TicketsBearcats Clash With Iowa at NCAA Regional
Contact: Brian Teter
3/16/2005
Jason Maxiell will lead the Bearcats in their opening round NCAA Tournament Game. |
CINCINNATI vs. IOWA
NCAA 1st Round Regional
Date: Thursday, March 17, 2005
Time: 2:50 p.m. EST* *30 min. after first game
Site: RCA Dome (37,565), Indianapolis, Indiana
Records:
Cincinnati (23USA/23AP): 24-7, 12-4 C-USA (tie-2nd)
Iowa: ........ 21-11, 7-9 Big Ten (7th)
TV: CBS, WKRC-TV 12 in Cincinnati (Dick Enberg, Jay Bilas).
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock).
Tickets: Available.
Series: Cincinnati leads, 5-2.
Last Meeting: Dec. 5, 1980 in the Fiesta Bowl Classic; Iowa 69, UC 64.
The Coaches:
? BOB HUGGINS (West Virginia ?77)
At Cincinnati: 16th year, 398-126 (.760)
Overall: 24th year, 566-198 (.741)
Huggins is the nation?s seventh-winningest active coach and is 11th in victories.
? STEVE ALFORD (Indiana ?87)
At Iowa: 6th year, 110-82 (.573)
Overall: 14th year, 266-159 (.626)
Alford directed Iowa to the 2001 Big Ten Tournament title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics F 33 Armein Kirkland, 6-8 Jr., Tyler, Texas........... 10.8 pts, 4.4 reb, 2.5 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks, 6-6 Jr., Greensboro, N.C............. 13.9 pts, 8.9 reb, 2.3 blk
F 54 Jason Maxiell, 6-7 Sr., Carrollton, Texas....... 15.3 pts, 7.8 reb, 2.7 blk
G 5 Nick Williams, 6-3 Sr., Arlington, Texas.......... 8.6 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.8 ast
G 21 James White, 6-7 Jr., Kensington, Md.......... 10.3 pts, 4.8 reb, 3.1 ast
IOWA PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics F 44 Greg Brunner, 6-7 Jr., Charles City, Ia.......... 14.5 pts, 8.3 reb, 1.9 ast
C 34 Erek Hansen, 6-11 Jr., Bedford, Texas........... 5.0 pts, 2.6 reb, 2.7 blk
G 1 Adam Haluska, 6-5 So., Carroll, Ia................ 14.3 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.6 ast
G 2 Jeff Horner, 6-3 Jr., Mason City, Ia............... 14.1 pts, 4.5 reb, 5.6 ast
G 35 Mike Henderson, 6-2 So., Waterloo, Ia............ 4.9 pts, 2.1 reb, 1.2 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati makes its 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament when the Bearcats (24-7), seeded No. 7, launch play against No. 10 seed Iowa (21-11) on Thursday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The UC-Iowa matchup will be the second game of the afternoon session on Thursday. The first game, featuring No. 2 seed Kentucky (25-5) and No. 15 seed Eastern Kentucky (22-8), will tip off at 12:20 p.m. with the UC-Iowa game to follow, 30 minutes after.
The first round winners will square off on Saturday for the right to advance to the regional finals at Austin, Texas on March 25 and 27. The second round Saturday game time will be either 5:40 or 8:10 p.m. EST.
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE: Both Cincinnati and Iowa reached the NCAA Tournament as at-large selections. The Bearcats finished in a tie for second place in the Conference USA regular season race and were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament by an 80-68 upset to USF. Iowa finished seventh in the Big Ten race and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, upsetting No. 10 Michigan State before losing at the buzzer to Wisconsin, 59-56.
CINCINNATI IN THE NCAA: Cincinnati is making its 14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the school?s longest streak of consecutive NCAA berths, and the third-longest active streak in the nation, trailing only Arizona and Kansas. Overall, this is UC?s 24th trek to the NCAAs. The Bearcats have a 39-22 record in NCAA tourney play. Cincinnati has won six regional championships, made six trips to the Final Four, posted two third place finishes, had one runner-up showing (1960) and won national titles in 1961 and 1962.
UC VS. IOWA: Cincinnati and Iowa have met seven times, with Cincinnati holding a 5-2 lead in the series. The teams last met on Dec. 5, 1980 in the second round of the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tempe, Arizona. Iowa won that contest, 69-64.
