TicketsFeb. 5, 2007
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SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will try to return to the win column when the Bearcats visit Providence on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The 7:30 p.m. EST game at Dunkin' Donuts arena will pit UC against one of the BIG EAST's offensive powerhouses. The Friars are ranked second in the league in scoring. Cincinnati, 10-12 overall, is 1-7 in BIG EAST play following Sunday's 73-64 loss to St. John's. Providence, 14-7, is 4-4 in the league after Saturday's 69-62 loss to Marquette.
STORY LINES:
Tuesday's contest will be only the second meeting ever between Cincinnati and Providence. The Bearcats won the initial clash, 66-64, last season in Cincinnati (Feb. 17, 2006).
The Bearcats will be making their second appearance in the Dunkin' Donuts Center when they face Providence on Tuesday. Cincinnati played Rhode Island in the facility on Nov. 19, 1998, coming away with a 70-53 victory.
Providence is one of the BIG EAST's top offensive teams. The Friars are second in scoring (78.1), field goal percentage (.495) and rebounding (+8.6). Individually, Herbert Hill is fourth in scoring (16.9), second in field goal percentage (.662) and fifth in rebounding (8.2). Geoff McDermott is second in rebounding (9.8) and first in assists (5.6).
Bearcats' center Marcus Sikes is ranked sixth in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (.450). Forward John Williamson is second in offensive rebounds (3.5) and seventh in total rebounds (7.5).
Cincinnati and Providence have played two common opponents, Louisville and Rutgers. UC lost to both Louisville (69-53) and Rutgers (54-42). Providence lost to Louisville (78-63) but defeated Rutgers (78-63).
LAST MEETING: Devan Downey sank a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds to play to lift Cincinnati to a 66-64 win over Providence on Feb. 17, 2006 at Fifth Third Arena. Providence had time for a game-winning shot attempt but Sharaud Curry's try at the buzzer rimmed out. The Bearcats overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 10 minutes. James White's trey at 2:57 regained the lead for UC, 64-62. Charles Burch tied the game with a pair of free throws with 1:12 remaining.
NOTING THE ST. JOHN'S GAME:
Jamual Warren tied a career high with six assists.
John Williamson, with 13 points, reached double digits in scoring for the 15th time this season.
Cincinnati's 11 steals were the third-most by the Bearcats this season and the fifth time UC had reached double digits in steals.
The loss gave Cincinnati consecutive losses in Fifth Third Arena for only the second time in the Bearcats' 18 seasons in the facility.
VAUGHN BACK ON TRACK: Deonta Vaughn has stepped up his points production in recent games. The 6-1 freshman has averaged 16.0 points over his last seven games to take over the team scoring lead with his 14.1-point average. Vaughn has ranked among the top freshmen scorers in the BIG EAST Conference throughout the season. He is currently second to Eugene Harvey (16.0 points) of Seton Hall.
Vaughn has averaged 17.6 points over his last three games, which has included back-to-back 18-point performances vs. Georgetown (1/27/07) and Louisville (1/31/07) and a 17-point effort vs. St. John's (2/4/07). More than just a scorer, Vaughn has twice recorded a career-high eight rebounds over the last seven games and is the Bearcats' assists leader (3.6).
Vaughn has twice earned BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week honors. He was recognized most recently for his performance in Cincinnati's victory over North Carolina State on Dec. 23, in which he scored 25 points and reached career highs with nine assists and six steals.
Vaughn has shown that he does not play like a freshman when the stakes are high. In the 67-57 win over crosstown rival Xavier on Dec. 13, the 6-1 guard led all scorers with 24 points.
Vaughn tallied a UC freshman single-game scoring record of 33 points vs. Wofford on Nov. 21. He connected on nine 3-pointers, the second most by any Bearcat in UC history. His 33-point effort is the third-highest scoring performance by any BIG EAST Conference player this season.
Vaughn has dished out five or more assists in nine games with a single-game high of 10 and leads the squad with a 3.8 average.
GENTRY PROVIDES BOOST: Marvin Gentry, Cincinnati's super sixth man, has provided a scoring boost from the bench in recent games. The 6-3 junior has averaged 15.8 points over his last five games, during which he has shot .500 from the field (27 of 54).
Gentry tallied 22 points while playing all but three minutes of the Jan. 31 game vs. Louisville.
Gentry scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field vs. Georgetown (1/27/07).
