?77)
At Cincinnati: 16th year, 378-119 (.761)
Overall: 24th year, 546-191 (.741)
Huggins is the nation?s seventh-winningest active coach and is 13th in victories.
? KEVIN STALLINGS (Purdue ?82)
At VU: 6th year, 89-72 (.553)
Overall: 12th year, 212-135 (.611)
Stallings has directed Vanderbilt to postseason play in three of his previous five seasons.
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 33 Armein Kirkland, 6-8 Jr., Tyler, Texas......11.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.8 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks, 6-6 Jr., Greensboro, N.C.......13.3 pts, 10.3 reb, 2.8 blk
F 54 Jason Maxiell, 6-7 Sr., Carrollton, Texas.. 13.8 pts, 9.3 reb, 2.8 blk
G 21 James White, 6-7 Jr., Kensington, Md........10.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.8 ast
G 13 Jihad Muhammad, 5-11 Jr., Plainfield, N.J...14.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.0 ast
VANDERBILT PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 33 Julian Terrell, 6-9 Jr., Nashville, Tenn.....7.4 pts, 3.6 reb, 2.0 blk
F 44 Corey Smith, 6-6 Sr., Houston, Texas........10.0 pts, 3.1 reb, 2.3 ast
C 13 David Przybyszweski, 7-2 Sr., Torun, Poland..8.7 pts, 6.0 reb, 0.7 blk
G 1 Mario Moore, 5-11 Jr., Nashville, Tenn......15.9 pts, 2.4 reb, 3.0 ast
G 3 Jason Holwerda, 6-6 Sr., Chattanooga, Tenn...7.9 pts, 3.1 reb, 2.0 stl
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will try to extend its season-opening win streak to five games when hosting Vanderbilt on Thursday at Fifth Third Arena. Tipoff is 8 p.m. EST. The Bearcats, ranked No. 20 in this week?s ESPN/USA Today poll, are off to a 4-0 start, which has included victories over Purdue and Dayton the past two Saturdays. Vanderbilt is 4-3. After winning their first three contests, the Commodores have dropped three of their last four games, the most recent, a 75-65 loss to Oregon last Saturday in Portland.
BEARCATS IN THE POLLS: Cincinnati has climbed to the No. 20 spot in this week?s ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. UC is No. 28 in the latest Associated Press poll. For only the third time in the last 13 seasons, Cincinnati was not ranked in preseason Top 25 of either of the two major polls. Cincinnati last opened unranked in 2001-02. UC climbed as high as No. 4 that year en route to a 31-4 campaign and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
STORY LINES:
? Thursday?s game will be the first meeting between Cincinnati and Vanderbilt in 33 seasons. The Bearcats have won three of the previous four meetings, the most recent of which occurred in 1970-71.
? While Vanderbilt has never previously played in Fifth Third Arena, Thursday?s contest will mark Commodore head coach Kevin Stallings? second trip to the building. Stallings brought his Illinois State team to UC during the 1995-96 season. The Feb. 2 contest began at midnight to accommodate a national telecast by ESPN. UC won, 91-57.
? Bearcat senior Jason Maxiell needs four points to move into 27th place on the UC career scoring list. Maxiell enters the Vanderbilt game with 1,115 points. Bill Lammert (1952-55) and Melvin Levett (1996-99) share 27th place, each with 1,119 points.
? Thursday?s game is the first of six consecutive home games for the Bearcats. UC hosts Detroit on Saturday (Dec. 11) and has games vs. Northwestern State (Dec. 18), Jackson State (Dec. 20), LaSalle (Dec. 22) and Miami (Dec. 27). The Miami (Ohio) game will be played at U.S. Bank Arena.
? Vanderbilt is the fifth of five straight Cincinnati opponents that participated in postseason tourney play last season. The Commodores were in last year?s NCAA Tournament, along with Valparaiso, Northern Iowa and Dayton. Vandy was in the Sweet 16 last year. Purdue was an NIT participant last season.
? Bearcat senior forward Jason Maxiell has moved into 29th place on UC?s career scoring list with 1,115 points. Bill Lammert (1952-55) and Melvin Levett (1996-99) share 27th place with 1,119 points.
SECOND HALF CATS: Cincinnati has literally been saving its best for last this season. The Bearcats have been out-scored in the first halves of their games to date, 34.5-33.8. UC has trailed in two of those first four contests, with deficits of two points in last Saturday?s win over Dayton and 12 points vs. Northern Iowa on Nov. 24. UC has taken charge, both offensively and defensively, in the second half. Cincinnati has averaged 38.3 points while holding its opposition to 25.5, and in three of the four games, the Bearcats have trailed with 10:00 remaining.
