TicketsBearcats Take On 'Trey'-ful 49ers
UC needs win to hold onto share of second place.
Contact: Brian Teter
2/3/2005
Eric Hicks fired had a career-high tying 21 points Wednesday vs. Louisville. |
CINCINNATI vs. CHARLOTTE
GAME FACTS
Date: Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005
Time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Site: Halton Arena (9,105), Charlotte, N.C.
Records:
Cincinnati (17USA/18AP): 17-4, 6-2 C-USA (tie-2nd)
Charlotte: 14-4, 5-2 C-USA (5th)
TV: ESPN (Brent Musburger, Steve Lavin, Erin Andrews).
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock).
Tickets: Sold out.
Series: Cincinnati leads, 14-7.
First Meeting This Year: Jan. 19 at Fifth Third Arena; UC 80, Charlotte 58.
The Coaches:
? BOB HUGGINS (West Virginia ?77)
At Cincinnati: 16th year, 391-123 (.761)
Overall: 24th year, 559-195 (.741)
Huggins is the nation?s seventh-winningest active coach and is 11th in victories. He is 14-7 vs. Charlotte.
? Bobby Lutz (Charlotte ?80)
At Charlotte: 7th year, 128-79 (.618)
Overall: 16th year, 309-170 (.645)
Lutz has piloted Charlotte to five postseason tournament berths. He is 6-10 vs. Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 21 James White, 6-7 Jr., Kensington, Md........10.3 pts, 4.9 reb, 2.9 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks, 6-6 Jr., Greensboro, N.C........13.4 pts, 8.8 reb, 2.7 blk
F 54 Jason Maxiell, 6-7 Sr., Carrollton, Texas...14.8 pts, 7.9 reb, 3.2 blk
G 5 Nick Williams, 6-3 Sr., Arlington, Texas.....8.3 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.7 ast
G 13 Jihad Muhammad, 5-11 Jr., Plainfield, N.J...10.3 pts, 3.2 reb, 2.8 ast
CHARLOTTE PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 3 Curtis Withers, 6-8 Jr., Charlotte, N.C.....14.9 pts, 8.4 reb, 2.2 ast
F 13 Eddie Basden, 6-5 Sr., Upper Marlboro, Md...14.6 pts, 8.0 reb, 3.4 ast
C 2 Martin Iti, 7-0 So., Sydney, Australia.......6.8 pts, 4.9 reb, 1.8 blk
G 5 Brendan Plavich, 6-2 Sr., Dalton, Ga........13.2 pts, 2.8 reb, 1.9 ast
G 20 Mitchell Baldwin, 6-2 Jr., Rural Hall, N.C...8.9 pts, 3.1 reb, 3.7 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will be out to tighten its grip on second place, and stay in contention for a ninth Conference USA title, when visiting Charlotte on Saturday for a 4 p.m. EST game which will be televised nationally on ESPN. The Bearcats (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP), dropped into a tie for second place after Wednesday?s 77-70 loss to No. 9 Louisville in a battle of the league?s co-leaders. Cincinnati is 17-4 overall and 6-2 in C-USA play. Charlotte (14-4), idle since last Saturday?s 54-51 upset loss to East Carolina, is 14-4 overall and 5-2 in league play.
BEARCATS IN THE POLLS: Cincinnati is No. 17 in this week?s ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 18 in the Associated Press poll. In the computer ratings, UC is No. 15 in the Sagarin Index (2/3/05) and No. 24 in the RPI (2/3/05).
LAST TIME VS. CHARLOTTE: Jason Maxiell and Nick Williams combined for 45 points, 40 in the second half, to lead UC to an 80-58 win over Charlotte on Jan. 19 at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats erased a four-point halftime deficit with an 18-6 run early in the second half. UC posted a season-high 52-33 advantage in rebounding. Maxiell finished with 23 points and Williams had a career-high 22. Brendan Plavich scored 22 for the 49ers.
LAST TIME AT CHARLOTTE: The Bearcats chilled the 49ers league-leading offense for a 75-67 victory on Feb. 28, 2004. Cincinnati overcame a six-point deficit by the midpoint of the second half and held Charlotte, which entered the contest leading Conference USA in scoring offense, to three field goals the remainder of the game and .308 shooting in the second half. Jason Maxiell led UC with 18 points. Curtis Withers led Charlotte with 16.
STORY LINES:
? Saturday?s game will be a homecoming of sorts for a pair of Bearcats. Junior forward Eric Hicks is a native of Greensboro, N.C., earning all-state honors at Dudley High where he was runner-up for state player of the year honors in 2001-02. Freshman forward Roy Bright is from Durham, earning all-state accolades at Northern High before finishing school at Mt. Zion Christian Academy. In addition, redshirt freshman Asrangue Souleymane played at Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep in 2002-03 upon coming to the U.S. from the Central African Republic.
