TicketsDec. 13, 2005
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Game Facts
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Site: Fifth Third Arena (13,176), Cincinnati, Ohio
Records:
Cincinnati - 4-2
Ohio - 4-0
TV: WXIX-TV 19 (Jeff Piecoro, Anthony Buford). The game will be aired throughout the state of Ohio on the Ohio News Network.
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock).
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 30 Cedric McGowan......... 6-6 Jr. Miami, Fla.......................... 8.8 pts, 6.3 reb, 1.0 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks................... 6-6 Sr. Greensboro, N.C............... 12.8 pts, 9.3 reb, 2.0 blk
F-G 33 Armein Kirkland........... 6-8 Sr. Tyler, Texas....................... 8.7 pts, 3.2 reb, 2.3 ast
G 21 James White.............. 6-7 Sr. Washington, D.C............... 18.0 pts, 5.2 reb, 2.0 ast
G 3 Devan Downey........... 5-10 Fr. Chester, S.C.................... 12.8 pts, 2.2 reb, 2.2 ast
OHIO PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 1 Sonny Troutman.......... 6-5 Jr. Indianapolis, Ind.................. 8.8 pts, 2.8 reb, 3.0 ast
F-C 5 Leon Williams.............. 6-8 So. Baltimore, Md................... 13.0 pts, 8.0 reb, 1.3 ast
G 00 Mychal Green.............. 6-4 Sr. Columbus, Ohio................ 15.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.8 ast
G 3 Jeremy Fears.............. 6-3 So. Joliet, Ill........................... 13.8 pts, 2.5 reb, 5.6 ast
G 23 Jeff Halbert................. 6-5 Sr. White Bear Lake, Minn........ 7.0 pts, 3.0 reb, 1.3 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will be out to break its only home losing streak in the history of Fifth Third Arena when hosting Ohio University on Wednesday (Dec. 14) at 8 p.m. The Bearcats, 4-2, suffered consecutive home losses to Dayton and Memphis before last Saturday's 92-83 win at Vanderbilt, which had never occurred since opening their home arena in 1989-90. Ohio is perfect both at home and on the road this season. The Bobcats upped their record to 4-0 with a 71-63 victory at Rhode Island on Saturday.
LAST MEETING: Pete Mickeal scored 18 points and led several second-half scoring spurts to help Cincinnati defeat Ohio, 73-59, on Jan. 14, 2000 in Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats led by just five points at intermission, a game that began at midnight and was played before an ESPN national audience. UC was ahead by only six, 55-49, with 10:05 to play. Mickeal scored five straight points to key a game-breaking 11-2 scoring run. Jermaine Tate tallied a Cincinnati career-high 14 points.
STORY LINES:
Wednesday's game will be the first of three home games the Bearcats will play over a six-day period. UC hosts Tennessee Tech on Saturday (Dec. 17) and Arkansas-Monticello on Monday (Dec. 19) in 7 p.m. contests that are part of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
Wednesday's game will be the 76th meeting between Cincinnati and Ohio but only the second since 1973-74. The Bearcats and Bobcats played regularly from 1919-20 through 1952-53, usually meeting twice a year, as members of the Buckeye Athletic Association, and later, the Mid-American Conference.
Eric Hicks is closing in on his 800th career point. The senior, who recently topped the 600-rebound plateau, enters Wednesday's contest with 797 points.
NOTES FROM THE VANDERBILT GAME:
Cincinnati broke Vanderbilt's 28-game home win streak vs. non-league opponents with its 92-83 victory.
The Bearcats shot a season-high .484 from the field (30-of-62) and .833 from the foul line (25-of-30).
In addition to scoring 18 points, Devan Downey tied his career high with four steals. It was the third game this season in which the freshman has made four steals.
UC's 49 points in the first half were the most since the Bearcats scored 51 vs. Charlotte on Feb. 5, 2005.
The Bearcats were out-rebounded, 43-32, their largest negative rebounding margin since Louisville won the battle of the boards, 42-30, on Jan. 15, 2005.
OTHER BEARCAT BITS:
Cincinnati has shot .440 from the field in its four victories and .380 in its two defeats. From 3-point range, the Bearcats have shot .342 in their wins and .256 in their losses.
