TicketsJan. 26, 2006
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GAME FACTS
UC vs. Georgetown
Date: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006
Time: 12:00 noon EST
Site: MCI Center (20,600), Washington, D.C.
Records:
Cincinnati : 14-6, 3-3 BIG EAST
Georgetown (21 AP): 13-4, 4-2, BIG EAST
TV: ESPN2 (Sean McDonough, Bob Wenzel)
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Chuck Machock)
CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 30 Cedric McGowan 6-6 Jr. Miami, Fla. 8.4 pts, 6.9 reb, 1.0 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks 6-6 Sr. Greensboro, N.C. 14.5 pts, 9.5 reb, 3.5 blk
G 21 James White 6-7 Sr. Washington, D.C. 16.8 pts, 5.1 reb, 2.2 ast
G 1 Chadd Moore 6-2 Sr. Huntsville, Ala. 3.1 pts, 1.7 reb, 1.4 ast
G 3 Devan Downey 5-10 Fr. Chester, S.C. 13.4 pts, 2.4 reb, 4.1 ast
GEORGETOWN PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 1 Brandon Bowman 6-8 Sr. Santa Monica, Calif. 11.7 pts, 5.5 reb, 1.6 ast
F 32 Jeff Green 6-8 So. Hyattsville, Md. 10.4 pts, 6.4 reb, 3.3 ast
C 55 Roy Hibbert 7-2 So. Bethesda, Md. 11.7 pts, 5.9 reb, 1.8 blk
G 00 Ashanti Cook 6-2 Sr. Inglewood, Calif. 10.6 pts, 2.2 reb, 2.5 ast
G 2 Jonathan Wallace 6-1 So. Harvest, Ala. 9.1 pts, 1.9 reb, 3.4 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will try to open its series with No. 21 Georgetown with a win when the two teams clash at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Jan. 28. The 12 noon EST game will be televised regionally by ESPN2. The Bearcats enter the game with a 14-6 overall record and a 3-3 BIG EAST ledger following Wednesday's 67-50 loss at Louisville. Georgetown, 13-4, is 4-2 in the BIG EAST and has the momentum of last Saturday's 87-84 upset of then-No. 1 Duke and Tuesday's 85-82 double overtime victory at Notre Dame.
STORY LINES:
After facing Louisville in one of their longest running rivalries (87 games), the Bearcats will play their first-ever contest vs. Georgetown when the two teams meet on Saturday.
Saturday's game will mark Cincinnati's first appearance in the District of Columbia since the 1974-75 season. UC has a 3-1 record in games played in the nation's capital with all previous contests vs. George Washington.
The Hoyas have used the same starting lineup for all 17 games this season.
Saturday's game will feature two of the nation's best teams in terms of taking care of the basketball. Cincinnati is ranked No. 4 nationally this week in fewest turnovers committed (11.8) while Georgetown is 23rd (13.2).
Cincinnati and Georgetown have played two common opponents, Connecticut and Vanderbilt. Cincinnati lost to the Huskies, 70-59 on Jan. 9 in Hartford. Georgetown dropped a 74-67 decision to the Huskies on Jan. 14 in Hartford. UC beat Vanderbilt, 92-83, in Nashville on Dec. 10 while Georgetown suffered its only home loss of the season to Vandy, 68-61, on Nov. 26.
UC will be looking for its first win against a ranked opponent since March 6, 2004 when the Bearcats beat No. 20 Memphis, 83-79. Cincinnati has lost 10 straight games against teams ranked in the Top 25.
Georgetown is 7-1 at the MCI Center this season, highlighted by the Hoyas' 87-84 upset of then-No. 1 Duke on Jan. 21. Georgetown has a 70-31 ledger at MCI.
Eric Hicks, the leading shot blocker in the BIG EAST Conference, enters the game with 69 blocks, three shy of his last season total of 72 last year, which was the fifth-highest single season tally in UC history.
UC senior James White is heading home. The 6-7 swingman and UC's leading scorer hails from the Washington, D.C. area.
COMPUTERS LIKE THE CATS: The Bearcats have been a Top 20 team most of the season in the computer ratings. UC was ranked No. 18 in the RPI and No. 23 in the Sagarin Index following Wednesday's games.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: One reason for Cincinnati's lofty rankings in the Sagrin and RPI is the team's demanding schedule. The Bearcats were rated No. 4 in the RPI's strength of schedule rankings following Wednesday's games. The slate does not get any easier as seven of the remaining 10 regular season opponents are ranked in this week's Top 25.
NOTES FROM THE LOUISVILLE GAME:
Cincinnati suffered season-lows in points (50) and field goal percentage (.300).
One game after recording a season-low five turnovers, the Bearcats committed a season-high 25 miscues.
Eric Hicks tied a career high with 17 rebounds. With his 15 points, he recorded his second straight double-double and the sixth in his last eight games.
Hicks became the 43rd Bearcat to top the 1,000-point mark in career scoring and ended the game with 1,010.
James White, with nine points, had his streak of double-digit scoring performances ended at 19.
Devan Downey made three steals, the 10th time this season that the freshman has recorded three or more steals in a game.
Cincinnati, which held a 46-40 lead in rebounding, outrebounded its first foe in four games.
