TicketsNov. 8, 2006
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GAME FACTS
UC vs. Howard
Jim Thorpe Association Classic
Date: Friday, Nov. 10, 2006
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Site: Fifth Third Arena (13,176), Cincinnati, Ohio
Records:
Cincinnati : 21-13 in 2005-06
Howard: 7-22 in 2005-06
TV: WXIX-TV 19 (Jeff Piecoro, Anthony Buford)
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard and Chuck Machock)
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati launches a brand new basketball season, a new in-season tournament, and a coaching tenure when the Bearcats open the 2006-07 season on Friday, Nov. 10 hosting Howard University. The game is the first of the three-day Jim Thorpe Association Classic, an event created to honor one of America's most unique sports heroes, that UC will host Nov. 10-12. Friday's game will be Mick Cronin's debut as head coach of the Bearcats.
STORY LINES:
Cincinnati graduate and former assistant Mick Cronin will launch his tenure as the University of Cincinnati's new head coach when the Bearcats open the 2006-07 season on Friday. A 1997 UC grad who was a member of the UC staff 1997-2001, Cronin compiled a 69-24 record the past three seasons as head coach at Murray State, directing the Racers to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Cronin will try to emulate the feat that 17 of his 25 predecessors at UC accomplished and record a victory in his Beacats coaching debut.
Cincinnati will be shooting for its 40th consecutive victory in home openers. The Bearcats last dropped a home opening game in 1965-66 when rival Miami (Ohio) topped UC, 65-55. UC is 85-19 in season home openers.
The Bearcats bring an 86-19 record in season openers into Friday's contest. UC has won 24 of its last 25 season openers. The Bearcats had a streak of 21 season opener victories snapped in 2001-02 with a loss at Oklahoma State.
Cincinnati defeated Howard, 90-46, in the only previous meeting of the two schools, in 1996-97 at UC. Howard was 7-22 last season.
ABOUT THE JIM THORPE ASSOCIATION CLASSIC: The Jim Thorpe Association Classic is a three-day exempted tournament that will be played in a round-robin format. Games are 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Sunday. Cincinnati will play the 7 p.m. contest each day. Following Friday's game vs. Howard, UC will play Tennessee-Martin on Saturday and High Point on Sunday. Tickets are $25 per session and $50 for all three sessions of the tournament.
BEARCATS 2-0 IN PRESEASON PLAY: The University of Cincinnati won both preseason exhibition contests by large point margins, though in quite different manners.
The Bearcats rolled to an easy 87-41 win over Northern Kentucky on Nov. 1, a game in which they jumped out to a 24-4 lead in the first nine and a half minutes and were never threatened. UC dominated the Norse in all areas of the game, shooting .667 from the floor while holding NKU to a .267 field goal percentage, posting a 42-19 advantage in rebounding and forcing 22 turnovers.
Cincinnati's 81-59 win over the University of Ottawa, from Ottawa, Ontario, was a test of mettle. Ottawa led through much of the first half which ended in a 28-all tie. UC opened the second half with a 14-3 run and took a 20-point lead with 12 minutes to play, only to see that margin cut in half. The Bearcats outrebounded the GeeGees 29-11 in the second half to post a 47-31 advantage on the boards.
NOTES ON PRESEASON PLAY:
Four of the five starters averaged double figures in points for the two games and the fifth was within a point of joining that quartet.
John Williamson averaged a double-double for the two games, 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. The junior college transfer had 18 points and 14 rebounds vs. Ottawa. He shot .600 from the field and also checked in with five blocked shots.
Jamual Warren showed productivity as the starting point guard. In addition to his 13.0 scoring average, the junior averaged 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals.
Freshman Deonta Vaughn led UC in assists, averaging 6.0 for the two games, despite coming off the bench.
All but two Bearcats shot .500 or better from the field and the team had a .516 field goal percentage.
UC enjoyed an average rebounding margin of +19.5. Three Bearcats averaged 6.0 or more rebounds, led by Williamson's 10.5.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS:
The Bearcats boast only one returning starter, Cedric McGowan, and four lettermen from the 2005-06 team. One of those lettermen, Connor Barwin, is a sophomore tight end on the football team and will not be able to join the squad until the grid season has concluded.
