TicketsBearcats Host LaSalle in Search of 9-0 Start
Contact: Shawn Sell
12/21/2004
Jason Maxiell has averaged 5.3 blocks over the last three games. |
GAME FACTS
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Site: Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Records:
Cincinnati (16USA/22AP): 8-0
LaSalle: 1-6
TV: WXIX-TV 19 (Jeff Piecoro, Anthony Buford).
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock).
Tickets: Available, $25, 513-556-CATS or www.UCBearcats.com.
Series: Cincinnati leads, 7-3.
Last Meeting: Dec. 14, 2002 in Cincinnati; Cincinnati 65, LaSalle 62.
The Coaches:
? BOB HUGGINS (West Virginia ?77)
At Cincinnati: 16th year, 382-119 (.762)
Overall: 24th year, 550-191 (.742)
Huggins is the nation?s seventh-winningest active coach and is 13th in victories.
? JOHN GIANNINI (North Central ?84)
At LU: 1st year, 1-6 (.143)
Overall: 17th year, 126-117 (.519)
Giannini made Maine a perennial power in the America East Conference, directing the Black Bears to the championship game of the league?s tourney in two of the previous three years.
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will try to stretch its season start to 9-0 and remain one of the nation?s undefeated teams when hosting LaSalle on Wednesday (Dec. 22) at Fifth Third Arena. The 7 p.m. EST caps a three-games-in-five days slate for the Bearcats, who moved up to No. 16 in this week?s ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 22 in the Associated Press rankings. UC blasted Jackson State, 95-43, on Monday (Dec. 20). LaSalle, 1-6, will try to snap a four-game losing skid in Wednesday?s contest. The Explorers dropped a 63-52 decision to Virginia Commonwealth on Dec. 18.
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 33 Armein Kirkland, 6-8 Jr., Tyler, Texas 14.0 pts, 3.6 reb, 2.0 ast
F 45 Roy Bright, 6-6 Fr., Durham, N.C. 5.5 pts, 3.5 reb, 0.6 ast
F 54 Jason Maxiell, 6-7 Sr., Carrollton, Texas 15.1 pts, 8.8 reb, 3.4 blk
G 21 James White, 6-7 Jr., Kensington, Md. 8.9 pts, 4.6 reb, 3.1 ast
G 13 Jihad Muhammad, 5-11 Jr., Plainfield, N.J. 12.8 pts, 3.3 reb, 2.4 ast
LaSALLE PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 30 Steven Smith, 6-7 Jr., Philadelphia, Pa. 20.4 pts, 7.1 reb, 1.7 ast
F 42 Mike St. John, 6-8 So., Northboro, Mass. 6.6 pts, 4.7 reb, 1.1 ast
G 11 Darnell Harris, 6-1 Fr., Baltimore, Md. 7.0 pts, 1.9 reb, 1.0 ast
G 14 Tabby Cunnningham, 5-8 Fr., Philadelphia, Pa. 5.9 pts, 2.3 reb, 3.6 ast
G 23 Jermaine Thomas, 6-2 Jr., Frederick, Md. 11.1 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.9 ast
STORY LINES:
? Cincinnati enters Wednesday?s game as one of 16 unbeaten Division I teams, and the lone team in Conference USA without a blemish on its record.
? The Bearcats will be shooting for their fourth 9-0 start in the last 10 seasons. UC was 9-0 in 2003-04, 1998-99 and 1995-96.
? Monday?s game will be the third of three games the Bearcats will play over a five-day stretch. UC defeated Northwestern State, 81-65, on Saturday and Jackson State, 95-43, on Monday.
? Jason Maxiell, with 1,181 career points, needs 15 points to reach 23rd place on the UC career scoring list, currently held by Rick Roberson (1967-69). The senior will reach the 1,200 point plateau with 19 points.
BEARCATS IN THE POLLS: Cincinnati climbed to No. 16 in this week?s ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and moved up to No. 22 in the Associated Press poll. UC was No. 10 in the Sagarin Index and No. 34 in the RPI as of Dec. 20.
RECAPPING THE JACKSON STATE WIN:
? Cincinnati tallied 95 points, its most since a 102-63 win over Elon on Dec. 30, 2003. The Bearcats? 52-point victory margin (95-43) was the largest since an 89-37 rout of Southern Miss on Feb. 15, 2002.
? UC held Jackson State to .239 shooting, the lowest by a Bearcat foe since Duquesne?s .229 on Dec. 1, 2001. Jackson State?s 43 points was the lowest output vs. the Bearcats since Southern Miss scored 37 in an 89-37 loss on Feb. 15, 2002.
? Jackson State?s 24 turnovers was the most by a UC opponent this year.
? Cincinnati had 27 assists in the game, matching the third-highest single game total at UC.
? Head coach Bob Huggins used his fourth starting lineup of the season, with Nick Williams replacing injured Armein Kirkland.
RECAPPING CINCINNATI?S 8-0 START:
? The Bearcats have beaten seven of their first eight opponents by 10 or more points, and six of those foes by at least 16 points.
? The Bearcats have held six of their eight opponents to sub-.400 shooting, four to 32 percent or less. UC held two opponents, Detroit (.93) and Jackson State (.239) under 30 percent.
