TicketsJan. 8, 2006
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UC vs. Connecticut
Date: Monday, Jan. 9, 2006
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Site: Hartford Civic Center (16,294), Hartford, Connecticut
Records:
Cincinnati: 13-2, 2-0 BIG EAST
Connecticut: 12-1, 0-1 BIG EAST
TV: ESPN (Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery, Jay Bilas)
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock)
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 30 Cedric McGowan 6-6 Jr. Miami, Fla. 8.9 pts, 7.3 reb, 0.9 ast
F 33 Armein Kirkland 6-8 Sr. Tyler, Texas 9.4 pts, 3.5 reb, 2.3 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks 6-6 Sr. Greensboro, N.C. 15.1 pts, 8.9 reb, 3.5 blk
G 21 James White 6-7 Sr. Washington, D.C. 17.5 pts, 5.4 reb, 2.1 ast
G 3 Devan Downey 5-10 Fr. Chester, S.C. 13.7 pts, 2.3 reb, 4.1 ast
CONNECTICUT PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 21 Josh Boone 6-10 Jr. Mt. Airy, Md. 10.0 pts, 6.5 reb, 2.5 blk
F 22 Rudy Gay 6-9 So. Baltimore, Md. 15.9 pts, 6.1 reb, 2.7 ast
F 33 Denham Brown 6-6 Sr. Toronto, Ontario 10.1 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.3 ast
C 11 Hilton Armstrong 6-11 Sr. Peekskill, N.Y. 9.4 pts, 6.5 reb, 2.4 blk
G 24 Craig Austrie 6-3 Fr. Stamford, Conn. 5.3 pts, 2.3 reb, 4.2 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will try to keep its start in BIG EAST play perfect when the Bearcats visit Hartford to face No. 2 Connecticut in a 7 p.m. EST game at the Hartford Civic Center. The Bearcats, in their debut season in the BIG EAST, upped their league mark to 2-0 on Saturday with a hard-fought 70-66 victory at Marquette. The win extended UC's winning streak to 10 games and upped their season ledger to 13-2. Connecticut will be seeking its first BIG EAST win of the season. The Huskies lost to Marquette on Jan. 3 and defeated LSU, 67-66, on Saturday.
STORY LINES:
Cincinnati, which over the years has built a reputation for its defensive play, will be challenged by one of the nation's top offensive teams in Monday's game. Connecticut was ranked second nationally in scoring offense, second in field goal percentage and 20th in 3-point field goal percentage in the most recent NCAA statistics. The Huskies are averaging 85.5 points and are shooting .475 from the field, .388 from 3-point range.
The game will also match two of the top teams in shot blocking. Connecticut is averaging 8.9 blocks per game and was ranked second nationally in the most recent NCAA statistics. Cincinnati is No. 30 nationally, though the Bearcats are expected to move up in the rankings following Saturday's school-record 18 blocks vs. Marquette, which upped their average to 6.3.
The Bearcats enter Monday's game with a 10-game winning streak. That's UC's longest win streak since the Bearcats won the first 11 games of the 2004-05 season.
James White will be seeking his 1000th career point. The senior enters Saturday's game with 996.
Eric Hicks is approaching his 700th career rebound and his 200th career blocked shot. The senior enters Monday's game with totals of 693 and 195, respectively.
It will be the second game vs. Connecticut that Cincinnati head coach Andy Kennedy has been involved in. On Mar. 22, 1989, Kennedy, a sophomore at UAB, scored 22 points with the aid of six 3-pointers to lead the Blazers to an 85-79 win over the Huskies in the quarterfinals of the NIT. The game was played at Storrs.
The game will be UC's third true away game of the season. Cincinnati played at Vanderbilt on Dec. 10, capturing a 92-83 win, and recorded a 70-66 victory at Marquette on Saturday. The Bearcats have played three games on neutral sites.
CINCINNATI VS. CONNECTICUT: The Bearcats and Huskies have met only once previously. Connecticut defeated Cincinnati, 96-91, in the second round of the NCAA West Regional on Mar. 18, 1995 in Salt Lake City.
LAST MEETING: Connecticut got 49 points from its forward duo of Donny Marshall and Ray Allen, but had to fight off a late Cincinnati comeback attempt for a 96-91 win on Mar. 18, 1995 at the NCAA West Regional in Salt Lake City. The Huskies led for all but the first minute of the game and had a 16-point cushion in the second half, before the Bearcats' rally. Marshall scored 25 points and Allen added 24 for UConn, which shot .565 from the field. LaZelle Durden tallied 25 points and Art Long added 22 points and 15 rebounds for UC.
