TicketsFeb. 1, 2008
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The Cincinnati Bearcats (10-11, 5-4 BIG EAST) play their last game before taking a week off as they host No. 17/16 Marquette on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Noon. The game is the first half of a "Ring of Red" doubleheader with the women's team, which tips off at approximately 3 p.m. vs. Notre Dame. The Bearcats return to the Queen City after picking up their second BIG EAST road win of the year at West Virginia, holding the Mountaineers to school-record low 20.0 percent shooting (10-of-50) in a 62-39 victory. Marquette (15-4, 5-3 BIG EAST) is riding a two-game winning streak having knocked off DePaul (79-71) and USF (62-54). This will be just the second meeting between the two former Conference USA schools since they joined the BIG EAST. UC won the last contest in Milwaukee, 70-66, to take a 24-15 edge in the series.
DEFENDING THE THREE: Since the start of BIG EAST Conference play, one thing UC has improved immensely has been its ability to defend against the 3-pointer. In conference only games, the Bearcats lead the BIG EAST in 3-point shooting defense, allowing opponents to connect on just 28.3 percent (43-of-152) of their attempts. Wednesday night at West Virginia, Cincinnati held the Mountaineers to just one 3-point basketball in 22 attempts, the fewest treys in a game by a UC opponent since holding cross-town rival Xavier to 1-of-18 shooting on Jan. 19, 2006.
Marquette at Cincinnati
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Winners of their last two, the Marquette Golden Eagles are one of nine teams in the BIG EAST with five or more conference wins following victories over DePaul and USF in the last week. Marquette, who is ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the EPSN/USA Today Coaches poll, comes into the game with the league's fifth-highest scoring offense, averaging 77.2 points per game thanks to a trio of 13-point plus scorers - Dominic James (13.5), Lazar Hayward (13.4) and Jerel McNeal (13.1). Wesley Matthews rounds out the Golden Eagles' double-digit scorers, putting in 11.1 points per game. As a team, Marquette is fourth overall in the conference in 3-point shooting, knocking down 36.6 percent. Seven players have hit 12 or more treys, led by David Cubillan and James, who have each hit 27. On the glass, Marquette averages 35.9 rebounds per game as five players average three or more per game. MU has the BIG EAST's fifth-stingiest defense, limiting opponents to 63.4 points per contest and 40.8 percent shooting from the field. The Bearcats, who average 14.1 turnovers per game, will have to protect the basketball vs. the Golden Eagles as they lead the BIG EAST in steals per game with 10.0 a night.
BEARCATS IN THE BIG EAST: Since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06, Cincinnati owns an overall record of 15-26 in league play, including 11-9 in Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats are 6-5 in their last 10 BIG EAST games, dating back to last season's 70-67 overtime win over Seton Hall in the home finale. UC head coach Mick Cronin picked up his first and second BIG EAST road wins this season, picking off his mentors - Rick Pitino at Louisville, 58-57, and Bob Huggins at West Virginia, 62-39. Wednesday's win at WVU is Cincinnati's biggest margin of victory in a league game.
Overall Record: 15-26 (7-18 under Cronin)
Home: 11-9 (5-7 under Cronin)
Away: 4-17 (2-11 under Cronin)
First BIG EAST Win: 82-60 vs. DePaul, 1/4/06
Most UC Points: 96 (96-83, W-OT) vs. West Virginia, 1/20/07
Most Opponent Points: 91 (91-74, L) at Notre Dame, 1/15/08
Combined Points: 179 (96-83, W-OT) vs. West Virginia, 1/20/07
Biggest UC Win: 23 (62-39) at West Virginia, 1/30/08
UC COACHES WEAR SNEAKERS TO SUPPORT FIGHT FOR CANCER: On Saturday, head coach Mick Cronin and the Bearcats' coaching staff will join the rest of the BIG EAST coaches by wearing sneakers at their games to show their support for the fight against cancer. By wearing sneakers with their suits, coaches are drawing attention to the fact that cancer continues to be a major health concern and the public can help reduce the risk of cancer with exercise and a healthy diet. The National Association of Basketball Coaches is sponsoring the national effort.
Earlier this season, UC also raised the awareness of leukemia and cancer by hosting the Peggy Cronin Classic, a three-day tournament, named for Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin's mother, who passed away in 2005 from a form of cancer called multiple myeloma. The cancer starts in the bone marrow and eventually attacks the plasma in the blood stream.
