TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – After the University of Cincinnati Bearcats dropped a 76-72 decision to Wichita State on Feb. 18 at BB&T Arena, UC coach Mick Cronin lamented what he saw as his players' sudden unwillingness to do the uncomfortable things that lead to winning. He called the Bearcats' defense "gross" and declared that his team was "not in a very good place right now."
Two weeks after the loss to Wichita State, the same team that Cronin said had slacked off on the dirty work he values so much walked into Koch Arena on Sunday in Wichita and knocked off the Shockers, 62-61, in a game that wasn't decided until Wichita State guard Conner Frankamp missed a 3-point shot with two seconds remaining and Darral Willis Sr.'s follow shot bounced glances off the underside of the backboard as time expired. That sequence unfolded after UC forward Gary Clark had blocked a potential game-winning shot by Landry Shamet with nine seconds to play.
The UC players and coaches burst into celebration, first on the court and then in the UC locker room having claimed sole possession of the American Athletic Conference regular-season championship, the school's first undisputed league title since the Bearcats won one as a member of Conference USA in 2004.
"I just think they have a tremendous team," Cronin said Monday of Wichita State. "I was glad we played them twice late in the year because it forces you to really take a look in the mirror and make sure you're good enough to beat a team of that caliber. We didn't get it done the first time. I'm proud of my guys and their effort. That was the hardest-played game that we were a part of all year."
The Bearcats (27-4 overall, 16-2 in the AAC) moved up two spots this week in the Associated Press media poll to No. 8, with the Shockers (24-6, 14-4) holding at No. 10. The home loss was only the third for Wichita State in its last 75 home games. The league's two premier programs could meet again in the AAC Tournament final on Sunday in Orlando, where the Bearcats are seeded No. 1 and the Shockers No. 2.
UC's first AAC tournament game will be in the quarterfinals at noon Friday in Orlando against the winner of Thursday's game between No. 8 Connecticut and No. 9 SMU. The Bearcats defeated both teams twice during the regular season.
The Feb. 18 loss to Wichita State – and Cronin's reaction to it – appears to have awakened the Bearcats just in time. They've won four straight since that game.
"I just thought that our focus wasn't as sharp as it needed to be and I thought that we had gotten a little bit complacent and distracted mentally off the floor," Cronin said. "I think that's just par for the course. It's a long season. It's hard for any team, professionals, let alone college kids. It's easy for them to get a little distracted at some point. I just thought we definitely were not where we needed to be mentally to beat a team of that caliber. We had to regroup a little bit and look in the mirror and ask ourselves some hard questions as coaches and as players to make sure we were going to be at our best down the stretch."
Cronin acknowledged that he and his staff also made some strategic adjustments that paid dividend, but that was only part of the story.
"We did some changes, but I think sometimes as a coach the older I get I don't think that's quite as important as the mental state of your team," Cronin said. "It's not what you run or what you're doing. It's the level of execution you have. That goes directly to your focus and commitment."
The Bearcats will head to Orlando looking for their first conference tournament title since that same 2004 team won the C-USA tournament before losing to Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UC junior guard Jacob Evans III, who scored 19 points against Wichita State, and senior forward Clark, who scored 10 points with five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots, were both named to the all-AAC first team Monday. Senior forward Kyle Washington received honorable mention. Clark was tabbed the AAC's Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.
"When you win a league of our caliber, you're not going to win it with coaching," Cronin said. "You're going to win it with players. Jacob and Gary have had unbelievable years. Jacob's shooting almost 45 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line. He has 32 blocks as a guard. Very few guards get 32 blocked shots. He does so much for our team."
Cronin called Clark "a rare breed of a guy that can affect a game without scoring. He still affects the game in every possible way. He covers for his teammates on defense constantly and very rarely makes mistakes. And it's good to see Kyle get some recognition. He's been great for our program. He's got a great attitude and he makes big buckets for us."
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.