COMPUTERS LIKE THE CATS: While Cincinnati has been receiving votes in the weekly polls in each of the last three weeks, the Bearcats have been a Top 20 team most of the season in the computer ratings. UC was ranked No. 14 in the Sagarin Index and No. 17 in the RPI entering Saturday's games.
NOTES FROM THE MARQUETTE GAME:
Eric Hicks became the fifth Bearcat in the school's history to record a triple-double when he totalled 22 points, 12 rebounds and a school record-tying 10 blocked shots. It marked the third straight game that Hicks topped the 20-point mark in scoring. He extended his string of games with a blocked shot to 14.
Cincinnati set a school record with 18 blocked shots, topping the old mark of 15 set by the 1999-00 team vs. Iowa State. Besides Hicks' 10 blocks, James White had a career-best four rejections.
Devan Downey recorded a career-high five steals. The freshman previously had four steals on three occasions this season.
Marquette became the eighth foe that the Bearcats held to sub-.400 field goal shooting (.379).
UC gave up a season-high 46 points in the first half, but held MU to just 20 points in the second half, tying a season-low by a UC opponent.
NOTES ON THE 10-GAME WIN STREAK: The Bearcats' success in their win streak is measurable in the statistics from the last 10 contests:
UC has averaged 85.5 points and has posted an average victory margin of 19.4 points.
UC has shot .483 from the field, including a season-high .563 vs. Tennessee Tech on Dec. 17 and a .552 effort vs. North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30.
UC has averaged 10.7 turnovers and has had an average turnover margin of +6.6.
UC has averaged 8.2 steals.
The 10 opponents were a combined 56-28 at the time they played the Bearcats, which included one 0-9 team.
DOWNEY PLAYING A BIG ROLE: Devan Downey, the Bearcats' 5-10 freshman point guard, has played a large role in Cincinnati's 10-game winning streak.
On Dec. 10, Downey keyed UC's 92-83 win over Vanderbilt by scoring 18 points, 16 in the second half, and recording four steals and a pair of assists, earning BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week honors.
On Dec. 14 vs. Ohio, Downey scored a career-high 24 points--a Bearcat high for the 2005-06 season--shooting 10-of-16 from the field, and had five assists and four steals.
On Dec. 17 vs. Tennessee Tech, he recorded 16 points and nine assists while posting a career-high seven rebounds.
On Dec. 22 vs. Dayton, he recorded a game-high 21 points and three assists.
On Dec. 23 vs. LSU, he recorded eight assists and 11 points.
On Dec. 28 vs. Miami, he tallied 19 points, on 4-of-7 shooting.
On Dec. 30 vs. North Carolina A&T, he passed for a career-high 11 assists and scored 13 points for his first career double-double.
Downey's 10-game statistics during the streak feature a 14.7 scoring average, and averages of 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals.
Downey is UC's third-leading scorer, averaging 13.7 points. He leads the Bearcats in assists (4.1) and steals (2.1).
HICKS GETS TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Eric Hicks became the fifth player at the University of Cincinnati to achieve a triple-double when he posted 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots vs. Marquette. It was the 15th triple-double in UC history. Oscar Robertson had 10, Kenyon Martin two and Rick Roberson and Kenny Satterfield one each.
HICKS IS HOT: Eric Hicks is one of the hottest players in the BIG EAST Conference. The 6-6 senior is averaging a double-double over his last five games (19.6 points, 10.6 rebounds) and has averaged 21.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks over his first two BIG EAST games. Hicks has topped the 20-point mark in four of his last five contests.
HICKS HAVING A BLOCK-FEST: Eric Hicks, who blocked a school record-tying 10 shots in the Jan. 7 win over Marquette, has blocked 40 shots in his last nine games. He enters Monday's game with a streak of 14 games with at least one block, and a rejection in 45 of his last 47 games. The 6-6 senior was ranked ninth nationally in blocks prior to his 10-block performance. Hicks has moved into third place at Cincinnati in career blocks with 195, trailing Kenyon Martin (292) and Jason Maxiell (254).
WHITE'S SCORING CONSISTENT: James White not only leads Cincinnati in scoring with his 17.5 average, but he is tops in scoring consistency. The 6-7 senior has recorded game highs of 23 and 21 points and has had lows of 10, 12, 15 and a pair of 17-point performances in four others. In the remaining eight games, he has tallied 18 points four times and 19 points four times. White has scored in double digits in all 14 games this season while shooting .523 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.
OTHER BEARCAT BITS:
The Bearcats have picked up the pace in rebounding recently. UC has averaged 45.0 rebounds over its last three games and has out-rebounded its last three foes by an average margin of +9.7.