? Charlotte?s Halton Arena is one of only three playing sites in Conference USA in which Cincinnati has a non-winning record (the others are Louisville?s Freedom Hall 13-26, Tulane?s Fogelman Arena 5-5). The Bearcats are 4-4 vs. the 49ers in the building, though they have won in two of their last three visits. UC is 49-23 in C-USA road games since the league?s inception.
? Cincinnati?s defense will get another 3-point scoring test. Charlotte?s Brendan Plavich leads C-USA in 3-pointers per game (3.78) while the 49ers are the third-most prolific team in treys, averaging 8.2 per game. Louisville is first in that category. The Cardinals entered Wednesday?s game vs. the Bearcats leading the league in 3-pointers per game (10.1) and 3-point field goal percentage (.411). UC held UofL to seven 3-pointers and a .304 percentage.
? Cincinnati and Charlotte have played three common opponents. Cincinnati is 3-0 vs. those teams while Charlotte is 3-1.
? Armein Kirkland will be looking for his 500th career point in Saturday?s game. He enters the contest with 491.
? Jason Maxiell, with 1,371 career points, needs 14 points on Saturday to move into 14th place on Cincinnati?s career scoring list.
? Nick Williams recorded his career scoring high of 22 points in the first Cincinnati-Charlotte meeting this season. Williams made 6-of-10 treys in that contest.
? Bouyed by a career-high eight assists during Cincinnati?s visit to Charlotte last season, Bearcat forward James White has averaged 3.5 assists in his four games against the 49ers. The first of those was played while White was at the University of Florida.
? Barring a matchup in the C-USA tourney, Saturday?s game could be the last Cincinnati-Charlotte meeting for some time. Next year, the Bearcats leave C-USA for the BIG EAST and Charlotte will go to the Atlantic 10.
RECAPPING THE LOUISVILLE GAME:
? Cincinnati?s ability to defend against the shot, demonstrated all season, was in evidence during the 77-70 loss. UC held UofL, which had entered the game with C-USA?s leading field goal (.480) and 3-point field goal (.411) percentages, to .415 shooting, .304 from 3-point range.
? Outrebounded by 12 in the first UC-UofL meeting this season, the Bearcats won the battle of the boards, 45-42.
? Eric Hicks tied his career scoring high with 21 points. Hicks was 9-of-10 from the field. The junior also had eight rebounds and five blocks.
BEARCAT BITES:
? Cincinnati has posted victory margins of 10 or more points in 15 of its 17 wins and has beaten 14 of those foes by at least 16 points. UC is second in C-USA and 14th nationally in average scoring margin.
? The Bearcats have held 15 opponents to sub-.400 shooting, eight to 32 percent or less. UC has held four opponents, Detroit (.293), Jackson State (.239), Charlotte (.295) and USF (.259) under 30 percent.
? UC has had four or more players reach double figures in scoring in 11 games this season. Five players have reached double digits in two games and six reached the twins mark in two other contests.
? Cincinnati is ranked No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage defense (.360) and No. 2 in blocked shots (7.8).
? The Bearcats have won 19 of 23 jump balls, with Jason Maxiell doing all of the jumping. UC has taken the opening tip in 17 of its 21 contests and won both overtime period jump balls.
? Twelve of UC?s 21 opponents appeared in postseason play in 2003-04.
? The Bearcats four losses were to teams ranked No. 1 (Illinois), No. 3 (Wake Forest), No. 9 (Louisville) and No. 18 (Louisville) at the time the Bearcats played them.
KINGS OF C-USA: Cincinnati is the winningest team in the history of Conference USA, both in league play and overall. The Bearcats have compiled a 117-31 ledger (.791) in C-USA play, winning or sharing the regular season crown in all but one of those years. The Bearcats have posted a 251-66 (.792) overall record during this span. With the inclusion of Cincinnati?s four previous seasons in the Great Midwest Conference, the Bearcats have been regular season champions 10 times in the past 13 seasons. UC has 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.
