TicketsARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF (2-4) at CINCINNATI (5-1)
SERIES INFO: Cincinnati leads 4-0 overall; Cincinnati leads 4-0 in Cincinnati
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 77-49 on Dec. 19, 2017 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.
STREAK: Cincinnati - Won 4
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (273-141); 16th season overall (342-165)
George Ivory is in his 11th season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (121-207); 11th season overall (121-207)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (NOV. 19): Cincinnati (--/--); Arkansas-Pine Bluff (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Kevin Johnson
TV: FOX SPORTS OHIO/ESPN3; Tom Gelehrter provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Six games into the season, University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin is beginning to see things slowly come together the way he hoped they would.
The Bearcats, who won the Emerald Coast Classic over the weekend in Niceville, Fla., have improved on defense as they've learned to communicate with each other and react to what opposing offenses are doing.
"You're never going to perfect," Cronin said, "but our effort to communicate was great, our effort to recover was great, and we defended without fouling for the most part. It's easy to foul. It's hard to move your feet. It's harder to communicate. It's not a natural response. We're still building. Everybody's got to improve so we've got to continue to improve."
After knocking off George Mason (71-55) and Ole Miss (71-55) over the weekend in Florida, UC (5-1) will look for its sixth straight victory Tuesday when it faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-4) at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.
It's way too early to begin pinpointing turning points in the season, but Cronin's move to insert sophomore Keith Williams into the starting lineup in place of senior Cane Broome in game two has already paid dividends. The 6-foot-5 Williams has averaged 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds while providing UC with a bigger defensive team. And Broome has flourished coming off the bench as a player who can add a scoring punch and change the tempo.
After making only one of 13 shots from the field and scoring only five points in his first two games, Broome has scored in double figures in three of his last four games, averaging 15.3 points while shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line with 13 assists and six steals. He's averaging 11.0 points overall, second to Jarron Cumberland's 18.2.
"He makes us a better team.," Cronin said. "If you're good enough to bring one of your best players, probably your second-best scorer, off the bench, it gives you a chance at the first TV timeout, if you're struggling, to put one of your best players in the game. We're trying to start our best defensive and rebounding lineup. We're still mixing and matching with our lineup. It doesn't mean we're going to start the same lineup the rest of the year."
Broome made the Emerald Classic all-tournament team after scoring 21 points against George Mason, his highest point total as a Bearcat, and nine against Ole Miss. He started only three games last season after transferring from Sacred Heart, where he ranked eighth in the nation in scoring with 23.1 points per game. He learned to accept a subordinate role as a junior at UC. He was expected to start this season and become more of a focal point in the Bearcats' offense.
But coming off the bench seems to suit him.
"I'm kind of used to it from last year so I'm more comfortable in it," Broome said. "I just try to embrace it. I try to come in and change the pace of the game and try to attack on offense, get fouled or get a layup."
As he watches from the bench at the start of the game, Broome said, "I try to see what the other team's doing, where we can get into gaps so that when I get in I can get right to it."
Broome had to learn to play point guard last year for the first time and initially found the experience difficult to adjust to. He wasn't used to bringing the ball down the floor and starting the offense with a pass. At Sacred Heart he was the offense.
But with Gary Clark and Kyle Washington stationed inside, he understood that the best thing for the Bearcats' offense was to get the ball to them. He still plays the point a lot of the time when he's in the game this year, but he has more freedom to get into the lane and create the kind of shots that made him such a prolific scorer at Sacred Heart.
"We don't have the same type of bigs where we just throw it in and they post up like we had with Gary and Kyle," Broome said. "It's moreso like coming off screens and pick-and-rolls and trying to get in the lane."
Arkansas-Pine Bluff features guard Martaveous McNight, who ranks fourth in the nation with 28.0 points per game. McNight has reached the 40-point mark twice – against Colorado State and California Baptist. The Bearcats held him to 12 points on four-of-12 shooting last season in UC's 77-49 victory over the Golden Lions, who were picked to finish third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
"He can score in a lot ways," Cronin said. "Hopefully the way we play defense, it's a problem for the other team's coach to draw up plays for his best player because you've got to deal with what we're doing and you really can't dictate who you're going to get the ball to and where you're getting it to them."