Since surrendering a season-high .528 field goal percentage to LSU on Dec. 23, Cincinnati has held its last four foes to .382 shooting. Cincinnati has held eight opponents under the .400 mark in field goal percentage, including two under 33 percent. UC has posted sub-.400 defensive field goal percentages in six of the last eight seasons.
The Bearcats have scored 80 or more points in eight games this season, topping the 100-point mark twice. UC tallied 105 points vs. Tennessee Tech on Dec. 17, then matched that with 105 points vs. North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30.
Cincinnati has had at least five double-figure scorers in five of the last eight games, and seven times during the course of the season. Six Bearcats reached double figures in scoring in the Dec. 30 win over North Carolina A&T.
UC recorded a season-high 25 assists vs. North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30.
The Bearcats set season highs for rebounds (53) and rebounding margin (+18) in the Jan. 4 game vs. DePaul, also committing a season-low six turnovers in that contest.
FOUL PLAY: Cincinnati has shot .786 at the foul line this season, and has moved up to No. 3 in the national rankings. James White leads UC's free throw marksmen with his .868 percentage. Devan Downey is shooting .853. Even Eric Hicks is getting into the act. A .569 career foul shooter, Hicks has shot .717 this season. UC has made almost as many free throws (272) as its opponents have attempted (279).
DOWNEY TAKES BIG EAST ROOKIE HONORS: Devan Downey earned the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks. Downey captured the award for the second straight week after averaging 20.0 points, 7.0 assists and 3.5 steals in UC's wins over Ohio (12/14/05) and Tennessee Tech (12/17/05). The 5-10 freshman from Chester, S.C. scored a career high 24 points and matched a personal best with four steals vs. Ohio, and tallied 16 points and recorded career highs of nine assists and seven rebounds vs. Tennessee Tech. He was chosen after keying the Dec. 10 win over Vanderbilt with 18 points and four steals.
MORE LEAGUE HONORS: Seniors James White and Eric Hicks have also been recognized by the BIG EAST this season. White was named to the weekly honor roll twice (Dec. 19, Dec. 26), while Hicks won honor roll honors on Dec. 5 and Jan. 2.
STREAK BUSTERS: Cincinnati ended modest win streaks of three opponents. UC stopped Vanderbilt's unbeaten start at five games with a 92-83 win over the Commodores on Dec. 10. The Bearcats also snapped Vandy's 28-game home non-conference win streak. UC halted Ohio's 4-0 start with an 86-58 win on Dec. 14. On Dec. 17, UC ended Tennessee Tech's six-game win streak with a 105-62 victory. UC's win at Marquette on Jan. 7 snapped MU's home winning streak at seven and overall win streak at five.
UC ENDS PRE-CONFERENCE WITH 11 WINS: Cincinnati topped the 11-win mark in November-December play for the fifth time in school history with its 11-2 mark. The 1998-99 and 2001-02 teams each posted 12 victories while UC recorded 11 pre-conference victories in 2004-05 and 1999-00.
BLOUNT RETURNS: 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, returned to the Bearcat bench as interim assistant coach in early December. A first round draft pick by the Chicago Bulls following his UC career, Blount is an 11-year veteran of the National Basketball Association. Blount averaged 9.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots during his two seasons as a Bearcat.
CONFERENCE DEBUTS GOOD FOR UC: The Bearcats can expect to enjoy success in their inaugural season in the BIG EAST, if the past is any precursor. Every time Cincinnati has begun play in a new conference, it has claimed the championship. UC captured the Buckeye Athletic Association title in 1925-26, the Mid-American Conference championship in 1946-47, the Missouri Valley Conference crown in 1957-58, the Metro Conference Tournament championship in 1975-76, the regular season and tournament titles in the Great Midwest Conference in 1991-92, and the regular season and tourney championships of Conference USA in 1995-96.
BEARCATS NO. 1 AMONG CONFERENCE RULERS: Cincinnati shares with Valparaiso the distinction of having won the most conference regular season championships over the last 11 seasons. The Bearcats have been regular season champions nine times in the past 11 seasons, eight in Conference USA and once in the Great Midwest Conference.
105th CAMPAIGN: The 2005-06 season is Cincinnati's 105th year of basketball competition. The school has compiled a 1,512-857 record (.638).
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats will return home to host Syracuse on Saturday, Jan. 14. Game time is 8 p.m. Cincinnati will take a break from BIG EAST Conference play to face Xavier in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Jan. 19 at XU's Cintas Center.