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By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI - Even if he doesn't always show it, University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin must be having a ball coaching this team.
There's still a long way to go in the 2016-17 season, but so far the Bearcats have shown that they can cook up whatever the day's menu calls for. You want defense? That's been their specialty for years. You have a taste for offense? How about a spicy dish with four players scoring in double figures and 73.9 percent shooting in the second half?
Wednesday night it was the offense - at least the second-half version - that received rave reviews from the 10,718 customers at Fifth Third Arena who watched the 20th-ranked Bearcats turn back Temple for their ninth straight win.
The Owls, who have lost six of their last seven games, shot 61.1 percent in the first half, 52.9 percent for the game, and still lost to the Bearcats, 81-74, despite getting their second straight 25-point performance from Shizz Alston Jr.
UC (16-2 overall, 6-0 in the American Athletic Conference) has won 19 straight home games, matching the longest home winning streak in the Cronin coaching era, which began in 2006.
Troy Caupain scored 18 points to lead UC, adding nine rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes. Kevin Johnson and Kyle Washington each added 16, with Johnson scoring all of his points in the second half, and Jacob Evans scored 15. Gary Clark, who had an off night offensively with only seven points, contributed eight assists and seven rebounds.
"If you're gonna win a lot of games in a row, good teams have got to win in different ways," Cronin said. "The last game we won we held a team to 45 points. Tonight we scored 81 against a great defensive team. You've got to be able to adjust. These games are all unique in college basketball. There's so many different styles."
The Bearcats trailed by two at halftime after shooting a miserable 33.3 percent from the field. That came on the heels of Sunday's 32.8 percent shooting effort in their win over East Carolina. But in the second half, UC found its stride on offense, making an almost unfathomable 17 of 23 shots to finish at 50 percent for the game.
"We just had to come together," Johnson said. "It was a rough halftime speech. We just had to figure it out, just pay attention to what we were trying to do, the big men sealing and making sure they get into position, us throwing the ball in there, and from that point on, it worked out for us. We were able to get outside shots. Offensively it just opened up for all of us."
But Temple (10-10, 1-6) did not go quietly. After it appeared the Bearcats had put the game away when they took a 66-53 lead with 5:58 to go, the Owls, put on a long-range shooting display and kept chipping away at UC's lead. They made four 3-pointers in the final 2:27 and twice got within six points, forcing the Bearcats to clinch the win at the free throw line, where they made 8 of 11 foul shots in the final 2:02, five by Caupain.
The Bearcats made some adjustments in the second half, Cronin said, using more pick-and-rolls and more post-ups, but he credited the players for executing so well after the East Carolina game, where their execution left a lot to be desired. In the end, UC made 28 field goals on 23 assists.
"Before we started the second half, (Cronin) told us that we were a veteran team and that we're gonna be in situations like this," Washington said. "We're on a pretty good roll. Our unit, the (starting) five at least, are really starting to come together, really starting to roll together. You saw Kev start to hit shots when they started to double down on me. We're an unselfish bunch. We come together and say, let's just get it done."
It had to be frustrating for veteran Temple coach Fran Dunphy to watch his team perform so well offensively only to lose to a UC team known traditionally for its defense. The Owls are struggling now, but they own wins this season over Florida State and West Virginia, both of which currently reside in the Associated Press Top 10.
"I was very impressed with Cincinnati's execution and their ability to make shots in the second half," Dunphy said. "I thought we did some really good things, but playing this team you have to be much more understanding of your details. Kevin Johnson really stepped up and made three really big baskets for them in the second half to kind of put some great separation for them. I am always impressed with how hard Cincinnati plays. Their defensive intensity is always good and their offensive execution, they did a great job, especially in that second half."
For UC, it was another step forward. The Bearcats have continued to display the versatility to adapt to whatever opponents put before them. Perhaps more importantly, they've learned to make adjustments within the game, the mark of an experienced team that not only plays with intensity, but can successfully change course when the game is on the line.
"(In the second half), they tried to jump into a zone," Cronin said. "We executed a play and Kevin made a three and they got right out of it. If we stand around there and don't get a good shot maybe they stay in the 2-3 zone and the whole game changes. There's so many little things that go on within the game.
"The thing tonight is that our players stepped up in a major way in the second half and met the challenge. It's that simple. You've got to give them credit."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years - 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer - before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.