TicketsMarch 21, 2006
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GAME FACTS
UC vs. Minnesota
Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
Site: Fifth Third Arena (13,176), Cincinnati, Ohio
Records:
Cincinnati : 20-12, 8-8 BIG EAST
Minnesota: 16-14, 5-11 Big Ten
TV: ESPN (Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes)
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, 7.3 reb, 0.9 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks 6-6 Sr. Greensboro, N.C. 14.6 pts, 9.7 reb, 3.3 blk
G 21 James White 6-7 Sr. Washington, D.C. 16.3 pts, 5.0 reb, 2.1 ast
G 13 Jihad Muhammad 5-11 Sr. Plainfield, N.J. 10.8 pts, 2.8 reb, 2.1 ast
G 3 Devan Downey 5-10 Fr. Chester, S.C. 12.1 pts, 2.8 reb, 4.2 ast
MINNESOTA PROBABLE STARTERS 2005-06 Statistics
F 21 J'son Stamper 6-6 Sr. Bronx, N.Y. 6.0 pts, 5.8 reb, 1.2 ast
F 32 Zach Puchtel 6-6 Jr. Minnetonka, Minn. 2.3 pts, 3.2 reb, 0.8 ast
G 31 Adam Boone 6-2 Sr.
Minnetonka, Minn. 10.2 pts, 2.9 reb, 4.7 ast G 15 Vincent Grier 6-5 Sr. Charlotte, N.C. 15.6 pts, 6.2 reb, 2.7 ast
G 11 Maurice Hargrow 6-5 Sr. St. Paul, Minn. 11.4 pts, 3.5 reb, 2.9 ast
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati hosts Minnesota in the second round of the 2006 National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday, Mar. 21 at Fifth Third Arena. The 9 p.m. EST contest will be televised nationally by ESPN. Cincinnati, 20-12 and one of the four No. 1 seeds of the tourney, opened NIT play with an 86-80 win over Charlotte on Mar. 17. Minnesota, 16-14 and seeded No. 4, defeated Wake Forest, 73-58, on Mar. 15.
STORY LINES:
Tuesday's game will be a rematch of sorts of the first men's basketball game ever played in Fifth Third Arena. Minnesota was the Bearcats' opponent for their inaugural game in the building, then known as the Shoemaker Center. The Golden Gophers were attempting to run out the clock with a 64-63 lead, but lost the ball out of bounds with .8 remaining. Steve Sanders, a fifth-year senior and former football player who had joined the team as a walk-on, sank a game-winning trey on the inbounds. UC has since compiled a 234-33 record in the building.
With last Friday's victory, Cincinnati has won its first round game in each of its last three NIT appearances. However, in the previous two NITs, UC suffered close and hard-fought losses in the second round. The Bearcats were edged by DePaul, 61-59, in 1990 and lost in overtime to Oklahoma, 89-81, in 1991. Both of those games were played on the road. UC is 4-1 all-time in NIT games that it has hosted.
Eric Hicks needs one block to tie the single season record of 107 blocks set in 1999-00 by Kenyon Martin. Hicks has rejected 106 shots this season. With 249 career blocks, Hicks is three away from the second-place career total of 252 set by former teammate Jason Maxiell (2001-05).
Hicks, with 1,186 career points, is 10 away from the 24th place on the UC career scoring list.
A LOOK AHEAD: The winner of Tuesday's game will meet the winner of the Mar. 21 game between No. 2 Florida State and No. 3 South Carolina in the quarterfinals on Mar. 23. The higher-seeded team will host the quarterfinal game. UC, as a No. 1 seed, will host as long as the Bearcats keep winning.
UC AND THE NIT: This is Cincinnati's ninth appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. UC has compiled a 6-8 ledger in NIT postseason tourneys. The Bearcats' highest finish was third place in 1955. Cincinnati's last NIT appearance occurred in 1991. UC defeated Ball State, 82-55, in Fifth Third Arena but lost an 89-81 overtime decision at Oklahoma.
MARCH MADNESS: Over the past 14 years, Cincinnati has posted a 60-28 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 120-63 (.656) ledger in games played in the month of March.
COMPUTERS LIKE THE CATS: The Bearcats were a Top 30 team most of the season in the computer ratings. UC was No. 40 in the RPI following the conclusion of the conference tournaments and No. 28 in the Sagarin Index.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: One reason for Cincinnati's lofty rankings in the Sagarin and RPI is the team's demanding schedule. The Bearcats were rated No. 5 in both the RPI and the Sagarin Index in strength of schedule rankings at the conclusion of the conference tournaments.
NOTES FROM THE CHARLOTTE GAME:
Eric Hicks had 23 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for his 26th career double-double and 13th this season. He also posted four blocked shots, moving within one of Kenyon Martin's UC single-season record of 107.
Cedric McGowan scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Jihad Muhammad scored 17 points and set a career high with eight assists.
Cincinnati had five players score in double figures for the eighth time this season. UC is 7-1 in those games.
Charlotte became the 15th opponent UC held to under .400 shooting on the season.
Charlotte's six turnovers was a season-low by a UC opponent.
20-WIN MARK REACHED: With their win on Friday, the Bearcats reached the 20-win mark for the 15th time in the past 17 seasons. UC has reached the 20-win mark 29 times in its rich basketball history.
MUHAMMAD TAKES OFFENSE: Jihad Muhammad has taken on a larger role in the offense. The 5-11 senior has averaged 16.5 points over his last 11 games, due in part to his marksmanship from the 3-point arc. Muhammad has made 33 of his last 87 trey attempts (.379). In last Friday's NIT win over Charlotte, Muhammad scored 12 of his 17 points in the final 11:49 of the game to help UC overcome an eight-point deficit in the 86-80 victory. He matched his season scoring high with 21 points vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 28, making 7-of-10 shots from the field including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. He had a 19-point performance in the Feb. 15 win at Syracuse. Muhammad ignited UC's offense in the Feb. 6 win over Louisville by sinking consecutive 3s early in the game, and tied a season best with five in that game.