BEARCATS COLLEGE BASKETBALL?S NO. 10 PROGRAM: The University of Cincinnati's rich basketball history, tradition and success has been recognized with the naming of UC as college basketball's No. 10 program of all time. The ranking was done by Street & Smith's in its latest publication, Greatest College Basketball Programs of All Time. The rankings were based on over 100 years of men's basketball history, using the criteria: NCAA and NIT Tournament performance, conference success, and all-time winning percentage. Other factors considered were first round NBA draft picks, graduation rates, NCAA infractions and mascot ferocity. Among its accomplishments, Cincinnati made a then-unprecedented five consecutive trips to the Final Four (1959-63), won back-to-back NCAA titles in 1961 and 1962 and was runner-up in 1963, has six total Final Four appearances, boasted college basketball's first three-time national scoring leader (and one of only two) in Oscar Robertson, who concluded his career in 1960 as the sports top career scorer, and two national players of the year in Robertson and Kenyon Martin.
HICKS A HERO: Eric Hicks has been one of Cincinnati?s most productive players in recent games:
? The 6-6 junior has averaged 17.3 points over the last four games, highlighted by a career high-tying 21 points vs. Louisville (2/2/05).
? He has averaged 9.4 rebounds over his last five contests to move into fourth place on the C-USA rebounding listing with his 8.8 season average.
? Hicks has averaged 3.5 blocks over his last six games, to rank third in C-USA and 26th nationally in rejections (2.7).
? His defensive performance was credited with the effort that limited C-USA scoring leader Quemont Greer to 12 points, 10 under his average, in the Jan. 6 win over DePaul.
? Hicks held USF?s Terrence Leather, C-USA?s No. 3 scorer, scoreless in the Jan. 27 win over the Bulls.
? He has also been a model of endurance on the court, averaging 34.2 minutes of playing time over his last six contests.
WILLIAMS ON A ROLL: Nick Williams has been Cincinnati?s top long-distance scoring threat recently. Over the past six games, the 6-3 senior has averaged 13.3 points, shooting .476 (20-of-42) from 3-point range. Williams sank a career high six 3-point field goals in back to back games vs. Louisville (1/15/05) and Charlotte (1/19/05) and finished with a career scoring high of 22 points vs. Charlotte. Williams has also been hot at the foul line, having made 30 of his last 33 free throw attempts.
MAX?S MILESTONES: Jason Maxiell continues to rack up milestones:
? The 6-7 senior is in 15th place on UC?s career scoring list with 1,371 points, needing 14 to reach 14th place.
? Max has played in 117 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Cincinnati history.
? Maxiell?s 228 career blocks ranks second at UC to Kenyon Martin and fourth in C-USA.
? He ranks sixth in C-USA in career rebounds with 820.
MUHAMMAD DIRECTING THE SHOW: Jihad Muhammad is sparking the Cincinnati offense with his timely passing as well as his shooting. The 5-11 junior has averaged 3.8 assists, and only 0.9 turnovers, over his last eight games, an assists-to-turnovers ratio of 4.3:1. Muhammad dished out a career-high seven assists vs. East Carolina on Jan. 12 and had six assists in two other games. Muhammad leads the team with 41 three-pointers.
KIRKLAND GETTING THE MESSAGE: Bob Huggins cited lack of rebounding as a reason for Armein Kirkland?s move from the starting lineup to the sixth man role four games ago. Kirkland has shown signs of getting his coach?s message. The 6-8 junior has averaged 6.2 rebounds over his last five games. Against then-No. 3 Wake Forest, Kirkland also passed out a career-high eight assists.
BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati leads Conference USA and is ranked second nationally in blocked shots (7.8). Jason Maxiell leads C-USA and is sixth nationally in blocks (3.2), with Eric Hicks (2.7) third in C-USA and 26th nationally. The Bearcats recorded a season-high 13 blocks in their Dec. 27 win over Miami (Ohio) and had 10 or more blocks on six other occasions. Maxiell has had five or more rejections in six games this year, highlighted by a career-high eight blocks vs. Houston on Jan. 29.
MAXIELL?S AWARDS LIST: 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. Additionally, the 6-7 senior from Carrollton, Texas is one of 30 college basketball seniors nominated for the fourth annual Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, honoring the nation?s top senior player. Maxiell was was named to the Conference USA preseason all-league team for the third straight year.
BEARCAT BALANCE: UC has five players averaging in double figures scoring: Jason Maxiell (14.8), Eric Hicks (13.4), Armein Kirkland (12.1), Jihad Muhammad (10.3) and James White (10.3). In Conference USA play, the Bearcats have five players currently tallying double digits scoring (Maxiell, Hicks, Kirkland, White, Nick Williams).
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats return to Fifth Third Arena to host Xavier in the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Thursday (Feb. 10). The 9 p.m. contest will be televised nationally by ESPN2. UC then hits the road again next Saturday, Feb. 12 for a regionally-televised ABC game at DePaul. Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m. EST.