KIRKLAND COMING THROUGH: Armein Kirkland tallied a career-high 23 points to key Cincinnati?s win over Dayton last Saturday. The 6-8 junior was 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and made seven of eight free throws. Kirkland has averaged 19.5 points over his last two games, shooting a team-leading .522 (12 of 23) from the field during this span. It is the first time in his UC career that he has led the team in scoring in back-to-back games.
DEFENSE TRADITION CONTINUES: Defense has been the staple of Cincinnati?s success during Bob Huggins? coaching reign, and the 2004-05 Bearcats appear poised to continue that tradition. UC has held three of its first four foes to sub-.400 shooting from the floor. The Bearcats have a team field goal percentage defense of .358. Last season, UC held its opposition to .394 shooting, ranking 11th nationally.
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS: The Bearcats have out-rebounded their last three opponents by an average margin of 10.7. Cincinnati had a 12-rebound advantage in last Saturday?s win at Dayton. UC was actually out-rebounded 20-15, in the first half but came back to win the battle of the boards, 27-10, in the second half.
FOUL PLAY: Cincinnati, which converted 19 of 21 free throw attempts in last Saturday?s win over Dayton, is shooting a sizzling .761 from the charity stripe this season. The Bearcats have been a better foul shooting team away from home. UC has shot .820 from the foul line (41 of 50) over its last two games, vs. Purdue in Indianapolis, and at Dayton, compared to .714 for its two home games.
MUHAMMAD TAKING CHARGE: Jihad Muhammad has wasted little time making an impact at Cincinnati. The junior college transfer, who has taken over the point guard duties, is the Bearcats? leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points. Muhammad tallied 23 points in the Nov. 24 win over Northern Iowa, keying UC?s late comeback by scoring 12 points in the final 6:46 of regulation. He turned in a four-point play, connecting on a 3-pointer and then adding a free throw, to tie the game at 56 with 1:23 to play and send it into overtime. He was 5-of-6 at the foul line in the second overtime to help clinch the victory.
HICKS STARTING FAST: Eric Hicks, who was UC?s leading scorer (21.0) and rebounder (16.0) during preseason, has continued to show the fine offensive play in Cincinnati?s first four games that he demonstrated during the preseason exhibition contests.
? The 6-6 junior forward scored a career-high 18 points, making 6-of-8 field goals, and gathered nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the Bearcats? season opening win over Valparaiso.
? Hicks followed that by scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds , his fourth career double-double, in the Nov. 24 win over Northern Iowa.
? Hicks posted his second straight and fifth career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds vs. Purdue on Nov. 27. He also blocked four shots.
? He is the team?s third-leading scorer (13.3 points) and leading rebounder (10.3).
? A career .515 foul shooter entering the season, Hicks is 9-of-10 from the line over the last two games and has shot .760 at the charity stripe for the season.
? He is the team co-leader in blocks (2.7).
MOORE ASSISTS THE OFFENSE: Cincinnati?s assist leader is a non-starter?Chadd Moore. The junior, who dished out six assists in the Nov. 27 win over Purdue, is averaging 4.0 assists over the team?s first four games. Not only does Moore not start (extenuating circumstances put him in the starting lineup for the season opener), he has averaged only 16.5 minutes of playing time.
VETERAN TEAM: The Bearcats opened the season with a combined total of 160 games of starting experience. By comparison, last year?s team brought 108 games of starting experience into the 2003-04 campaign, while the 2002-03 team began with 59 career starts.
MAX GETS INTO THE ACT: Jason Maxiell played a huge role in Cincinnati?s 76-70 double overtime win over Northerrn Iowa on Nov. 24. The 6-7 senior, who is on the watch lists for the Naismith and Wooden national player of the year awards, scored 21 points, blocked five shots and pulled down a career high-tying 15 rebounds. He sealed the victory with 1:03 remaining in the second overtime by stealing the ball and going in for a dunk which gave UC an insurmountable seven-point lead. Maxiell has 15 career double doubles.
MAXIELL ON WOODEN, NAISMITH LISTS: Jason Maxiell has been named to the watch lists of both the John Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, both honoring college basketball?s player of the year. Maxiell was named to the John Wooden Award Preseason All-American team for the third year in a row. His selection marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that a Cincinnati player has been represented. Kenyon Martin was selected prior to the 1999-00 season and won the John R. Wooden Award that year. Steve Logan was on the 2001-02 list and finished as one of the top five finalists. This is the first time Maxiell has earned early consideration for the Naismith Award, which Martin won in 2000.