DOMINATING DEFENSE: Wednesday's 23-point victory at West Virginia took on historic proportions as Cincinnati held West Virginia to 20 percent from the field, the lowest shooting percentage in WVU history. The Mountaineers' 10 field goals also tied the UC record for the fewest shots made by an opponent, equaling games vs. North Texas State (1960-61), Miami (OH) (1961-62), and Kentucky (1983-84).
BOUNCING BACK ON THE BOARDS: After being out-rebounded in back-to-back games to start the BIG EAST season at Louisville and St. John's, UC has since dominated the glass, owning a 36.4-31.6 advantage. Wednesday, the Bearcats posted their second-most rebounds in Mick Cronin's year and a half as head coach, ripping away 47 boards compared to West Virginia's 26, a 21-rebound edge. In the last seven games, five UC players are averaging three or more rebounds, led by senior guard Jamual Warren's 5.6 a night.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Cincinnati has done a much better job taking care of the basketball in its last four BIG EAST Conference games. In its first five league games, the Bearcats were coughing up the basketball an average of 16.6 times per game, a number they have slimmed to 11.8 in their last four games. For the season, Cincinnati is averaging 14.1 turnovers per game.
SIKE-S: Senior forward Marcus Sikes, who was a regular in the Bearcats' lineup last season, has transitioned to coming off the bench this season and has needed time to adjust. In the last two games, Sikes has been major force for UC off the bench as he has averaged five points and nine rebounds, including a career-high 12 boards at West Virginia. The 6-8 native of Richmond, Va., has also begun to find his shooting touch. After leading the team in 3-point shooting at 42.5 percent last season, Sikes has connected on 34.2 percent (10-of-44) this season, including two of his last five vs. Seton Hall and West Virginia.
THE OTHER Larry Davis: Freshman guard Larry Davis, who has the same name as UC's associate head, has started to become a scorer for UC in his last five BIG EAST games. After being held scoreless in five straight appearances from Dec. 29-Jan. 9, Davis has scored 23 points in 37 minutes over his last five contests. Fifteen of the points have come from behind the arc where he has connected on 5-of-11.
500-POINT MAN: Sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn needs 132 points to become the 32nd player in Cincinnati history to record 500 points or more in a season. He would be the first Bearcats' basketball player to do so since James White and Eric Hicks each topped the mark in 2005-06. The top three single seasons in the program's history belong to College Basketball's Player of the Century Oscar Robertson who scored over 900 points in three straight seasons (1957-60).
LIFE'S TOUGHER ON THE ROAD: After picking up their first road win of the season at Louisville on New Year's Day, the Cincinnati Bearcats dropped three straight away from Fifth Third Arena before ending the streak at WVU on Wednesday. UC is 2-7 overall on the road this season. Offensively, sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn, scores 6.9 fewer points away from Cincinnati mainly due to his 3-point shooting which drops from .446 (41-of-92) at home to .345 (19-of-55) on the road .
Category Home Away
Scoring Offense 69.4 61.7
Scoring Defense 66.9 67.2
Field Goal Pct. 43.6 41.6
Field Goal Percentage Defense 43.1 41.9
3-Point FG Pct. 34.4 32.8
3-Point FG Defense 33.1 31.0
Rebounding Margin +4.3 +1.2
SO CLOSE: In the Bearcats' last two BIG EAST losses vs. Connecticut and at Seton Hall, Cincinnati has lost by a combined four points and has had the ball in the hands of sophomore Deonta Vaughn for the last possession in each game. Vaughn had the ball stripped away at the end of the UConn game before he could shoot it, down 84-83, but he regained control and passed the ball to senior Marcus Sikes for the final attempt which missed. Against Seton Hall, Vaughn caught the in-bounds pass with less than five seconds remaining and heaved a half-court shot as time expired in a 64-61 loss.
30/30 MAN: One of the primary keys to the Bearcats success this season has been the offensive play of sophomore point guard Deonta Vaughn. Against Connecticut, Vaughn posted his second 30-point game of the season and the third of his career, scoring 34 points on just 14 shots. Vaughn, the BIG EAST Player of the Week earlier this season (Jan. 7-13), has exploded during conference play, averaging 20.2 points per game despite 10 and 14 point scoring performances vs. Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, respectively. Vaughn's other 30-point game this season came against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 16 as he scored a career-high 36 points and knocked down nine 3-pointers - one short of tying the school's single-game record held by Melvin Levitt (vs. Eastern Kentucky, 1997-98). Vaughn is the first UC player to post two or more 30-point games in the same season since Leonard Stokes also had two in 2002-03 vs. Tulane (Jan. 17, 2003) and Louisville (Feb. 22, 2003).
