TicketsFeb. 10, 2006
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GAME FACTS
UC vs. Pittsburgh
Date: Sunday, Feb. 12, 2006
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Site: Petersen Events Center (12,508), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Records:
Cincinnati : 16-8, 5-5 BIG EAST
Pittsburgh:14 AP/13 ESPN 18-3, 7-3 BIG EAST
TV: WXIX-TV 19 (Jeff Piecoro, Anthony Buford)
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, 7.5 reb, 1.0 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks 6-6 Sr. Greensboro, N.C. 14.7 pts, 9.7 reb, 3.5 blk
G 21 James White 6-7 Sr. Washington, D.C. 16.2 pts, 5.0 reb, 2.4 ast
G 13 Jihad Muhammad 5-11 Sr. Plainfield, N.J. 9.0 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.6 ast
G 3 Devan Downey 5-10 Fr. Chester, S.C. 12.5 pts, 2.6 reb, 3.9 ast
PITTSBURGH PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 0 John DeGroat 6-6 Sr. Newburgh, N.Y. 3.4 pts, 2.0 reb, 0.7 ast
F 14 Levon Kendall 6-9 Jr. Vancouver, B.C. 7.1 pts, 5.6 reb, 1.7 ast
C 33 Aaron Gray 7-0 Jr. Emmanus, Pa. 13.7 pts, 11.0 reb, 1.7 blk
G 4 Ronald Ramon 6-1 So. Bronx, N.Y. 7.2 pts, 1.2 reb, 2.6 ast
G 11 Carl Krauser 6-2 Sr. Bronx, N.Y. 16.2 pts, 4.2 reb, 4.4 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will try to stay on the winning track when visiting the University of Pittsburgh for a 2 p.m. EST contest on Sunday, Feb. 12. The Bearcats, 16-8 overall, defeated rival Louisville on Monday to even their BIG EAST Conference record at 5-5. The Panthers, ranked No. 14 by the Associated Press and No. 13 by ESPN/USA Today, are 18-3 overall and 7-3 in league play. Pittsburgh handed No. 9 West Virginia its first loss in league play with a 57-53 win on Thursday.
STORY LINES:
Cincinnati will be seeking its first set of back-to-back victories since its 10-game winning streak was ended in early January in Sunday's game at Pitt.
Sunday's game will feature two of the top rebounders in the BIG EAST Conference. Pitt's Aaron Gray leads the league, averaging 11.0 rebounds per game. UC's Eric Hicks is third with his 9.7 average.
Pittsburgh is 14-0 at home this season and has a 62-5 record in its four seasons in the Petersen Events Center.
The Bearcats have outrebounded their last three opponents by an average margin of 11.0. The Panthers are ranked second in the BIG EAST and seventh nationally in average rebound margin with an edge of 7.7.
Eric Hicks enters the game with 84 blocks, the third-highest single season total by a Bearcat. Hicks needs seven more blocks to surpass the second place single season total of 91 set last season by Jason Maxiell.
Hicks, with 791 career rebounds, needs nine more caroms to reach the 800 rebound mark.
Hicks enters the game on a tear, having posted double-doubles in nine of his last 12 games and averaging a double-double (15.9 points, 10.9 rebounds) over his last 14 contests.
Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have played eight common opponents. Cincinnati is 4-5 in games vs. those foes while Pittsburgh is 6-2.
UC-PITTSBURGH: Sunday's game will be the first meeting between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh as members of the BIG EAST Conference, and the first since the 1979-80 season. Cincinnati holds a 6-1 advantage in the series.
LAST MEETING: Pittsburgh native David Kennedy scored 18 points to lead Cincinnati to a 61-60 win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 19, 1979 in Cincinnati. Samie Ellis scored 29 for the Panthers.
LAST TIME IN PITTSBURGH: Pat Cummings scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Cincinnati to a 78-75 overtime win over Pittsburgh on Jan. 10, 1979. Terry Knight tallied 32 points for Pitt.
COMPUTERS LIKE THE CATS: The Bearcats have been a Top 30 team most of the season in the computer ratings. UC was ranked No. 28 in the Sagarin Index and No. 33 in the RPI following Thursday'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. 7 by the Sagarin Index and No. 10 by the RPI in strength of schedule rankings following Thursday's games. The slate does not get any easier as three of the remaining six regular season opponents are ranked in this week's Top 25.
NOTES FROM THE LOUISVILLE GAME:
Cincinnati set a school record by making all 18 of its free throw attempts for a 1.000 percentage. It was the sixth time that UC posted a perfect percentage, and second straight game (the Bearcats were 4-of-4 vs. West Virginia last Saturday), but was accomplished with the most attempts, beating the 17-of-17 performance vs. Temple in 1995-96.
Eric Hicks made 10-of-10 free throw tries to tie the UC single game free throw percentage (individual minimum of 10 free throws made). He becomes the ninth player to share the record.
Hicks, with 14 points and 12 rebounds, recorded his ninth double-double in the last 12 games, his 11th of the season and 24th of his career.
Four Bearcats (Jihad Muhammad 19 points, Devan Downey 15, James White 14, Hicks 14) scored in double figures, upping the Bearcats' record to 12-2 when four or more players reach double digits.
Louisville became the 12th opponent held to a sub-.400 shooting percentage by the Bearcats.