HICKS DOUBLES UP: One of the hottest players in the BIG EAST Conference, Eric Hicks turned in his eighth double-double of the season, and sixth in his last eight games, when he scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high tying 17 rebounds vs. Louisville (1/25/06). The 6-6 senior is averaging a double-double over his last 10 games (16.1 points, 11.0 rebounds). Hicks averaged 21.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks in a pair of victories to earn BIG EAST co-Player of the Week honors on Jan. 9. Hicks notched a triple double, with 22 points, 12 rebounds and a school record-tying 10 blocked shots in a victory over Marquette (1/7/06). Hicks' rebounding and shot-blocking prowess made him a candidate for BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors.
HICKS HAVING A BLOCK-FEST: Eric Hicks, who blocked a school record-tying 10 shots in the Jan. 7 win over Marquette, has blocked 27 shots in his last six games. With 69 blocks already this season, he is closing in on the total of 72 he reached last year, the fifth-highest single season total in UC history. Hicks has blocked at least one shot in 49 of his last 52 games. He is ranked fifth nationally in blocks in the most recent NCAA statistics. Hicks has moved into third place at Cincinnati in career blocks with 212, trailing Kenyon Martin (292) and Jason Maxiell (254).
BIG WEEK FOR DOWNEY: Devan Downey, who was limited to a season-low two points at Louisville on Wednesday, entered the game coming off a week in which he posted two more 20-plus point scoring performances. The 5-10 freshman had 22 points in Cincinnati's 73-71 overtime loss to Xavier (1/19/06), then keyed the win over Rutgers (1/22/06) with 21 points, four assists and four steals. Downey has made 16 steals over his last five contests (3.2 average).
DOWNEY NOT PLAYING LIKE A FRESHMAN: Devan Downey is attracting attention for Freshman All-American honors, primarily because he is not playing like one. The Bearcats' 5-10 point guard added another stellar performance to his season accomplishments when he exploded for 22 points vs. Xavier (1/19/06). Downey, who made a career-high four 3-pointers, drilled a trey to help UC overcome a six-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of regulation. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals, the ninth time this season he has had three or more steals. He has also had the following noteworthy performances:
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, shooting 10-of-16 from the field, and had five assists and four steals.
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.
On Jan. 19 vs. Xavier, he scored 22 points and drilled a clutch 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds which helped send the game into overtime. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
On Jan. 22, Downey keyed the win over Rutgers with 21 points, four assists and four steals.
Downey averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals during UC's recent 10-game winning streak.
Downey is UC's third-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points. He leads the Bearcats in assists (4.1) and steals (2.4).
Downey ranks 44th nationally in steals in the most recent stats, and has recorded three or more steals in 10 different games this season.
WHITE'S SCORING CONSISTENT: James White not only leads Cincinnati in scoring with his 16.8 average, but he is tops in scoring consistency. He has scored 17, 18 or 19 points in 11 of his 20 games this season. White has scored in double digits in all but one game this season, while shooting .485 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.
BENCH GETS A BOOST: Cincinnati has gotten a recent boost to its bench with the addition of three walk-ons. Two members of the Bearcats' football program, Connor Barwin and Angelo Craig, joined the team as walk-ons on Jan. 11. Scott Benken, who was a non-scholarship player on the 2002-03 and 2003-04 Wake Forest teams prior to transferring to UC to pursue his pharmacy degree, joined the program on Jan. 17. Barwin, a tight end in football, has been the most productive in games to date. The 6-4 true freshman has averaged 10.7 minutes over the last three games and had four points and four rebounds vs. Rutgers (1/22/06).
OTHER BEARCAT BITS:
Cincinnati is ranked No. 4 nationally in blocked shots and No. 9 in free throw percentage.
Cincinnati set a school and BIG EAST Conference record with 18 blocked shots in the Jan. 7 win at Marquette, topping the old mark of 15 set by the 1999-00 team vs. Iowa State. Eric Hicks tied a UC record with 10 blocks and James White had a career-best four rejections vs. Marquette.
Since surrendering a season-high .528 field goal percentage to LSU on Dec. 23, Cincinnati has held its last eight foes to .396 shooting (224-of-565).
Cincinnati has held nine 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.
UC shot a season-high .563 vs. Tennessee Tech on Dec. 17 and a .552 effort vs. North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30.
Cincinnati has had at least five double-figure scorers 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.
BEARCATS TAKE LEAGUE HONORS:
Eric Hicks was named BIG EAST co-Player of the Week on Jan. 9 after averaging 21.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks in wins over DePaul and Marquette. Hicks previously earned BIG EAST Honor Roll recognition on Dec. 5 and Jan. 2.
Devan Downey earned the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks (Dec. 10, Dec. 17).
James White was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Dec. 19 and Dec. 26.
HICKS BEGINS SCORING ASCENT: Eric Hicks, who recently became the 43rd player in University of Cincinnati history to top the 1,000-point mark in career scoring, has begun his ascent up of UC's career scoring chart. The senior is currently No. 42 with 1,010 points, three points out of 41st place.
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.
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 1,513-861 record (.638).
TICKET UPDATE: Cincinnati's Feb. 6 home contest vs. rival Louisville is a sellout. The only opportunity for the general public to purchase tickets for this game would occur if the UC students do not pick up all of their allotment of tickets. Tickets for the remaining home games can be purchased on-line at www.UCBearcats.com, by phone (513-556-CATS) using a major credit card, or in person at the UC Athletic Ticket Office at One Edwards Center, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
LOOKING AHEAD: Cincinnati returns to Fifth Third Arena to host USF on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Tipoff is 8 p.m. EST. WXIX-TV 19 will televise the game. The Bearcats hit the road for the third time in a four-game span for a Feb. 4 game at West Virginia. The 12 noon game will be televised by ESPN Regional and aired in CIncinnati on WXIX-TV 19.