TAKING OVER AT THE END: Since sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn joined the team last season, he has been given the ball and asked to take on the added pressure of being the go-to player down the stretch. Vaughn has responded to the challenge and this season has averaged 7.0 points during the final 10 minutes of games. What is even more impressive are his shooting percentages in the final 10 minutes as he is converting .549 (45-of-82) from the field and .488 (20-of-41) from behind the 3-point arc. Against Connecticut, Vaughn almost single-handedly pulled the game out for UC, going a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point line and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line for 13 points in the final 10 minutes.
FINDING CONSISTENCY: One thing that every young team has to develop as they mature is consistency and the Cincinnati Bearcats are no different. When you compare Cincinnati's statistics in wins vs. losses you can see where a lack of consistency has made a difference. In UC's 10 wins, the team is shooting .445 from the field compared to .413 in the losses. The largest difference that is impacting whether UC comes out ahead or not is the team's defense. In wins, the Bearcats are holding their opponents to .378 shooting from the field and 58.1 points per game. Contrasting that to UC's losses, Cincinnati's defense is allowing its opponents to score on .472 of their shots, leading to 75.2 points per game - a difference of 17.1 points per game.
COMING OF AGE: UC's six-man freshman class has been coming on as of late and adjusting to play in the BIG EAST Conference. After scoring a combined 45 points in the first four league games (11.3 ppg), the sextet has posted 107 points in the last five games (21.4 ppg), including a season-high 33 points by the group at Notre Dame and 26 vs. Connecticut. Freshman Rashad Bishop, who had the game-deciding 3-pointer vs. Villanova, is the team's third-leading scorer over the last five games, putting in 6.2 points a game. Alvin Mitchell, who had scored 21 points in his first 13 games as a Bearcat has doubled his point total for the year in the last six games, pouring in 30 points, including all five of his 3-point baskets.
SHOWING HIS "WILL": Senior forward John Williamson was one of Cincinnati's most active players at Seton Hall, scoring nine points in 12 minutes of play. Six of his nine points came in the first nine minutes of the first half before he suffered an injury that sidelined him the rest of the opening period. Williamson returned for three minutes in the second half before having to sit due to foul trouble. Williamson is UC's second-leading scorer, averaging 9.6 points per game, and top rebounder (6.1 rpg). Wednesday at West Virginia, Williamson returned to form as he was the team's second-leading scorer with 11 points and added five rebounds.
BIG TIME PLAY IN THE BIG EAST: After a record of 5-7 in non-conference play, head coach Mick Cronin needed the leaders on the team to step up and show the way as the Bearcats headed into BIG EAST Conference play. Sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn and senior forward John Williamson have picked up the pace offensively. Vaughn, who averaged 15.5 points per game during the non-conference schedule, has posted 20.2 points per night in the league, while Williamson has improved his scoring average from 9.3 in non-conference play to 10.2 in the BIG EAST. On the defensive side of the ball, senior guard Jamual Warren has given UC a new presence on the glass, leading the team with 5.4 caroms a game. Warren also leads the team in assists (46), steals (12) and assists-to-turnover ratio at 2.00 in league play.
BIG EAST TIMES TWO: For the first time since 1998-99, the BIG EAST is playing an 18-game league schedule after playing 16 games the last eight years. The new 18-game format has schools playing each league opponent once and three teams twice. Cincinnati faces Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and St. John's in three home-and-home series. Connecticut and Marquette are the two teams UC did not face in BIG EAST play last season.
HELP OFF THE BENCH: For Cincinnati, team depth has provided Coach Cronin with a great deal of options as he has fine tuned a rotation of players that goes nine deep playing 10 minutes or more a night. That depth played a big part in UC's last six games as the Bearcats have outscored the opposition's bench 218-65, including a 23-2 advantage vs. Syracuse and a 40-16 vs. Notre Dame. On average, the Bearcats are getting 18.5 points per game from their reserves, led by senior Marvin Gentry and freshman Larry Davis, who are averaging 6.1 and 3.6 points per game, respectively, off the bench.
HOLDING ON WITH A FIRM GRIP: In just over a season and a half, one characteristic of a Mick Cronin team has been its ability to hold on to leads late. Until the loss to UConn, the Bearcats were undefeated, at 8-0 this season, and are 18-3 in Cronin's time at Cincinnati when leading with five minutes remaining in the game.