Maxiell averaged 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds last season, and during his three-season career as a Bearcat has averaged 11.0 points and 6.8 rebounds. He is No. 29 on the UC career scoring list with 1,115 points and second in career blocked shots with 172.
MAXIELL EARNS C-USA HONORS: Jason Maxiell was named to the Conference USA preseason all-league team for the third straight year. Maxiell joined Louisville?s Francisco Garcia, who was named Preseason Player of the Year, Memphis forward Sean Banks, Marquette guard Travis Diener and Charlotte forward Curtis Withers on the all-league team. Cincinnati, which has won eight of the previous nine C-USA regular season championships, was picked to finish third behind Louisville and Memphis.
SEVENTH-WINNINGEST PROGRAM: Cincinnati has been college basketball?s seventh-winningest program over the past five years. The Bearcats have compiled a 127-37 record for an .774 percentage during this period.
? UC?s 127 wins are the eighth-most among Division I teams over this period.
? Cincinnati has won 25 or more games eight of the last nine seasons.
? UC?s 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the third-longest active streak in Division I.
? Cincinnati has been a top-four seed nine times during this streak and seven times in the last nine seasons.
CONFERENCE RULERS: The Bearcats have been regular season champions nine times in the past 10 seasons, eight in Conference USA and once in the Great Midwest Conference. The Bearcats have won either a regular season or tournament title in 12 of the past 13 seasons, and six times during that span, UC has claimed both during the same season.
BEARCAT NEWCOMERS TOP 10: The University of Cincinnati's men's basketball recruiting class for this season has achieved a top 10 ranking for the third straight year. The Bearcats' incoming class was ranked No. 10 by All Star Sports and received a No. 16 rating from PrepStars. All Star Sports' final individual rankings placed Roy Bright No. 47 among high school graduating seniors, Vincent Banks No. 3 among prep school players, and Jihad Muhammad No. 7 among junior college transfers. PrepStars rated Bright No. 18 and Banks No. 120 among high school seniors and Muhammad a top 10 junior college prospect. UC's 2002 recruiting class was ranked No. 5 by All Star Sports and No. 9 by both ESPN.com and FutureStars. The 2003 newcomers were rated No. 7 by PrepStars and No. 8 by HoopStars.
HISTORIC COMEBACK: The Bearcats staged their greatest comeback ever in the 16-year history of Fifth Third Arena on Nov. 24. Trailing by 18 points (50-32) with 10:03 remaining in the second half, UC went on a 24-6 run at the end of regulation, then prevailed in double overtime, 76-70. On Feb. 28, 1998, the Bearcats trailed Saint Louis by 18 in the first half, before rallying for a 61-58 win.
BEARCATS EXTEND HOME OPENER STREAK: With the Nov. 19 win over Valparaiso, Cincinnati extended its streak of consecutive home-opening wins to 39. UC?s last loss in a home opener occurred in 1964-65 when Miami (Ohio) defeated the Bearcats, 65-55, at Cincinnati Gardens. Cincinnati is 85-19 in home openers and has the same record in season openers.
TICKET UPDATE: Single game tickets for all University of Cincinnati home games except the Jan. 15 Louisville, Jan. 22 Wake Forest, and Feb. 10 Xavier contest sare on sale at the UC Athletic Ticket Office at One Edwards Center. The UofL, Wake and XU games are already sold out. Groups of 15 or more qualify for discounted prices of $15 adult and $12 youth for every game in December except Vanderbilt and Miami, plus the Conference USA games vs. Houston and Southern Miss.
Tickets may be ordered by phone using American Express, VISA, MasterCard or Discover, by calling 513-556-CATS during office hours. They may also be purchased on-line via the university's athletic web site: UCBearcats.com.
TV TIME: UC will again be one of the most televised programs in the nation this season. All but one of the Bearcats? games this year (Dec. 18 vs. Northwestern State) will be televised, and 18 of those games will be carried nationally or regionally by ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, CBS, Fox Sports Net and ESPN Plus, not including the postseason.
LOOKING AHEAD: Cincinnati returns to Fifth Third Arena on Saturday, Dec. 11 to host Detroit. Game time is 7 p.m. The UC women?s team hosts crosstown rival Xavier at 2 p.m.