TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The formula for winning basketball at the University of Cincinnati is simple. Mix in heavy doses of defense and rebounding and sprinkle in enough offense to get the job done.
But just because the formula is simple doesn't mean it's easily achievable.
The Bearcats have found that out twice during the last four days, first with their loss at Houston, which ended a 16-game winning streak, and then again with Sunday's loss to Wichita State, which ended their 39-game home winning streak, the longest in the country.
"You've got to be committed to doing the uncomfortable things that go into winning," UC coach Mick Cronin said. "Right now I've got to do a better job to make sure my team is committed to the uncomfortable, physical things that go into winning games. We're not a juggernaut of NBA draft picks. That's not how we win."
The Bearcats trailed for all but 4:26 against the Shockers, were down by 11 points twice, and by six with two minutes left. They scrapped back to get within two points with 14 seconds remaining and again with eight seconds to play, but twice allowed the Shockers to throw long passes over their defense for a layup and a dunk, which sealed the Shockers' 76-72 win before 9,523 fans at BB&T Arena, the first home sellout of the season.
No. 5 UC (23-4 overall, 12-2 in the American Athletic Conference) saw its lead in the AAC trimmed to one game over both Wichita State and Houston with four games to play. The 19th-ranked Shockers (21-5, 11-3) are in their first year in the American after 72 years in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Jarron Cumberland led UC with 18 points, 13 in the first half. Cane Broome and Jacob Evans each scored 16. Gary Clark scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Landry Shamet scored 19 to lead Wichita State. The Bearcats are 0-3 this season against ranked teams.
WSU shot 60.9 percent from the field in the first half and 52.9 percent for the game. UC out-rebounded the Shockers, 27-26, but allowed eight offensive rebounds in the second half, enabling them to outscore the Bearcats, 12-8, in second chance points.
"You've got to be physical," Evans said. "Basketball is a physical game. We've got to be willing to go box out, dive on the floor for loose balls, the little things of Bearcats basketball. We've got to get back to playing that way for the whole game. We've got to get back to being hungry."
Being hungry shouldn't be a problem for UC after losing two straight for the second time this season. The Bearcats began the week projected as a No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed, but now will have a difficult time holding onto the No. 3 seed they were predicted to have after their loss to Houston.
"We're just not in a good place right now," Cronin said. "I haven't slept much. We're not in a good place for a lot of reasons, our energy level and our identity. We've lost focus of why we had been winning a lot of games, which is defense and rebounding. We've got too many guys that are concerned with the offensive end. We'd better get back to realizing what makes a team a good team - unselfish play, toughness, defending and rebounding."
UC trailed by two at halftime, but turned the ball over on its first three possessions of the second half. WSU took advantage to jump out to a 49-40 lead. The Shockers led by 11 after a Zach Brown 3-pointer with 11:26 left. UC pulled within five on Broome's trey with 8:24 to play and trailed by three after a Broome basket with 7:15 left. They Bearcats had a chance to tie with a three on their next possession, but Broome was called for an offensive foul when he pushed off to create space for a shot.
A dunk by Trevon Scott off a UC steal pulled the Bearcats within two with 14 seconds left. Cronin then called timeout to set the UC defense only to see Shamet pass over the Bearcats for a layup by Austin Reaves. Clark made a follow shot with eight seconds left to make it 72-70. This time Shamet passed to Shaquille Morris, whose dunk put the game out of reach.
"I don't really feel like calling out the player that did it," Cronin said, "but I'm going to tell you we told them exactly what was going to be done, a fake screen and a go long. We wanted them to throw it, but we wanted to be right there because then you get a chance to get the steal and you don't have to foul. The game plan was to bait them into going long. The problem is the guy let him do it."
Senior forward Kyle Washington played only 17 minutes for UC, scoring six points with two rebounds, far below his season averages of 11.5 and 5.5. Cronin said Washington's reduced playing time was partly the result of his defensive breakdowns.
"You've got to be able to know a play and you've got to be able to catch the ball in the low post," Cronin said. "You've got to be on the same page with your teammates. Our senior leadership, as far as getting the job done, I'm not happy with it. I'm beyond disappointed. And those kids are great kids. They've been great,"
UC plays next on Thursday night at home vs. Connecticut, then finishes its home season on Sunday vs. Tulsa. The Bearcats will finish the regular season on the road at Tulane and Wichita State. That last game could very well determine the AAC champion.
"I don't think our goals have changed," Broome said. "We still want to win the conference and the conference tournament and go as far as we can. We lost two games before in the middle of the season and we got back on track. We've just got to figure it out again."
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.