IN THE LAST FIVE GAMES: The Bearcats are 2-3 in BIG EAST play and 1-1 at home ... senior guard Deonta Vaughn has scored in double figures five times and leads the team with 18.2 points per game ... Vaughn is one of five players averaging five or more points per game ... UC is shooting 45.2 percent from the field (126-of-279), including 34.3 percent (33-of-102) from behind the 3-point line ... Vaughn has knocked down 15 treys and is shooting 38.5 percent from behind the line ... as a team, UC is shooting .632 from the free-throw line, led by Vaughn at .846 (22-of-26) ... point guard Jamual Warren and Vaughn are first and second on the team in assists with 25 and 20, respectively ... senior guard Jamual Warren leads the team with an average of 5.4 boards a night ... Cincinnati's opponents have made 111 free throws, while UC has attempted 87 shots from the charity stripe.
TAKING THE POINT: Senior guard Jamual Warren can play different roles for the Bearcats depending on what the team needs each night. In the win over Miami (OH), he personally led an 8-0 run of his own with a jumper and back-to-back treys to break a 38-38 tie and carry UC to a 56-50 victory. Warren, a career 13.6 percent (9-of-66) 3-point shooter heading into the Miami game, knocked down 2-of-3 from behind the arc vs. the RedHawks and went on to score 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting -- one short of his career high of 16 points vs. West Virginia last season. He also added six rebounds, three assists, and a steal vs. Miami. At Louisville, he took on a completely different role as a rebounder and to distribute the ball. Since the start of BIG EAST play, Warren has settled in as the team's primary point guard and is averaging 5.0 points, 5.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
TAKING THE POINT II: In BIG EAST play, senior Jamual Warren has done an exceptional job protecting the ball and distributing it to his teammates. In conference games only, Warren ranks sixth in the league in assists (5.11 apg) and is tied for sixth with a 2.00 assist/turnover ratio (46 assists/23 turnovers).
BEHIND THE LINE: The Bearcats are shooting .337 from behind the 3-point line this season, ranking them 14th in the BIG EAST. Sophomore Deonta Vaughn and senior Marvin Gentry are carrying the load for Cincinnati, accounting for almost 60 percent of UC's 3-pointers (84-of-211) on .398 shooting. The rest of the team is 58-of-219 (.265).
BACK ON TRACK: After scoring a combined 13 points vs. UAB and Illinois State, sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn has found his scoring touch, averaging 19.8 ppg) in his last 12 starts. His 18 points at West Virginia were his 13th straight and 18th overall double-digit scoring performance in 20 games this season. Vaughn leads the team and is sixth in the BIG EAST in overall scoring with 17.5 points per game.
EUROPEAN IMPACT: Senior center Adam Hrycaniuk (pronounced hu-RITZ-a-nyuk), a native of Poland who made an immediate impact on the Bearcats offensively in the non-conference season, has struggled at times in BIG EAST play. After having to sit out last year due to NCAA clearance issues, Hrycaniuk jumped into the line-up for UC at the beginning of the season and became an offensive threat, scoring 10.5 points per game in non-conference action. Since the start of BIG EAST play, the 6-foot-10 post player has struggled finding his touch, scoring just 4.8 points per game on 16-of-45 shooting (.356). In the Bearcats' last four games, Hrycaniuk has shown signs of breaking out of the slump as he scored 28 in his last four outings.. Regardless of his offense, Hrycaniuk has not let his shooting interfere with his rebounding as he is the team's second-leading rebounder with 5.1 per game.
BISHOP TAKES QUEEN (CITY): Freshman forward/guard Rashad Bishop has quickly become one of the Bearcats' top all-around newcomers. Appearing in all 21 games and starting 14 this season, Bishop has scored in double digits four times, including an 11-point outburst in the Bearcats' upset of Pittsburgh. Not only has he provided offensive punch, he has also added 3.6 rebounds and is third on the team with 34 assists. Thanks to his gritty play against Villanova and Pittsburgh. Bishop endeared himself even more to the fans of Cincinnati. Not having scored a basket or made a rebound vs. the Wildcats in the first 39 minutes of the game, Bishop made the biggest play of the game with 22 seconds remaining, burying a 3-pointer to put Cincinnati back on top, 68-66. He followed that up vs. Pittsburgh as he blocked one of two game-tying 3-point attempts by the Panthers in a 62-59 victory.
WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST: Senior center Adam Hrycaniuk has been clutch for the Bearcats late in games, converting 10-of-12 free throws (.833) in the last three minutes of games determined by 10 points or less. As a team, the Bearcats are shooting .714 (50-of-70) from the line down the stretch of close games.
