TicketsCLEVELAND STATE (3-7) at No. 20/22 CINCINNATI (10-2)
SERIES INFO: 12th meeting; Cincinnati leads 11-0 overall; 8-0 at home and 3-0 in Cleveland
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 91-56 on Nov. 26, 1999 in the first round of the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, Hawaii
STREAK: Cincinnati - 11
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 12th season at Cincinnati (247-137); 15th season overall (316-161)
Dennis Felton is in his first season at Cleveland State (3-7); 12th season overall (187-152)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 18): Cincinnati (20/22); Cleveland State (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN3; Jim Barbar provides play-by-play with color analyst Kyle Macy
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
TICKET INFO: A limited number of $25 general admission seats in the lower-level bleachers are available at the BB&T Arena ticket office beginning two hours before tipoff. Arena doors open 90 minutes prior to start time
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – During the pre-conference portion of their schedule, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats have frolicked on the beach in the Cayman Islands, experienced UCLA's historic Pauley Pavilion, lost a grind-it-out game to No. 5 Florida in New Jersey and beat up on a lot overmatched teams as they became accustomed to playing in their temporary home at Northern Kentucky University's BB&T Arena.
But now the end to the non-league games is at hand. The 20th-ranked Bearcats (10-2) will play their last one, at least during the regular season, Thursday at 7 p.m. at BB&T against Cleveland State (3-7). UC is 11-0 all-time vs. the Vikings, its last win coming during the 1999-00 season in Hawaii. UC, which was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time, posted a 91-56 victory.
The highlight so far for UC has been its 77-63 win at UCLA last Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. The Bearcats also brought home a championship trophy and and a tournament MVP Award for Gary Clark from the Cayman Islands Classic. Clark went over the 1,000-point mark for his career in the season opener and the Bearcats claimed ownership of the nation's longest home court winning streak, which currently stands at 32.
The lowlight without question was the 89-76 lost to Xavier in the Crosstown Shootout on Dec. 2 at Cintas Center, followed by a hard-fought 66-60 loss to Florida in Newark before they rebounded to hand Mississippi State its first loss of the season.
The Bearcats started the season ranked 12th nationally by the Associated Press, rose to No. 11, then fell to No. 25 after losses to Xavier and Florida before rising back to No. 20 this week. They've learned a few things along the way, which, after all, is the biggest reason for having pre-conference games beyond chalking up home court victories over mid-major opponents.
Among the findings:
When UC's big three of Evans, Clark and Kyle Washington are all contributing the Bearcats are a very good team with a chance to go a long way in the NCAA Tournament. When they're not, they become extremely vulnerable against quality opponents.
UC, which has lived off its defense under head coach Mick Cronin, is still one of the best defensive teams in the country. The Bearcats allow only 59.8 points per game, which leads the American Athletic Conference. They also lead the league in field goal percentage defense, holding their opponents to 36.5 percent shooting; in steals with 8.6 per game; and in blocked shots with 6.0 per game.
Rebounding appears to be a strength for UC, whose plus 8.8 margin ranks second in the league, although associate head coach Larry Davis doesn't see it that way.
"We're concerned with our team in rebounding because in our last few games Gary Clark and Tre Scott are basically the only guys getting offensive rebounds," Davis said after UC's win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday night. "We've got to get other guys involved in that. That's a big concern of ours right now."
Turnovers continue to be a problem for a team with two new point guards in Justin Jenifer and Cane Broome, who have essentially shared the position equally, with Broome averaging 20.7 minutes and Jenifer 20.2. Jenifer has done a good job taking care of the ball, but Broome, Evans, Clark and Jarron Cumberland all have struggled in that area. UC's 15 turnovers against UAPB was another stark reminder that this is an area that needs to be shored up as quickly as possible.
"That has got to be addressed," Davis said. "Believe me, in practice every day there are consequences when you turn the ball over. That's the only way you're going to get players to change. It's like life. If there's not consequence and you can get away with it, you're going to try to get away with it. When there's consequences you quickly learn I don't like those consequences so we'd better change our behavior."
Cronin has talked frequently this season about how much depth the Bearcats have, but he has shortened his bench considerably against quality opponents, apparently not yet having reached the point where he has confidence in some of his younger players in those situations.
"When guys get an opportunity they need to play well," Davis said. "They need to play well for themselves and they need to play well for us. It's a long season and we can't expect Gary Clark and Jacob and Kyle and Jarron to play 35 minutes every night. At some point, that'll catch up with us. They've got to be at least at the point where they can hold the fort. That's what we're trying to develop."
Cleveland State is in its first season under head coach Dennis Felton, who was previously the head coach at Georgia and Western Kentucky. He spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Tulsa, which plays in the American along with UC. The Vikings play in the Horizon League, the same league that NKU plays in, so they'll be familiar with the surroundings Thursday.
The Bearcats will be heavily favored to extend their home winning streak to 33, but Davis said they expect more competition than they received from winless UAPB in the first half Tuesday night when UC built a 43-16 halftime lead.
"They're probably a little more talented and a little bit stronger and bigger than this team we just beat," Davis said.
UC's first foray into conference play will be a New Year's Eve game against Memphis at BB&T Arena.
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.