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.
SERIES INFO: Cincinnati leads 4-0 overall; Cincinnati leads 4-0 in Cincinnati
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 77-49 on Dec. 19, 2017 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.
STREAK: Cincinnati - Won 4
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (273-141); 16th season overall (342-165)
George Ivory is in his 11th season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (121-207); 11th season overall (121-207)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (NOV. 19): Cincinnati (--/--); Arkansas-Pine Bluff (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Kevin Johnson
TV: FOX SPORTS OHIO/ESPN3; Tom Gelehrter provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Six games into the season, University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin is beginning to see things slowly come together the way he hoped they would.
The Bearcats, who won the Emerald Coast Classic over the weekend in Niceville, Fla., have improved on defense as they've learned to communicate with each other and react to what opposing offenses are doing.
"You're never going to perfect," Cronin said, "but our effort to communicate was great, our effort to recover was great, and we defended without fouling for the most part. It's easy to foul. It's hard to move your feet. It's harder to communicate. It's not a natural response. We're still building. Everybody's got to improve so we've got to continue to improve."
After knocking off George Mason (71-55) and Ole Miss (71-55) over the weekend in Florida, UC (5-1) will look for its sixth straight victory Tuesday when it faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-4) at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.
It's way too early to begin pinpointing turning points in the season, but Cronin's move to insert sophomore Keith Williams into the starting lineup in place of senior Cane Broome in game two has already paid dividends. The 6-foot-5 Williams has averaged 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds while providing UC with a bigger defensive team. And Broome has flourished coming off the bench as a player who can add a scoring punch and change the tempo.
After making only one of 13 shots from the field and scoring only five points in his first two games, Broome has scored in double figures in three of his last four games, averaging 15.3 points while shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line with 13 assists and six steals. He's averaging 11.0 points overall, second to Jarron Cumberland's 18.2.
"He makes us a better team.," Cronin said. "If you're good enough to bring one of your best players, probably your second-best scorer, off the bench, it gives you a chance at the first TV timeout, if you're struggling, to put one of your best players in the game. We're trying to start our best defensive and rebounding lineup. We're still mixing and matching with our lineup. It doesn't mean we're going to start the same lineup the rest of the year."
Broome made the Emerald Classic all-tournament team after scoring 21 points against George Mason, his highest point total as a Bearcat, and nine against Ole Miss. He started only three games last season after transferring from Sacred Heart, where he ranked eighth in the nation in scoring with 23.1 points per game. He learned to accept a subordinate role as a junior at UC. He was expected to start this season and become more of a focal point in the Bearcats' offense.
But coming off the bench seems to suit him.
"I'm kind of used to it from last year so I'm more comfortable in it," Broome said. "I just try to embrace it. I try to come in and change the pace of the game and try to attack on offense, get fouled or get a layup."
As he watches from the bench at the start of the game, Broome said, "I try to see what the other team's doing, where we can get into gaps so that when I get in I can get right to it."
Broome had to learn to play point guard last year for the first time and initially found the experience difficult to adjust to. He wasn't used to bringing the ball down the floor and starting the offense with a pass. At Sacred Heart he was the offense.
But with Gary Clark and Kyle Washington stationed inside, he understood that the best thing for the Bearcats' offense was to get the ball to them. He still plays the point a lot of the time when he's in the game this year, but he has more freedom to get into the lane and create the kind of shots that made him such a prolific scorer at Sacred Heart.
"We don't have the same type of bigs where we just throw it in and they post up like we had with Gary and Kyle," Broome said. "It's moreso like coming off screens and pick-and-rolls and trying to get in the lane."
Arkansas-Pine Bluff features guard Martaveous McNight, who ranks fourth in the nation with 28.0 points per game. McNight has reached the 40-point mark twice – against Colorado State and California Baptist. The Bearcats held him to 12 points on four-of-12 shooting last season in UC's 77-49 victory over the Golden Lions, who were picked to finish third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
"He can score in a lot ways," Cronin said. "Hopefully the way we play defense, it's a problem for the other team's coach to draw up plays for his best player because you've got to deal with what we're doing and you really can't dictate who you're going to get the ball to and where you're getting it to them."
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.