TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – It seemed logical that the University of Cincinnati Bearcats would start this season with Justin Jenifer at point guard and Cane Broome at shooting guard, which is what they did against Ohio State in their season opener last week.
Both are seniors and Broome, a 23.1-point scorer at Sacred Heart before he transferred to UC two years ago, seemed poised to have a big year offensively. But things don't always work out the way they're planned.
When UC coach Mick Cronin analyzed the Bearcats' loss to the Buckeyes, he decided they might be better off with a big guard opposite Jenifer instead of the six-foot Broome.
So when the Bearcats lined up to face North Carolina Central on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena, six-foot-five sophomore guard Keith Williams got his first career start in place of Broome.
Williams made the most of it by scoring a career-high 15 points in 26 minutes. He made seven of 12 from the field, one of two from three-point range, with four rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead the Bearcats to a 73-51 victory, their first in the refurbished arena, before 10,037 fans.
Because he was dealing with an iffy stomach, Williams was unable to talk about his big night after the game. But his teammates were happy to pick up the slack for him.
"It was just a matter of time," Jenifer said. "He's my roommate in the hotels on the road. I've been talking to him and we've been communicating a lot. It's a proud moment to see him do this tonight."
"What he gave us was a spark offensively and defensively," said junior forward Trevon Scott. "He led us in deflections. Once one person is active all over the court it translates to everyone else."
Williams was one of four players to score in double figures for the Bearcats (1-1). Scott scored 12 on six-of-six shooting; Jarron Cumberland, who scored 22 in the Bearcats' season opener, added 10; and Jenifer scored 10 with six assists and no turnovers in 23 minutes. The Bearcats shot 58.5 percent from the field and made five of 14 from three-point range. They blocked eight shots and forced 16 turnovers that resulted in 19 points.
Randy Miller Jr. led NC Central (0-2) with 21 points. The Eagles shot 35.2 percent and made eight of 17 from long range.
Cronin said Williams earned his first start by the way he practiced the last few days, but there was a lot more to it than that.
"Analytically we just don't defend well with the small lineup and we definitely don't rebound," he said. "Jarron 's not an athlete. He's not an above-the-rim guy. He's a great scorer, a great passer, and a very smart defender. And he boxes out, but he's not an above-the-rim guy.
"So if you're going to play three little guys together, you're got to really shoot the lights out because you're not going to be a dominant team defensively and you're not going to rebound the ball well."
Williams played in 34 games last season as a freshman, but logged only 9.8 minutes per game. He shot 38.5 percent from the field and made only four of 27 from three-point range.
"He's a guy that wants to do well so bad, he cares so much, he gets jittery at times," Cronin said.
Starting, as Williams did during the Bearcats' exhibition trip to Canada last summer, seemed to have a soothing effect, so Cronin figured he'd try it again. It seemed to work.
The Bearcats, who shot a horrific 27.4 percent in their loss to Ohio State, made five of their first six shots against NC Central, a team that has played in three of the last five NCAA tournaments. They used a 16-2 run to take a 34-19 halftime lead, then pulled away to take a 57-28 lead on a Williams basket with 11:41 left in the second half.
UC was much more effective defensively than it was against OSU, although it did allow the Eagles to shoot 47.6 percent in the second half. NC Central made eight of 17 shots from three-point range for the game.
"In the second half, they came out and jumped on us," said NC Central coach LaVelle Moton. "They had a couple of guys make shots that they normally don't make. But that's what happens when you allow them layups and put-backs and free throws and easy opportunities. They develop some kind of rhythm."
Overall, it was a nice bounce-back victory for the Bearcats after a disappointing season opener.
"(Cronin) got his message across," Scott said, "but to be honest we got our own message across. The coaches can say whatever, but they're not the ones who're playing. We talked to each other, had a lot of meetings. We all came together basically and said that's not why we win, we don't jump shoot our way to victory. We've got to get down, lock down, and get rebounds, block shots and cause disruption like we did tonight. We've just got to get consistent playing this way with this group and we'll be fine."
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.