TicketsNov. 20, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati, after a much-needed week off, will host Wofford on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Game time at Fifth Third Arena is 7 p.m. The Bearcats opened the 2006-07 season winning three games in three days to capture the Jim Thorpe Association Classic last weekend, a feat that was notable both because of UC's lack of depth and the fact that a virtually new team headed by a new head coach was challenged with the early starting date. Wofford, a more veteran team with nine lettermen and three starters returning, is 3-1. After suffering a close 92-88 loss to North Carolina State, Wofford has reeled off three straight wins, the most recent an 82-80 trimming of Jacksonville on Saturday.
STORY LINES:
The Bearcats will be returning to action following a nine-day break. UC last played on Nov. 12, defeating High Point, 63-51, to clinch the title in the Jim Thorpe Association Classic.
Cincinnati held its first three opponents to .290 field goal shooting. Howard shot just .214 vs. the Bearcats in the season opener.
John Williamson has emerged as the Bearcats' offensive leader. The junior is averaging 16.3 points. He had performances of 18 and 23 points in his first two games as a Bearcat. Foul trouble helped limit him to eight points vs. High Point.
Though he is not a starter, freshman Deonta Vaughn is leading the team in assists with a 5.3 average. He has a 4:1 assists-to-turnovers ratio.
Center Marcus Sikes (6-of-10) and forward John Williamson (5-of-7) have been the team's top 3-point shooting threats. No other player has more than two treys.
The game will be the first-ever meeting between Cincinnati and Wofford.
NOTING THE JIM THORPE TOURNAMENT GAMES
John Williamson was named tournament most outstanding player and Marcus Sikes was elected to the all-tournament team of the Jim Thorpe Association Classic.
Sikes celebrated his 22nd birthdayby recording the Bearcats' first double-double of the season in the win over Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 11. The 6-8 junior had 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. the SKYHAWKS. He was 3-of-6 from 3-point range and is UC's top 3-point shooter, sinking 5-of-8 from behind the arc.
Cedric McGowan followed up Sikes' performance with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in the Sunday win over High Point. McGowan averaged 8.7 rebounds through the three-game tournament. Williamson became the first Bearcat to top the 20-point mark this season, scoring 23 points vs. Tennessee-Martin on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.
The 39 points scored by Howard in Friday's win was the fewest allowed by the Bearcats since an 89-37 victory over Southern Miss. on Feb. 15, 2002.
Mick Cronin became the 18th UC head coach out of 26 to record a victory in his Bearcats coaching debut on Friday.
Cincinnati notched 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 86-19 in season home openers.
The Bearcats upped their record in season openers to 87-19. UC has won 25 of its last 26 season openers. The Bearcats had a streak of 21 season opener victories snapped in 2001-02 with a loss at Oklahoma State.
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 freshman 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.
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 is Cincinnati's 106th year of basketball competition. The school has compiled a 1,524-868 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 174-58 record for an .750 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 is in its 18th season in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center with a 238-34 record a .874 winning percentage. UC is 74-11 in Fifth Third over the last five-plus seasons.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats play three games in the next eight days. UC hosts Central Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. and Oakland on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m.