TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
LOUISVILLE – About six hours before tipoff at Freedom Hall on Wednesday night, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats found out that they had been ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press pre-season Top 25.
To no one's surprise, UC coach Mick Cronin declared after the Bearcats rolled past Division II Bellarmine, 89-61, before 4,135 fans at Freedom Hall that the ranking means nothing.
"All that matters is what the Selection Committee thinks on Selection Sunday," Cronin said.
Based on the depth and athleticism the Bearcats displayed against one of the top-ranked teams in Division II, this might be one year when the committed is kind to UC.
"We've got a chance this year," Cronin said.
Of course, it was only an exhibition game – the first of two – and March is so far in the future it's hard to see, but it's clear even from a game that doesn't count that this UC team is extremely talented in almost every facet of the game.
The Bearcats shot 53.8 percent from the field and out-rebounded the smaller Knights, 41-28, while outscoring them in the paint, 54-16. They also forced 16 turnovers. Five UC players scored in double figures and 11 played double-digit minutes, which Cronin said he would like to see all season.
"But you really don't know how deep you are until you play against somebody talent-wise who's good enough to beat you," Cronin said.
Kyle Washington led the way with 15 points, followed by Jarron Cumberland and freshman guard Keith Williams with 12 each. Another freshman guard, Trevor Moore, scored 11, as did sophomore center Nysier Brooks.
The front line looked especially promising based on the play of Brooks and 6-9 true freshman Eliel Nsoseme. Brooks scored 11 points with four rebounds in 14 minutes. Nsoseme added eight points with three rebounds in 11 minutes. Add those two players to the mix that included veterans Gary Clark and Kyle Washington, and UC looks pretty formidable inside.
"I told the press (after Saturday's intra-squad scrimmage) that Nysier Brooks is our most improved player," Cronin said. "(Assistant coach) Darren Savino has done a great job working with him. He did a great job finding him. He was not a top 300 player. There was no recruiting really. It was us and La Salle."
Brooks was all business after the game when he talked about his improvement from last year when he averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds while averaging 8.5 minutes per game.
"I put a lot of hard work in," Brooks said. "It's gonna make me feel good once we accomplish something as a team with me improving my style of play. I wanted to improve on my defense, of course, but more likely my offense over my left and right shoulder. Because being a presence down there is gonna do a lot for our team to open up a lot of shooters."
Nsoseme, who was recruited by associate head coach Larry Davis, appears to be another diamond in the rough for the Bearcats.
"He's gonna be great," Washington said. "I want to have the credit for calling it. I didn't recruit him, but this guy's gonna be amazing. He's not particularly super strong yet, but he plays so hard. He's contagious and once he sharpens up his tools a little bit around the basket he's gonna be a force to be reckoned with."
Cronin and his players were highly complimentary of the Knights, who were ranked No. 3 in Division II by Basketball Times, for how hard they played and how well they passed. Cincinnati product C.J. Fleming a freshman point guard from La Salle High school, scored five points in 19 minutes with two assists.
"My guys are in there talking about I've never seen guys play that hard and cut without the ball the way they do," Cronin said. "Once we started watching Bellarmine's film (in practice) our guys starting passing the ball the way Bellarmine passes the ball and then tonight we did it."
For Cronin, who was the associate head coach at Louisville under Rick Pitino from 2001 to 2003, the trip to Freedom Hall brought back fond memories.
"It was awesome," he said. "I saw a lot of friends."
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.