BEARCATS IN THE POLLS: Cincinnati is No. 23 this week in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, the 16th straight week UC has been ranked this season. In the computer ratings, UC ended the season ranked No. 23 in the Sagarin Index and No. 24 in the RPI.
LAST TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNEY: Seeded No. 4 in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and playing first round games in Columbus, Ohio, the Bearcats opened with an 80-77 win over No. 13 seed East Tennessee State. Tony Bobbitt?s 3-pointer with 16.9 seconds to play provided the winning points as UC rallied from a three-point deficit in the final 1:48.
Deron Williams exploded for 31 points as No. 5 seed Illinois dominated Cincinnati, 92-68, in the second round. The Illini shot .636 from the field and took command with a 25-10 run late in the first half.
STORY LINES:
? Thursday?s game will be the second matchup of head coaches Bob Huggins and Steve Alford. The previous meeting occurred on Jan. 1, 1997 when Cincinnati faced Alford?s Southwest Missouri State team in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic. UC won, 101-60.
? With one more victory, Cincinnati will reach the 25-win mark for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.
? Bob Huggins enters the NCAA tourney with 398 victories in his 16 seasons at Cincinnati and could be seeking milestone win No. 400 this weekend.
? Huggins, who ranks seventh among active coaches in winning percentage (566-198, .741) and 11th in victories, is tied for the 34th spot in career victories among all Division I coaches, active and retired, sharing the spot with Davey Whitney, formerly of Texas Southern and Alcorn State. He needs two more victories to reach 33rd place.
? Jason Maxiell, with 895 career rebounds, is bidding to become the ninth Bearcat to top the 900 mark in career rebounds.
? Maxiell, with 83 blocked shots this season, enters the NCAA Tournament tied with Kenyon Martin for the second-most blocks in a season by a Bearcat.
? Cincinnati and Iowa have played five common opponents. UC is 3-3 vs. those foes while Iowa is 5-3.
? Cincinnati has played eight games against six teams in the 2005 NCAA Tournament field, compiling a 3-4 record. UC beat Charlotte, UAB, and Northern Iowa, while losing to Louisville (twice), Wake Forest, Charlotte and Illinois.
UC IN INDY: Cincinnati is already 1-0 this season in games played in Indianapolis. The Bearcats defeated Purdue, 79-59 on Nov. 27, at the John Wooden Tradition which was played at Conseco Fieldhouse. The only previous appearance by a UC team in the RCA Dome was a 40-16 upset in football at the hands of Indiana State in 1987.
MARCH MADNESS: Over the past 13 years, Cincinnati has posted a 58-26 record during the month of March, underscoring the Bearcats? reputation as a team which is primed for postseason. Since the 1957-58 season, when UC first qualified for the NCAA Tournament, Cincinnati has compiled a 118-61 (.659) ledger in games played in the month of March.
UC-USF GAME RECAP:
? The Bearcats shot a season-high .917 from the foul line, converting on 11 of 12 free throws.
? Jason Maxiell, with 21 points and 12 rebounds, recorded his eighth double-double of the season and 22nd of his career.
? Eric Hicks? 18 points was his third straight double-figure scoring game and 22nd of the season.
? The Bearcats lost the opening tip for only the seventh time this season.
? The loss ended a UC streak of 14 straight wins over USF, dating back to 1988-89.
BEARCAT BITES:
? Cincinnati has posted victory margins of 10 or more points in 20 of its 24 wins and has beaten 16 of those foes by at least 16 points. UC is second in C-USA and 12th nationally in average scoring margin.
? After shooting just .525 at the charity stripe in its final two regular season games, UC shot a season-high .917 in its C-USA Tournament game vs. USF.
? UC has averaged 16.0 assists over its last four games. The Bearcats have had an assist on 64 of their 104 field goals during this span, a .615 percentage.
? The Bearcats have held 21 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 14 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 (.371) and No. 2 in blocked shots (6.9).
? The Bearcats? 214 blocks is the second highest season total in school history. The 1999-00 team set the record of 223.
