TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Usually when the University of Cincinnati and Memphis renew their long-time basketball rivalry, the games are close, intense and highly competitive.
But there have been occasions since the rivalry began in 1967-68 when both teams were in the Missouri Valley Conference, where, due to the ebb and flow of the two nationally-respected programs, one has a decided edge over the other and the game reflects it.
That's what happened in 2006-07, Mick Cronin's first year as the UC head coach when Memphis laid an 88-55 beating on the rebuilding Bearcats in Memphis and it happened again Sunday when the 21st-ranked Bearcats romped past the Tigers, 82-48, in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams at BB&T Arena before 8,423 fans, the largest home crowd of the season for UC.
This time it was veteran coach Tubby Smith, in his second year at Memphis, who was on the receiving end of the blowout with 11 newcomers – five junior college players, five freshmen and one transfer.
"I know what Coach Smith's going through right now," Cronin said. "I was there 12 years ago. It's really hard with first-year guys."
The Bearcats won their fifth straight game overall and their 34th straight at home – the longest streak in the country – behind 15 points and seven rebounds from sophomore guard Jarron Cumberland.
"I thought Jarron Cumberland was great," Cronin said. "He was highly efficient, our second-leading rebounder, leading scorer, and he has two steals. Early on, his passing was excellent."
Gary Clark scored 13 points with 10 rebounds in 23 minutes for his fourth double-double of the season and the 22nd of his career. Jacob Evans III and freshman guard Trevor Moore each scored 12 points. Moore made four of seven from the field, three of six from long range, in 16 minutes.
"Coach is always telling me to just stay ready to shoot, so I was ready and I knocked them down," Moore said.
Moore and fellow freshman guard Keith Williams, who scored three points in 17 minutes, both were pressed into more extensive playing time because of a sprained ankle suffered by point guard Cane Broome during practice Thursday. With Broome on the bench, Evans was asked to spend some time at the point. He responded with six assists and two turnovers in 31 minutes.
"That's a position I played in high school," Evans said. "I'm pretty comfortable with it. It's just getting back to little things that I've got to remind myself about throughout the game. If Cane's out, I can step in and take that."
The Bearcats improved to 12-2 overall, 1-0 in the AAC, and posted the largest margin of victory for either team in a rivalry that has covered 75 games. UC leads the series, 42-33. Memphis fell to 9-5, 0-1.
The Bearcats led, 18-11, with 7:33 left in the first half, then closed the half by outscoring the Tigers, 17-5, to take a 35-16 halftime lead. Memphis, one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, made only 2 of 12 from long range in the first half and shot 25.9 percent overall. The Tigers also missed all five of their free throws.
For the game, Memphis shot 32.1 percent and made four of 22 from long range. UC out-rebounded the Tigers, 45-30, and shot a robust 58.1 percent in the second half, even though reserves played for much of the half. Defensively, the Bearcats held Memphis' Jeremiah Martin to eight points, 10 below his average. Martin made only four of 14 shots from the field.
"I thought we came ready (to play), but we were intimidated early on," Smith said, "especially with our turnovers. We played so poorly and shot so poorly. Against a good team like Cincinnati, they will make you look bad and they'll beat you like this if you have any letdown at all."
Cronin said he couldn't offer an estimate on how long Broome will be out. The Bearcats' next game is Thursday at Temple, a team that figures to give the Bearcats a much harder time than Memphis did.
"When he walks back out there, he'll be back out there," Cronin said. "With a sprained ankle you just don't know. Until he can cut and move he's out. Every day he's going to go out there and try it and I'm probably going to hold him two extra days to be honest with you after he maybe tries to talk me into playing. I'm not going to rush him back out there until I know he's 100 percent."
That's why the UC coach considered the production he received from Moore to be a good sign.
"Keith and Trevor are the keys for us," Cronin said. "For our team to get where we want to go, we've got to be able to get something out of those guys. To play our style, how hard we play on defense, you can't play more than 30 or 31 minutes. You just can't do it. So those guys need to be able to help us to give Jarron and Jake some time off the floor and for us to be able to maintain our lead and our defensive intensity."
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.