For the third straight game, UC outrebounded its opponent. Over the last three games, the Bearcats have posted a +11 average rebounding margin.
HICKS DOUBLES UP: Eric Hicks is averaging a double-double (15.9 points, 10.9 rebounds) over his last 14 games. The 6-6 senior has posted nine double-doubles in his last 12 games. Hicks turned in his 11th double-double of the season and 24th of his career when he posted 14 points and 12 rebounds in Monday's win over Louisville. He had recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds vs. No. 11 West Virginia last Saturday. 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 make him a candidate for BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors.
HICKS MOVING UP BLOCKS LIST: Eric Hicks, with 84 blocks this season, has already eclipsed his last season's total of 72 and now has the third-highest single season blocks total, exceeding the previous milestone of 83 set by Kenyon Martin in 1997-98. Martin blocked 107 shots in 1999-00 to set the Cincinnati record and Jason Maxiell has the second-most, 91, set last season. Hicks is in third place at Cincinnati in career blocks with 225, trailing Martin (292) and Maxiell (254). Hicks, who blocked a school record-tying 10 shots in the Jan. 7 win over Marquette, has blocked 42 shots in his last 10 games. He has blocked at least one shot in 53 of his last 56 games. Hicks is ranked fifth nationally in blocks in the most recent NCAA statistics.
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, is climbing UC's career scoring chart. The senior is currently in 34th place with 1,072 points. He needs 20 points to reach 33rd place, held by Bill Westerfeld (1946-49).
MUHAMMAD TAKES OFFENSE: Since moving into the starting lineup four games ago, Jihad Muhammad has taken on a larger role in the Cincinnati offense. The 5-11 senior has averaged 17.3 points over his last three games, due in part to his marksmanship from the 3-point arc. Muahmmad has made 12 of his last 24 trey attempts. He ignited UC's offense in Monday's win over Louisville by sinking consecutive 3s early in the game, and tied a season best with five in the game.
McGOWAN CLEANS THE GLASS: The Bearcats have outrebounded their last three opponents, and Cedric McGowan has played a key role in this success on the boards. The 6-6 junior has averaged 11.0 rebounds over the last three games. He had back-to-back double-digit rebounding performances of 14 vs. USF on Jan. 31 and 11 vs. West Virginia on Feb. 4. McGowan, who is averaging 7.5 rebounds per game, is ranked in the top 10 of the BIG EAST rebounding rankings.
DOWNEY PLAYS BIG FOR THE BEARCATS: Devan Downey is attracting attention for Freshman All-American honors, primarily because he is not playing like one. The Bearcats' 5-10 point guard leads the team in assists (3.9) and steals (2.1) and is third in scoring (12.5). Downey has recorded three or more steals in 10 different games. He has 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.
On Jan. 31, Downey came off the bench to score 12 points, grab six rebounds, nad hand out three assists in win over USF.
On Feb. 6, Downey scored 15 points in the win over Louisville and played a key role in the victory, hitting a trey with 2:47 to play that gave UC a four-point lead and then cutting through the lane for a layup with 20 seconds remaining that clinched the 74-68 win.
Downey averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals during UC's 10-game winning streak.
WHITE PLAYS CONSISTENT: James White, a native of the Washington, D.C. area, celebrated his return home by scoring 22 points in the Bearcats' loss at Georgetown on Jan. 28. The 6-7 senior meshed 8-of-9 free throws and had four dunks. White, who has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, leads UC in scoring with his 16.2-point average. He has also been tops in scoring consistency, tallying 17, 18 or 19 points in 11 of his 21. 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 played just 16 minutes vs. USF after spraining his right ankle, and was limited to just six points. White scored 14 oints and grabbed a season-best nine rebounds vs. Louisville on Monday, bevore missing the final four minutes of play after re-injuring his ankle.
OTHER BEARCAT BITS:
Cincinnati has outrebounded its last three opponents by an average of 11 boards per contest.
The Bearcats, ranked seventh nationally in fewest turnovers per game (11.6), have been in single digits in turnovers in five of the last eight games.
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.
Cincinnati has held 13 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.
The Bearcats set season highs for rebounds (53) and rebounding margin (+18) in the Jan. 4 win vs. DePaul, while committing just six turnovers.
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.
A SHORT BENCH: The depth-challenged Bearcats received another blow when Scott Benken suffered an elbow injury in practice requiring surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Benken, a non-scholarship player at Wake Forest in 2002-03 and 2003-04 prior to transferring to UC, joined the Bearcats as a walk-on on Jan. 17. Two members of the Bearcats' football program, Connor Barwin and Angelo Craig, joined the team as walk-ons on Jan. 11. Barwin, a tight end in football, has been the most productive.
STREAK BUSTERS: Cincinnati has been a streak-buster this season. On Dec. 10, UC stopped Vanderbilt's unbeaten start at five games with a 92-83 win over the Commodores, and 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.
LEAGUE DEBUT STREAK IN JEOPARDY: Cincinnati's streak of winning a conference championship each time the Bearcats have joined a new league is in jeopardy. 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.
LOOKING AHEAD: Cincinnati's road trip continues with a Wednesday, Feb. 15 appearance at Syracuse. The 7:30 p.m. contest will be televised by ESPN2. UC returns to Fifth Third Arena to host Providence on Friday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m.