? UC posted an average rebounding margin of +13.3 during its recent six-game win streak. The Bearcats have a +7.8 rebounding margin in their victories and -4.9 in their losses. Cincinnati is third in C-USA in rebounding margin (+5.0).
? The Bearcats have won 26 of 33 jump balls, with Jason Maxiell doing all of the jumping. UC has taken the opening tip in 24 of its 31 contests and won both overtime period jump balls.
? UC has made more free throws (580) than its opponents have attempted (555).
? Eighteen of UC?s 31 foes 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 previously Top 25-ranked Charlotte, and the loss to 19-10 DePaul, the combined record of the six teams to beat the Bearcats is 141-42.
HIGH FIVE: Cincinnati has five players averaging double figures in scoring for all games (Maxiell, Hicks, Kirkland, Muhammad, White). Only five times in UC?s basketball history have Bearcat teams finished the season with five players scoring in double figures, the most recent the 1976-77 season when Robert Miller (14.2), Gary Yoder (13.6), Brian Williams (12.7), Mike Jones (12.2) and Steve Collier (12.0) accomplished the feat. The others occurred in 1956-57, 1955-56, 1954-55 and 1952-53.
TERRIFIC 20?S: The Bearcats have clinched their 14th 20-win season in the last 16 campaigns 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.
BEARCATS TIE FOR SECOND: For only the second time in the league?s 10-year history, Cincinnati did not win or tie for the regular season Conference USA championship. The Bearcats finished in a tie with Charlotte for second place. UC has claimed all or a share of 26 conference basketball titles in its history, the seventh-most of any Division I institution.
KINGS OF C-USA: Cincinnati closed its reign of Conference USA as the winningest team in the history of Conference USA, both in league play and overall. The Bearcats compiled a 123-33 ledger (.788) in C-USA play, winning or sharing the regular season crown in all but two of those years. The Bearcats have posted a 258-69 (.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 14 seasons. UC has won either a regular season or tournament title in 12 of the past 14 seasons, and six times during that span, UC has claimed both during the same season.
MAX?S MILESTONES: Jason Maxiell continues to rack up milestones:
? Maxiell has averaged 16.3 points over his last seven games, shooting .565 from the field.
? Has averaged 9.0 rebounds over his last six contests, reaching double figures three times.
? The 6-7 senior is in 11th place on UC?s career scoring list with 1,535 points and 13th on the all-time C-USA list.
? Max has played in 127 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Cincinnati history. The record is 131 set by Keith Gregor (1992-96).
? Maxiell?s 244 career blocks ranks second at UC to Kenyon Martin and fourth in C-USA.
? His 83 blocks this season ties the second-highest single season total by a Bearcat.
? He ranks ninth at UC in career rebounds with 895, which is fourth on the C-USA career rebounding list.
HICKS A HERO: Eric Hicks has been one of Cincinnati?s most productive players this year:
? The 6-6 junior has averaged 15.4 points and 9.2 rebounds over the last 11 games, shooting .588 from the field.
? Has reached double digits in rebounding in five of his last nine games, averaging 10.0 rebounds for that span.
? Has scored in double figures 22 times, including 12 of his last 14 games.
? Hicks ranks third in C-USA and 28th nationally in rejections (2.3).
? He ranks fourth in C-USA and 36th nationally in rebounds (8.9).
? His defensive performance was credited with the effort that limited then-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.
UC?S POINT FORWARD: James White, a forward by trade, is Cincinnati?s assist leader. The 6-7 junior has a season average of 3.1. White ranks ninth in C-USA in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.51:1).
BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati leads Conference USA and is ranked second nationally in blocked shots (6.9). Jason Maxiell is second in C-USA and 16th nationally in blocks (2.7), with Eric Hicks (2.3) third in C-USA and 28th nationally. The Bearcats recorded a season-high 13 blocks in their Dec. 27 win over Miami (Ohio) and have had 10 or more blocks in eight games this season. Maxiell has had five or more rejections in six games this year, highlighted by a career-high eight blocks vs. Houston on Jan. 29. As a team, UC has 214 rejections, while opponents have only 68.
UC?s 214 blocks is the second-highest total recorded by a Bearcat team to the 223 which the 1999-00 squad amassed.
DIFFERENT LOOK: UC has started new lineups in eight of its last 10 games and has used 13 different lineups this season.