TicketsBearcats Close Homestand vs. Marquette
UC seeks win over Golden Eagles to move closer to C-USA Tourney first round bye.
Contact: Brian Teter
2/21/2005
James White has averaged 4.6 assists over his last five games. |
CINCINNATI vs. MARQUETTE
Date: Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005
Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
Site: Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Records:
Cincinnati (21USA/24AP): 20-6, 8-4 C-USA (tie-4th)
Marquette: ... 18-8, 6-7 C-USA (9th)
TV: ESPN2 (Dave O?Brien, Rick Majerus).
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock).
Tickets: Available.
Series: Cincinnati leads, 22-15.
Last Meeting: Jan. 14, 2004 in Milwaukee; Cincinnati 85, Marquette 73.
The Coaches:
? BOB HUGGINS (West Virginia ?77)
At Cincinnati: 16th year, 393-125 (.759)
Overall: 24th year, 561-197 (.740)
Huggins is the nation?s eighth-winningest active coach and is 11th in victories. He is 19-11 vs. Marquette.
? TOM CREAN (Central Michigan ?89)
At Marquette: 6th year, 111-47 (.703)
Overall: 6th year, 111-47 (.703)
Crean has directed Marquette to postseason play in each of the last four seasons. He is 5-5 vs. Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 33 Armein Kirkland, 6-8 Jr., Tyler, Texas........... 11.3 pts, 4.5 reb, 2.3 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks, 6-6 Jr., Greensboro, N.C............. 14.1 pts, 9.0 reb, 2.4 blk
F 54 Jason Maxiell, 6-7 Sr., Carrollton, Texas....... 15.5 pts, 7.6 reb, 2.8 blk
G 5 Nick Williams, 6-3 Sr., Arlington, Texas.......... 8.2 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.7 ast
G 21 James White, 6-7 Jr., Kensington, Md.......... 10.5 pts, 4.8 reb, 3.2 ast
MARQUETTE PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 1 Todd Townsend, 6-7 Sr., Chicago, Ill.............. 5.1 pts, 2.1 reb, 1.2 ast
F 20 Steve Novak, 6-10 Jr., Brown Deer, Wis....... 13.2 pts, 3.9 reb, 0.9 ast
C 35 Marcus Jackson, 6-8 Sr., Peoria, Ill................ 3.3 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.0 ast
G 32 Joe Chapman, 6-4 Jr., Chicago Hts., Ill........... 7.8 pts, 1.7 reb, 1.0 ast
G 34 Travis Diener, 6-1 Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis....... 19.7 pts, 3.5 reb, 6.2 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati closes out its current three-game homestand hosting Marquette on Thursday, Feb. 24 at Fifth Third Arena. The 9 p.m. EST contest will be televised nationally by ESPN2. The Bearcats (No. 21 ESPN/USA Today, No. 24 AP), 20-6 overall, enter the week tied for fourth place in the Conference USA race with an 8-4 record, and trail first place Louisville by two and a half games. UC has won its last two games, the most recent a 72-69 trimming of UAB on Saturday. Marquette, 18-8, is ninth in the C-USA standings at 6-7. The Golden Eagles defeated DePaul, 67-57, on Sunday.
BEARCATS IN THE POLLS: Cincinnati was No. 21 in last week?s ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 24 in the Associated Press poll, the 12th straight week UC has been ranked this season. In the computer ratings, UC is No. 19 in the Sagarin Index (2/21/05) and No. 21 in the RPI (2/21/05).
LAST TIME VS. MARQUETTE: Tony Bobbitt scored 18 points to lead five Cincinnati double figure scorers in an 85-73 win over Marquette on Jan. 14, 2004 in Milwaukee. The Bearcats closed the first half with a 12-4 run to take a nine-point lead at intermission. UC outrebounded the Golden Eagles, 37-28. Eric Hicks, with 15 points, and Kareem Johnson, with 11, established then-career scoring highs while Nick Williams? 16 points was a best for his UC career. Travis Diener led Marquette with 19 points.
LAST TIME IN CINCINNATI: Robert Jackson scored 21 points to lead No. 18 Marquette to an 82-76 win over UC on Feb. 1, 2003 at Fifth Third Arena. The Golden Eagles shot .481 and led by as many as 22 points in the second half, before the Bearcats closed the gap. Field Williams led UC with 22 points.
STORY LINES:
? The Bearcats will be challenged by Conference USA scoring leader Travis Diener when they host Marquette on Thursday. Diener not only leads C-USA with his 19.7 average, but also is atop the assists rankings, averaging 7.0.
? Marquette, which has a 4-9 record vs. Cincinnati in Fifth Third Arena, is one of only three teams to have multiple victories over the Bearcats in the building (Louisville, 4-8, and Xavier, 3-5, are the others).
? UC is 71-7 in Fifth Third Arena in C-USA play and has an all-time record of 218-29 (.883) in the venue.
? Cincinnati and Marquette have played eight common opponents. Cincinnati is 6-4 vs. those teams while Marquette is 5-5.
? The Bearcats have an all-time record of 712-189 (.790) in games played on its campus. Cincinnati compiled a 247-29 (.894) record in Armory Fieldhouse, which borders the north wall of Fifth Third Arena, and was 247-131 in other venues.
? Eric Hicks, who enters Thursday?s game with 498 career rebounds, will be seeking his 500th career carom.
? Marquette basketball athletic trainer Jayd Grossman served in the same capacity at Cincinnati for 10 years before joining the Golden Eagles in 2003.
? Both UC and Marquette move to the BIG EAST Conference next season.