VAUGHN BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn was named the BIG EAST Conference's Player of the Week, leading UC to a sweep of Syracuse, 74-66, and No. 19/17 Villanova, 69-66 the week of Jan. 7-13. Vaughn accounted for 37.7 percent of UC's points, posting 29 against Syracuse and 25 vs. Villanova. Vaughn joins former UC forward Eric Hicks as the only two Bearcats to earn the weekly award. Hicks earned the honor the week of Jan. 9 during the 2005-06 season, Cincinnati's first in the BIG EAST Conference.
PHYSICALLY FIT: Over the last 15 years, UC basketball has the reputation of being one the most physically fit teams in the country and developing players for the next level. That comes from the players' hard work in the weight room and conditioning. This season, Adam Hrycaniuk, John Williamson and Branden Miller each can bench press over 300 pounds, led by Hrycaniuk at 315 pounds. Even the guards have impressive stats with Deonta Vaughn squatting 500 pounds and Marvin Gentry, who weighs 180 pounds, bench pressing a max of 260 pounds. Freshman forward Darnell Wilks and senior guard Jamual Warren are the team's high flyers with 40- and 36.5-inch vertical jumps, respectively.
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF: Head coach Mick Cronin, in just his second year at Cincinnati, has done the work of a coach in his fourth year on the job, having signed or transferred in 16 players in the last 18-plus months. This season's six-person freshman class is considered by the recruiting services as one of the Top 20 groups in the nation and the stats attest to that as they have averaged 17.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Freshman Rashad Bishop leads the way offensively, scoring 5.6 points a night.
WILLIAMS TO MISS SEASON WITH RUPTURED ACHILLES: Junior forward Mike Williams, who was preparing for his first season on the court for the University of Cincinnati, will miss the 2007-08 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in preseason workouts. Williams, a 6-7, 230-pound native of Camden, Ala., sat out last season at UC after transferring from the University of Texas and was expected to start this season for Cincinnati. As a Longhorn, Williams played in 58 games over two years, averaging 2.7 points and 3.4 rebounds.
THE INK IS DRY: The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team signed two players to national letters of intent for the 2008-09 season, head coach Mick Cronin announced on the first day of the early signing period. Joining the Bearcats are forward Yancy Gates (Cincinnati, OH/Withrow) and guard Cashmere Wright (Savannah, GA/Urban Christian High School).
Gates, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound forward, is one of the nation's top 50 players according to several recruiting sites. As a junior at Withrow High School playing for Walt McBride, Gates averaged 19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game in 2006-07. He helped the Tigers to a 17-6 record and missed the state semifinals by one game. A second-team Ohio all-state selection, Gates is the first freshman player in Cronin's first three recruiting classes to come from the talent-rich Cincinnati area.
Wright, another highly-regarded recruit, who is ranked among many of the recruiting services top 100 players, comes to Cincinnati from the Urban Christian Academy in Savannah, Ga., where he averaged 36.2 points, 10.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game in 2006-07. In his first two games this season, Wright posted 43 and 35 points, respectively, and is a McDonald's All-America candidate.
BEARCATS ADD TRANSFER FOR 2008-09: The Bearcats added 6-7 wing Nick Aldridge, a transfer from Western Carolina University, to the roster as a non-scholarship player following the holiday break. Aldridge joins the program as a sophomore after competing in five games at Western Carolina this season where he averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Aldridge will sit out the remainder of this season and be eligible to play as a junior for the Bearcats after the 2008 fall quarter. Last year, he was the Catamounts' leading scorer putting up 18.3 points and pulling down 7.0 rebounds a game. In his college career, Aldridge has notched 10 20-plus point games including two 30-plus outings. Aldridge, a native of South Webster, which is located two hours from Cincinnati, led his high school to a 27-6 record and the Ohio Division IV state championship as a senior in 2005-06, putting up 34 points in the championship game. He finished his high school career with 2,011 points, making him one of 37 players in Ohio high school basketball history to score more than 2,000 points.
BEARCATS ON TV: This season, all 30 of Cincinnati's regular-season contests are being broadcast via its local package with FOX19 (WXIX-TV) or through the conference package with the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN 360, or ESPN Regional). The BIG EAST's ESPN Regional package, which includes the BIG EAST Game of the Week, can be seen in Cincinnati on CinCW, the digital sister station of WKRC-TV (Channel 12). CinCW is available on most local cable systems as well as satellite providers.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats get a week off following the match-up with Marquette before travelling to play at Rutgers next Saturday, Feb.. 9 at 6 p.m. The game will be seen nationally on ESPN Classic. UC owns a 7-3 lead in the series vs. Rutgers, despite losing the last two to the Scarlet Knights.