Gentry played a major role in the 96-83 win over West Virginia on Jan. 20, scoring a career-high 32 points. He was 5-of-7 from 3-point range and sank nine of his dozen free throw tries. The effort helped him earn weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll laurels.
SIKES BECOMES A SCORER: Marcus Sikes has been one of Cincinnati's top offensive performers in recent games. The 6-8 junior has averaged 14.5 points over the last six games. During that stretch, Sikes has shot .500 (18 of 36) from 3-point range.
Sikes scored 19 points in 25 minutes of the Jan. 27 Georgetown game before fouling out. He was 7-of-9 from the floor and tied a UC single game record for 3-point field goal percentage with a perfect 5-of-5 day from behind the arc.
Sikes scored a career-high 24 points vs. Syracuse on Jan. 17, sinking eight of 12 3-pointers.
Sikes is a perimeter performer in a big man's role. He has the second-most 3-pointers on the team (36) and leads UC and is ranked sixth in the BIG EAST Conference in 3-point shooting percentage (.450).
WILLIAMSON ON THE BOARDS: John Williamson continues to be one of the most effective rebounders in the BIG EAST Conference, particularly under the offensive glass. The 6-6 junior is ranked second in the BIG EAST in offensive rebounds, averaging 3.5 per game. He is ranked eighth in the league in overall rebounding with his 7.5 average.
Williamson is also Cincinnati's most consistent scorer, having reached double figures in 15 of the team's 22 contests.
Williamson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the Jan. 20 win over West Virginia. His rebound total was second to the 16 rebounds he gathered vs. No. 4 Ohio State on Dec. 16.
Williamson earned BIG EAST Conference Honor Roll accolades for his play the week of Dec. 11-17, during which he averaged 17.5 points and 12.0 rebounds.
A STEAL IN TIME: Jamual Warren has had at least one steal in all but two games this season and has had multiple steals in all but seven contests. The 6-2 junior, who had a streak of 15 games with a steal, leads the Bearcats with his 2.0 average. Warren set a career high with five steals in the Jan. 17 USF contest.
Perhaps no steal was more timely than the one in which Warren made to extend his streak during the Dec. 27 win over Miami. After sinking a short jumper to give UC a 54-52 lead with 2:14 to play, Warren stole the ball and dunked on a break-away layup to present the Bearcats with an insurmountable lead. The 6-2 junior finished with 15 points.
Warren tied a career scoring high when he tallied 16 points in the win over West Virginia (1/20/07).
McGOWAN MAKING GOOD: Cedric McGowan tied his career scoring high with 20 points vs. No. 22 Memphis, going 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
In the Dec. 13 contest vs. Xavier, McGowan picked an opportune time to come out of his 3-point shooting slump. In the final 1:20 of the first half, McGowan, who was a mere 1-of-18 in 3-point field goals on the season, sank a pair of 3s, the second with 10 seconds to play putting UC in the lead for good.
COMEBACK CATS: The Bearcats fell to an early 17-point deficit vs. West Virginia on Jan. 20 which they overcame for their 96-83 overtime win. It was the second-largest deficit that Cincinnati has come back from to win in the history of Fifth Third Arena. UC has twice overcome 18-point margins for wins in Fifth Third. On Feb. 28, 1998, the Bearcats fought back from 18 points down to defeat Saint Louis, 61-58. They overcame the same size margin on Nov. 28, 2004 for a 76-70 overtime win over Northern Iowa.
BEARCATS DATA:
UC tied a season high by shooting .583 (14 of 24) vs. Georgetown on Jan. 27.
UC has made recent improvements in taking care of the basketball. The Bearcats have averaged 9.5 turnovers over their last six games, including a season-low six turnovers vs. West Virginia on Jan. 20. UC had eight turnovers vs. Louisville on Jan. 31.
Marcus Sikes' 5-of-5 performance from 3-point range vs. Georgetown (1/27/07) tied the UC single game record for 3-point field goal percentage (minimum five made 3s). Field Williams was 5-of-5 vs. Louisville in 2001-02.
LOOKING AHEAD: Cincinnati's road run continues with a visit to Rutgers on Saturday, Feb. 10 for a 4 p.m. game. The Bearcats are at Villanova on Feb. 14 for a 9 p.m. contest before returning to Fifth Third Arena to host Notre Dame on Feb. 18.