RECAPPING THE UAB GAME:
? The Bearcats committed 22 turnovers, matching a season high (UC had 22 turnovers in its 79-59 win over Purdue) and had a -13 turnover margin, its largest negative differential of the season.
? UAB?s 11 steals were a season high by a UC opponent.
? Jason Maxiell, with 22 points and 11 rebounds, recorded his 19th career double-double and fifth of the season.
? Maxiell moved into 12th place on Cincinnati?s career scoring list with 1,463 points, moving ahead of Dwight Jones, who scored 1,451 points from 1979-82.
? Eric Hicks? 13 rebounds marked his ninth double-digit rebounding performance of the season.
? Cincinnati had four players reach double figures in scoring for the 13th time this season.
? Backup point guard Chadd Moore missed his second straight game with a virus, while starters Eric Hicks and James White were also slowed with the flu.
TERRIFIC 20?S:
? The Bearcats clinched their 14th 20-win season in the last 16 campaigns with Saturday?s victory over UAB, and their 27th 20-win season in school history. Since 1955, UC has advanced to postseason play in every season in which it reached or exceeded the 20-win mark, appearing in 21 NCAA Tournaments and three NITs.
BEARCAT BITES:
? Cincinnati has posted victory margins of 10 or more points in 17 of its 20 wins and has beaten 15 of those foes by at least 16 points. UC is second in C-USA and 17th nationally in average scoring margin.
? UC has outrebounded its last two opponents by a total of 49 rebounds to up its season average rebounding margin to +4.9.
? After suffering a slight slump, during which they shot .657 at the foul line over a five-game period, the Bearcats have posted a free throw percentage of .778 in their last two games, both wins.
? The Bearcats have held 17 opponents to sub-.400 shooting, nine to 32 percent or less. UC has held five opponents, Detroit (.293), Jackson State (.239), Charlotte (.295), USF (.259) and Xavier (.298) under 30 percent.
? UC has had four or more players reach double figures in scoring in 13 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 (.368) and No. 2 in blocked shots (7.0).
? The Bearcats have won 23 of 28 jump balls, with Jason Maxiell doing all of the jumping. UC has taken the opening tip in 21 of its 26 contests and won both overtime period jump balls.
? UC has made more free throws (495) than its opponents have attempted (468).
? Sixteen of UC?s 26 opponents appeared in postseason play in 2003-04.
? Four of the Bearcats losses were to ranked teams: No. 1 (Illinois), No. 3 (Wake Forest), No. 9 (Louisville) and No. 18 (Louisville) at the time the Bearcats played them, and including the one-point loss at now No. 23 Charlotte, and the loss to 16-7 DePaul, the combined record of the five teams to beat the Bearcats is 107-19.
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 119-33 ledger (.783) in C-USA play, winning or sharing the regular season crown in all but one of those years. The Bearcats have posted a 254-68 (.789) 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 weeks:
? The 6-6 junior has averaged 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds over the last six games, shooting .643 (45-of-70) from the field.
? His streak of double-digit scoring games was snapped at eight when he managed nine points vs. UAB on Saturday while suffering through a case of the flu, but still gathered 13 rebounds, his third double figure rebounding performance in the past four contests.
? Hicks ranks third in C-USA and 24th nationally in rejections (2.4).
? 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.
MAX?S MILESTONES: Jason Maxiell continues to rack up milestones:
? The 6-7 senior is in 12th place on UC?s career scoring list with 1,463 points and 15th on the all-time C-USA list.
? Max has played in 122 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Cincinnati history.
? Maxiell?s 234 career blocks ranks second at UC to Kenyon Martin and fourth in C-USA.
? He ranks sixth in C-USA in career rebounds with 852, needing four to move into the No. 5 spot in league history, currently held by DePaul?s Andre Brown (855).
UC?S POINT FORWARD: James White, a forward by trade, is Cincinnati?s assist leader. The 6-6 junior has averaged 4.6 assists over his last five games to boost his season average to 3.2. White has also been a productive scorer, averaging 13.4 points over his last six games while shooting .526 (30-of-57) from the field.
BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati leads Conference USA and is ranked second nationally in blocked shots (7.0). Jason Maxiell leads C-USA and is 11th nationally in blocks (2.8), with Eric Hicks (2.4) third in C-USA and 24th 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.
DIFFERENT LOOK: UC has started new lineups in each of its last five games and has now used 11 different lineups this season. Jason Maxiell, Eric Hicks and Nick Williams have been staples in the lineup during the recent changes. Others who have rotated into the starting five are Armein Kirkland, James White, Jihad Muhammad, Chadd Moore and Jamaal Lucas.
MAXIELL, HICKS EARN ALL-DISTRICT HONORS: Jason Maxiell was named to the All-District 10 team for the second straight year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He is one of 10 Conference USA players to earn all-district recognition this season. UC?s Eric Hicks was selected to the District 10 second team.
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 named to the Conference USA preseason all-league team for the third straight year.
KIRKLAND EARNS C-USA HONORS: Armein Kirkland became the first Bearcat to earn Conference USA Player of the Week honors (Jan. 10) after averaging 20.0 points in leading Cincinnati to a pair of C-USA victories over DePaul and Saint Louis. Kirkland scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in the Jan. 6 win over DePaul, and tallied 22 points in the Jan. 8 win over Saint Louis. Kirkland shot .593 from the field and averaged 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists during the two games.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats? hit the road for a Saturday, Feb. 26 game at TCU. The 3 p.m. EST contest will be televised by ESPN Plus and aired in Cincinnati on WXIX-TV 19. Cincinnati returns to Fifth Third Arena for its final home game of the season, hosting Tulane on Wednesday, March 2 (8 p.m. EST, WXIX-TV 19).