HICKS CHALLENGING FOR BLOCKS RECORD: Eric Hicks, with 106 blocks this season, is within one block of the season record of 107 set by Kenyon Martin in 1999-00. Hicks, with 249 career blocks, is within three rejections of Jason Maxiell's second place career blocks total of 252 set over the 2001-05 seasons. Hicks, who blocked a school record-tying 10 shots in the win over Marquette, has blocked at least one shot in 61 of his last 64 games. Hicks is ranked eighth nationally in blocked shots in the NCAA stats (Mar. 13).
HICKS DOUBLES UP: Eric Hicks is averaging a double-double (15.3 points, 10.6 rebounds) over his last 22 games. The 6-6 senior has posted 11 double-doubles in his last 20 games. Hicks turned in his 13th double-double of the season and 26th of his career when he posted 23 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in the NIT win over Charlotte on Mar. 17. 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 CLIMBS SCORING LADDER: Eric Hicks is climbing UC's career scoring chart. The senior is currently in 25th place with 1,186 points. In 24th place is Rick Roberson (1967-69) with 1,196 points.
HICKS EARNS ALL-DISTRICT HONORS: Eric Hicks has been selected to the All-District 10 first team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Hicks is now eligible for the NABC All-American teams, which will be selected and announced at the conclusion of the season. Last year as a junior, Hicks was named second team All-District team by the NABC.
WHITE JOINS UC 1,000 POINT CLUB: James White became the 44th UC player to top the 1,000-point mark in career scoring. The 6-7 senior has 1,071 points as a Bearcat, putting him in 35th place on UC's career scoring list. He needs 21 points to reach 34th place.
DOWNEY PLAYS BIG FOR THE BEARCATS: It might be said that as Devan Downey goes, so go the Bearcats. Downey has played key roles in several Bearcat victories this season, and on the year, has averaged 14.6 points and 4.7 assists in Cincinnati's wins. When put in critical situations, Downey has performed unlike the freshman he is.
Downey has made game-clinching free throws in the final seconds of Cincinnati's last two victories. He made two free throws (in a one-and-one situation) with 1.3 seconds to play in the Mar. 4 win over No. 16 West Virginia. He scored the game-winning points, breaking a tie with a pair of foul shots with 3.4 seconds remaining in the 66-64 win over Providence on Feb. 17.
Downey finished with 17 points and 10 assists in the win over West Virginia, his second double-double.
On Feb. 15, Downey had 16 points and seven assists in the win at Syracuse.
On Feb. 6, Downey scored 15 points in the win over Louisville, 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.
On Jan. 22, Downey keyed the win over Rutgers with 21 points, four assists and four steals.
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 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 Dec. 10, Downey keyed UC's 92-83 win over Vanderbilt by scoring 18 points, 16 in the second half, 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.
Downey averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals during UC's 10-game winning streak earlier this season.
The Bearcats' 5-10 point guard leads the team in assists (4.2) and steals (2.0) and is third in scoring (12.1).
DOWNEY GRAND LARCENY: Devan Downey, who leads the Bearcats in steals (2.0), has recorded three or more steals in 12 different games and has made at least one steal in all but five games this season. He once had a streak of 14 games with at least one steal.
WHITE TURNS IT ON: James White has consistently been a leader to UC's success in 2005-06. The 6-7 senior, who leads the team in scoring with his 16.3-point average, has been a consistent point producer. White has scored in double figures in all but four contests. The production is a significant boost for White, who averaged 10.0 points last season and entered the year with an 8.1 career scoring average. He has had the following game-setting performances:
White scored a career-high 32 points, the most by a Bearcat in four seasons, vs. Syracuse in the BIG EAST Tournament (3/8/06), making a career-high five 3-pointers.
White exploded for 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the victory over Providence on Feb. 17. His trey with 2:57 to play gave UC a 64-62 lead.
He tallied 18 points, five rebounds, and finished with four assists and a pair of steals in the Feb. 15 win at Syracuse.
On Dec. 23, White rallied UC from a five-point deficit in the final two and a half minutes for a 75-72 win over LSU. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers at the 2:27 and 1:51 marks and sank a pair of clinching free throws with 17 seconds to play.
White tallied 17 points, on 7-of-9 shooting, and had three steals in the win over Vanderbilt on Dec. 10, that snapped Vandy's 28-game non-conference home win streak.
OTHER BEARCAT BITS:
The Bearcats are shooting .752 at the foul line this season, well on their way toward crushing the existing season record of .717 set in 1979-80.
UC has committed single digit turnovers 11 times this season, most recently vs. No. 16 West Virginia (Mar. 4) and No. 2 Villanova (Feb. 23).
Four times this season, Cincinnati has avenged an earlier defeat to an opponent. The Bearcats lost to Dayton, Louisville, Syracuse, and West Virginia the first time they played these teams, then rebounded to beat each of these teams the next time they played.
Cincinnati set a school record with 18 blocked shots in the Jan. 7 win at Marquette, topping the old UC 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.
UC's 182 blocks this season is the third-highest single season total in school history.
Cincinnati has held 15 opponents under the .400 mark in field goal percentage. 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 10 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 had a .552 effort vs. North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30.
Cincinnati has had at least five double-figure scorers eight times during the course of the season, and is 7-1 in those games. 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 a season high for rebounds (53) in the Jan. 4 win vs. DePaul.