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – After the University of Cincinnati Bearcats dropped a 76-72 decision to Wichita State on Feb. 18 at BB&T Arena, UC coach Mick Cronin lamented what he saw as his players' sudden unwillingness to do the uncomfortable things that lead to winning. He called the Bearcats' defense "gross" and declared that his team was "not in a very good place right now."
Two weeks after the loss to Wichita State, the same team that Cronin said had slacked off on the dirty work he values so much walked into Koch Arena on Sunday in Wichita and knocked off the Shockers, 62-61, in a game that wasn't decided until Wichita State guard Conner Frankamp missed a 3-point shot with two seconds remaining and Darral Willis Sr.'s follow shot bounced glances off the underside of the backboard as time expired. That sequence unfolded after UC forward Gary Clark had blocked a potential game-winning shot by Landry Shamet with nine seconds to play.
The UC players and coaches burst into celebration, first on the court and then in the UC locker room having claimed sole possession of the American Athletic Conference regular-season championship, the school's first undisputed league title since the Bearcats won one as a member of Conference USA in 2004.
"I just think they have a tremendous team," Cronin said Monday of Wichita State. "I was glad we played them twice late in the year because it forces you to really take a look in the mirror and make sure you're good enough to beat a team of that caliber. We didn't get it done the first time. I'm proud of my guys and their effort. That was the hardest-played game that we were a part of all year."
The Bearcats (27-4 overall, 16-2 in the AAC) moved up two spots this week in the Associated Press media poll to No. 8, with the Shockers (24-6, 14-4) holding at No. 10. The home loss was only the third for Wichita State in its last 75 home games. The league's two premier programs could meet again in the AAC Tournament final on Sunday in Orlando, where the Bearcats are seeded No. 1 and the Shockers No. 2.
UC's first AAC tournament game will be in the quarterfinals at noon Friday in Orlando against the winner of Thursday's game between No. 8 Connecticut and No. 9 SMU. The Bearcats defeated both teams twice during the regular season.
The Feb. 18 loss to Wichita State – and Cronin's reaction to it – appears to have awakened the Bearcats just in time. They've won four straight since that game.
"I just thought that our focus wasn't as sharp as it needed to be and I thought that we had gotten a little bit complacent and distracted mentally off the floor," Cronin said. "I think that's just par for the course. It's a long season. It's hard for any team, professionals, let alone college kids. It's easy for them to get a little distracted at some point. I just thought we definitely were not where we needed to be mentally to beat a team of that caliber. We had to regroup a little bit and look in the mirror and ask ourselves some hard questions as coaches and as players to make sure we were going to be at our best down the stretch."
Cronin acknowledged that he and his staff also made some strategic adjustments that paid dividend, but that was only part of the story.
"We did some changes, but I think sometimes as a coach the older I get I don't think that's quite as important as the mental state of your team," Cronin said. "It's not what you run or what you're doing. It's the level of execution you have. That goes directly to your focus and commitment."
The Bearcats will head to Orlando looking for their first conference tournament title since that same 2004 team won the C-USA tournament before losing to Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UC junior guard Jacob Evans III, who scored 19 points against Wichita State, and senior forward Clark, who scored 10 points with five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots, were both named to the all-AAC first team Monday. Senior forward Kyle Washington received honorable mention. Clark was tabbed the AAC's Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.
"When you win a league of our caliber, you're not going to win it with coaching," Cronin said. "You're going to win it with players. Jacob and Gary have had unbelievable years. Jacob's shooting almost 45 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line. He has 32 blocks as a guard. Very few guards get 32 blocked shots. He does so much for our team."
Cronin called Clark "a rare breed of a guy that can affect a game without scoring. He still affects the game in every possible way. He covers for his teammates on defense constantly and very rarely makes mistakes. And it's good to see Kyle get some recognition. He's been great for our program. He's got a great attitude and he makes big buckets for us."
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.