? UC?s defense has helped force its opponents into 18.4 turnovers per game. Cincinnati has an average turnover margin of +6.1.
? UC?s first five opponents appeared in postseason play in 2003-04.
SHARING THE LOAD: A key to Cincinnati?s success this season has been the team?s balanced scoring attack. UC has had four players reach double figures in two games, five in two others and six in still another. Eight different players have scored in double figures a total of 32 times.
HOT AT STRIPE: Cincinnati is shooting .740 from the charity stripe this season. UC shot a season-high .905 (19 of 21) vs. Dayton on Dec. 4. The Bearcats are getting plenty of chances. UC has made more free throws (171) than their opponents have attempted (129).
WAY TO START: Cincinnati has won all 10 jump balls the Bearcats have encountered this season. UC has captured the opening tip in all eight games, plus the tipoffs of both overtime periods of its Nov. 24 victory over Northern Iowa. Jason Maxiell has been the jumper in each of the nine tipoffs.
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. Over the last three games, UC foes have managed to shoot just .293 (59 of 201) from the field as the Bearcats have lowered their team field goal percentage defense to .345. Last season, UC held its opposition to .394 shooting, ranking 11th nationally.
MAXIELL LEADS THAT DEFENSE: Jason Maxiell has played a major role in Cincinnati?s field goal percentage defense. Maxiell blocked a career-high tying seven shots in Monday?s win over Jackson State. The 6-7 senior has averaged 5.3 blocks over his last three games, raising his season blocks average to 3.4. Max has recorded 188 career blocks, second only to Kenyon Martin?s 292.
MAX RESPONDS: Jason Maxiell seems to play at his best with the game is on the line. In the Dec. 18 win over Northwestern State, after the Tigers had whittled Cincinnati?s lead to one point midway through the second half, the 6-7 senior scored all nine points in a 9-2 run which enabled the Bearcats to regain control of the game. Maxiell finished with 21 points, tying his season high. His other 21-point performance occurred in the Nov. 24 win over Northern Iowa, during which he also pulled down a career high-tying 15 rebounds. Maxiell 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.
A BRIGHT PERFORMANCE: Roy Bright is apparently becoming comfortable with his status as a starter. The 6-6 freshman, who replaced then-injured Eric Hicks at forward for the Dec. 11 Detroit game, has started the last three contests. In Monday?s game, Bright exploded for career highs of 17 points , 11 rebounds and three assists. He was 8-of-11 from the field.
KIRKLAND DOESN?T WANT TO CHILL: Armein Kirkland will hope that missing Monday?s Jackson State game due to an ankle injury does not cool the streak he had been riding. The 6-8 junior had been the team?s scoring leader in four of the previous five games, which included a career-high 23 points in the win over Dayton (12/4/04). Kirkland averaged 18.4 points during this span, shooting .526 (30 of 57) from the field and .500 (9 of 18) from 3-point range during this span.
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? fourth-leading scorer, averaging 12.8 points. He has also quickly become the team?s top long-distance scoring threat, with 20 treys in 56 attempts from behind the arc.
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 continues to show the fine offensive play that he exhibited in exhibition season. Hicks has season averages of 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, third and second on the team, respectively.
? The 6-6 junior forward came off the bench to record his sixth career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Dec. 18 win over Northwestern State.
? Hicks scored a career-high tying 18 points, going 7-of-10 from the floor, in Monday?s win over Jackson State, matching his point total in the season opening win over Valparaiso when he made 6-of-8 field goals.
? He tallied 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Nov. 24 win over Northern Iowa.
? Hicks had 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks vs. Purdue on Nov. 27.
MOORE ASSISTS THE OFFENSE: Cincinnati?s assist leader is a non-starter?Chadd Moore. The junior, who dished out a career-high nine assists in Monday?s win over Jackson State, is averaging 3.8 assists. Moore has averaged 4.0 assists over his last three games. Not only does Moore not start (extenuating circumstances put him in the starting lineup for the season opener), he has averaged only 17.4 minutes of playing time.
HUGGINS NOTCHES PAIR OF MILESTONES: Bob Huggins reached a pair of coaching milestones over the past week. The Dec. 18 win over Northwestern State marked Huggins? 500th game as head coach at Cincinnati. On Monday (Dec. 20) he garnered his 550th career coaching victory. Huggins is the nation?s sixth winningest active head coach in terms of percentage (.742), and ranks 13th on the victory total list with his 550-191 ledger. He has compiled a 382-119 record (.762) during his 16 seasons at UC.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 contests are 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 Miami (U.S. Bank Arena), 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.
SIX BEARCATS IN THE NBA: Six former Bearcats are currently on rosters of NBA teams. The six Bearcat pros are the most among C-USA schools.
Last Draft NBA
UC Yr. Pos. Season Team____________
Tony Bobbitt 2004 fa 1st Los Angeles Lakers
Danny Fortson 1997 10 8th Seattle Super Sonics
DerMarr Johnson 2000 6 4th Denver Nuggets
Kenyon Martin 2000 1st 5th Denver Nuggets
Ruben Patterson 1998 31 7th Portland Trail Blazers
Nick Van Exel 1993 37 12th Portland Trail Blazers
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: After taking a short break for the Christmas holiday, UC will host Miami University on Dec. 27 at U.S. Bank Arena. Game time is 8 p.m. EST.