McGowan averaged 7.2 rebounds last year to rank 11th in the BIG EAST, and 8.5 points.
To replenish the thin ranks, the coaching staff signed eight players for the coming season, seven of them products of the junior college ranks.
Junior college transfer John Williamson is no stranger to Cincinnati. The Columbus, Ohio native, who always dreamed of being a Bearcat, played at Cincinnati State the past two years. He averaged 27.4 points and 11.7 rebounds to help the Surge to a 26-9 record and reach the finals of the NJCAA Tournament.
Another junior college transfer who adds maturity to the young team is 6-2 guard Jamual Warren, who will turn 23 in December. Warren earned second team NJCAA Division I All-American honors last season at Globe Institute of Technology where he averaged 22.2 points and 5.9 assists.
The lone freshmen on the squad is Deonta Vaughn. The 6-1 Indianapolis native, who was a two-time all-state selection at Arlington High, averaged 17.4 points and 6.6 assists at Harmony Community School in Cincinnati last season.
FOX 19 BEGINS TV COVERAGE: Saturday's season opener will mark the beginning of WXIX-TV 19's extensive schedule of coverage of Bearcat basketball. Fox 19 will origininate 16 games and air two others from the BIG EAST Game of the Week syndicated package withe ESPN Regional. WXIX has been the local television home of Bearcat basketball for 22 of the past 25 years.
TEN BEARCATS AVAILABLE: The Bearcats enter the week with only 10 members of the 2006-07 Cincinnati team, including a walk-on who joined the squad in October, available for the weekend's tournament. Junior college transfers Hernol Hall and Adam Hrycaniuk have not been declared eligible by the NCAA, which is evaluating their amateur status. Connor Barwin, a sophomore tight end on the UC football team, has not yet practiced with the team. Mike Williams, a transfer from Texas who has been practicing with UC, has to sit out the competitive part of the 2006-07 season due to NCAA rules.
EXPERIMENTAL RULES: Exhibition and exempted games feature experimental rules that the NCAA rules committee may later adopt after gathering sufficient data. This year's only experiemental rule moves the first defensive rebounder away from the basket one position, to behind the block, and limits those who can line up along the free throw lane to four defenders and two offensive players, in addition to the shooter.
UC IN THE BIG EAST: Cincinnati enters its second season as a member of the expanded BIG EAST Conference. In the preseason polls of the league's coaches the Bearcats were picked to finish 13th among the 16 teams. The Bearcats have compiled a record of 139-105 for a .570 winning percentage against the current BIG EAST membership. Last year UC finished eighth in the regular season race with an 8-8 ledger.
106th CAMPAIGN: The 2006-07 season will be Cincinnati's 106th year of basketball competition. The school has compiled a 1,520-868 record for a .637 percentage.
ELEVENTH-WINNINGEST PROGRAM: Cincinnati has been college basketball's 11th-winningest program since the turn of the century. Over the past seven years, the Bearcats have compiled a 173-58 record for an .749 percentage.
Cincinnati has won 25 or more games nine of the last 11 seasons.
The Bearcats won a conference regular season and/or tournament title in 12 of the past 15 seasons, and six times during this period have claimed both during the same season.
BEARCATS UNBEATABLE IN 5/3 ARENA: Cincinnati enters its 18th season in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center with a 235-34 record a .883 winning percentage. UC is 71-11 in Fifth Third over the last five seasons.
TICKET UPDATE: Single game tickets to all University of Cincinnati men's basketball home games were put on sale to the general public beginning Monday, Oct. 30.
The tickets may be purchased by phone (513-556-CATS) or online via UC's athletic web site: GoBearcats.com, as well as in person at the Athletic Ticket Office at the Richard Lindner Center. Ticket office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Single game tickets are priced at $22, $15 for youth 12 and under. Groups of 15 or more may qualify for a discounted ticket of $15 to selected games. There is a family plan ticket for $80 which includes four tickets, four hotdogs and four drinks.
Season tickets will continue to be sold. Season ticket prices are priced at $291, $370 and $425.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following the weekend's Jim Thorpe Association Classic, the Bearcats will have nine days to prepare for their next contest, a Nov. 21 contest vs. Wofford. Game time at Fifth Third Arena is 7 p.m.