The Bearcats are averaging 20.2 points, 26 percent of the team's scoring, from their bench. The UC subs scored a season-high 36 points in the Nov. 23 win over Illinois State.
After holding each of its first three opponents under the .400 mark in field goal percentage, UC has allowed its last three foes to shoot over .400 from the field. It marks the first time since late February of the 2001-02 season that three consecutive teams have shot over .400 on Cincinnati.
DOWNEY EARNS ROOKIE HONORS: Cincinnati freshman Devan Downey earned BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week honors for his efforts in the Bearcats' 92-83 victory over Vanderbilt. The 5-10 point guard scored 18 points, 16 in the second half of Saturday's win, and tied a career high with four steals. Downey also held Vanderbilt senior Mario Moore, a preseason All-Southeastern Conference selection, to five points, half of his season average.
DOWNEY A FRESHMAN SENSATION: Devan Downey became the first freshman to start at point guard in three seasons when he was promoted to the starting lineup for Cincinnati's Nov. 25 game vs. Holy Cross. The 5-10 newcomer has spent the last four games showing that he is not interested in giving up that starting job. Downey is UC's second-leading scorer, averaging 12.8 points, and is second in assists (2.2). On the defensive end, he leads the team in steals, averaging 2.5 per game, and three times has had four steals. As point guard, he is also turning up the tempo of the UC offense.
WHITE'S SCORING CONSISTENT: James White not only leads Cincinnati in scoring, but he is tops in scoring consistency. The 6-7 senior has had scoring performances of 21, 18, 19 and 17 points to date, giving him an 18.0 point scoring average. He has scored in double digits in all six games this season while shooting .507 from the field. The production is a significant boost for White, who averaged 10.2 points last season and entered the campaign with an 8.1 career scoring average. White has topped the 800-point mark in career scoring.
CHADD's BACK: Chadd Moore returned to action for the first time since Feb. 24 last season when he played 22 minutes in Saturday's victory over Vanderbilt. The Bearcat senior guard gave up basketball late last season due to chronic back problems, but made significant recovery over the summer to give the sport one more try. Moore scored nine points and was credited for his defensive play in his debut. Moore, who because he was not expecting to play again at UC played on a summer basketball league team without proper approval, was required to sit out the first five games of the season.
HICKS ON THE BLOCK: Eric Hicks has moved into third place at Cincinnati in career blocks with 155, trailing Kenyon Martin (292) and Jason Maxiell (254). Hicks has blocked at least one shot in 36 of his last 38 games. The 6-6 senior had a shot rejection in his first 20 games last season.
FOUL PLAY: Cincinnati has shot .769 at the foul line over its first six games. James White leads UC's free throw marksmen with his .909 percentage (30-of-33). Devan Downey is shooting .739 (26-of-31). Even Eric Hicks is getting into the act. A .569 career foul shooter, Hicks has shot .724 this season.
BLOUNT RETURNS TO ALMA MATER: Corie Blount, the starting center on the University of Cincinnati basketball teams which reached the NCAA Final Four in 1992 and Elite Eight in 1993, has returned to his alma mater as interim assistant coach. A first round draft pick by the Chicago Bulls following his UC career, Blount is an 11-year veteran of the National Basketball Association, playing for Chicago (1993-95), the Los Angeles Lakers (1995-98), Cleveland (1998-99), Phoenix (1999-2001), Golden State (2001), Philadelphia (2002), Chicago (2003-04) and Toronto (2004). Blount retired prior to the start of the 2004-05 season but attempted a comeback last fall with the Lakers. He had career averages of 3.6 points and 4.2 rebounds. Blount averaged 9.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots during his two seasons as a Bearcat.
105th CAMPAIGN: The 2005-06 season is Cincinnati's 105th year of basketball competition. The school has compiled a 1,503-857 record for a .637 percentage.
BEARCATS STRONG IN 5/3 ARENA: Cincinnati is in its 17th season in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center, and has compiled a 223-31 record a .878 winning percentage.
LOOKING AHEAD: Wednesday's game begins a stretch of three home contests in six days. The Bearcats will entertain Tennessee Tech on Dec. 17 and Arkansas-Monticello on Dec. 19, with both games to start at 7 p.m., and both games are part of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.