TicketsTULSA (12-7, 2-4) AT CINCINNATI (16-3, 5-1)
SERIES INFO: 40th meeting; Cincinnati leads 27-12 overall;
Cincinnati leads 16-2 in Cincinnati and 10-8 in Tulsa;
Tulsa leads 2-1 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 70-65 in overtime on Jan. 10, 2019
at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
STREAK: Cincinnati - 5
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (284-143);
16th season overall (353-167)
Frank Haith is in his fifth season at Tulsa (89-59);
15th season overall (276-188)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 21): Cincinnati (RV/RV); Tulsa (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN2; Kevin Brown provides play-by-play with color analyst John Thompson III
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Maybe it took the humbling loss at East Carolina on Jan. 5 to make the University of Cincinnati Bearcats realize that just because the previous eight UC teams had played in the NCAA Tournament doesn't mean this one will too.
Following that loss, which is the only major stain on their resume, the Bearcats have won four in a row, two on the road and two in overtime, to move into a first-place tie for first place in the American Athletic Conference with Houston, both with 5-1 records.
The Bearcats will try to make it five in a row at 7 p.m. Thursday against Tulsa at Fifth Third Arena. UC is 16-3 overall. Tulsa (12-7 overall, 2-4 in the American) has lost two of its last three games, including a tough 64-62 defeat at league favorite Central Florida last Saturday after leading by 15 at halftime.
UC's current winning streak began with a 70-65 win at Tulsa on Jan. 10. That victory ended Tulsa's 15-game home winning streak, the Bearcats coming from six points behind with 1:16 left in regulation to win in overtime.
They played another overtime game against Connecticut and survived, 74-72. After beating South Florida by eight at home, they went to Wichita State and beat the Shockers 66-55 last Saturday.
In all four of those games, the Bearcats displayed a toughness and resourcefulness they had lacked against East Carolina.
"We needed to up our pride level and understand the situation we were in," said UC coach Mick Cronin. "Outside of 10 teams in the country everybody's fighting to build a resume for the tournament. We've called attention to our situation. It's not a given. The majority of our team hasn't been in a situation where, hey, man, we're in resume building mode. We've got to win every game."
Having Jarron Cumberland hit his stride has helped. The junior guard from Wilmington (Ohio) High School scored a career-high 34 points against USF and had a hand in 10 of UC's 12 points in overtime at Tulsa with two baskets and two assists. He's averaged 24.7 points in his last three games.
It was a foul against Cumberland by Wichita State's Erik Stevenson that led to two technical fouls against the Shockers with 5:18 left that UC led by five points at Wichita. Cumberland and Justin Jenifer took advantage by making six straight free throws to essentially put the game away for the Bearcats.
According to the Wichita Eagle, Stevenson told Cumberland, "I'm not afraid of you," after the foul. Cumberland responded by laughing.
"I just laugh at it because I come here to do one thing, to win," Cumberland said. "If you want to talk, go ahead and talk."
Cumberland has become a master this season of moving without the ball to get in a position to score. He constantly runs his man into screens and his defenders are frequently holding and bumping him to keep him from getting loose.
"I watched a lot of (former UC All-American) Sean Kilpatrick," Cumberland said, "how he moved without the ball running off screens. It gets tiring after awhile, but it pays off. (The defenders) get frustrated a lot because they get tired and then they get tired again, getting hit with screens. It's annoying to get hit with screens."
The junior guard, along with his teammates, struggled to score against Tulsa. He managed only 14 points on five-of-16 shooting, and made only two of eight from three-point range. The Bearcats were nine of 31 from beyond the arc.
'Their defense was a problem," Cronin said. "They're physical around the rim. They're a great charge-taking team. They rotate early defensively. They follow their scouting report. You've got to make some shots against Tulsa. We did early and then we went ice cold."
On the other hand, Tulsa made 14 of 23 from long range, consistently frustrating UC's defense.
"They play small but they get away with it because they play extremely hard," Cronin said. "They have tough kids. I've got a lot of respect for their talent. When a team plays small and spreads you out, it's hard to defend them because they can beat you off the dribble and when they kick it out they make guarded threes."
The Golden Hurricane ranks third in the league in three-point shooting percentage at 35.1 percent. UC ranks 11th in three-point field goal percentage defense (35.9). Tulsa is led offensively by swingman DaQuen Jeffries (13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds) and forward Martins Igbanu (12.1, 5.4).
Jenifer, one of UC's top perimeter defenders, played only 13 minutes in the first Tulsa game due to illness, but is expected to be at full strength for the rematch. He leads the American in three-point field goal percentage (44.6 percent) and is second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.82 to one).
Cronin is expecting another physical battle against Tulsa. So is Cumberland, who's getting used to being the focal point of the opponents' defense.
"After the games, my body's sore," he said. "I have scratch marks all over my body. I show the refs and say, 'do you see this?' I get held a lot."
That's the life of a prolific scorer in college basketball. Cumberland tries to take it in stride. He gets demonstrative at times when he makes a big shot, but for the most part he says he tries to avoid talking on the floor.
"When I was younger I used to trash talk but that doesn't make you look good," he said. "Just go out and there and put the ball in the hoop. That's all the talking you can do."
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: 40th meeting; Cincinnati leads 27-12 overall;
Cincinnati leads 16-2 in Cincinnati and 10-8 in Tulsa;
Tulsa leads 2-1 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 70-65 in overtime on Jan. 10, 2019
at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
STREAK: Cincinnati - 5
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (284-143);
16th season overall (353-167)
Frank Haith is in his fifth season at Tulsa (89-59);
15th season overall (276-188)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 21): Cincinnati (RV/RV); Tulsa (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN2; Kevin Brown provides play-by-play with color analyst John Thompson III
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Maybe it took the humbling loss at East Carolina on Jan. 5 to make the University of Cincinnati Bearcats realize that just because the previous eight UC teams had played in the NCAA Tournament doesn't mean this one will too.
Following that loss, which is the only major stain on their resume, the Bearcats have won four in a row, two on the road and two in overtime, to move into a first-place tie for first place in the American Athletic Conference with Houston, both with 5-1 records.
The Bearcats will try to make it five in a row at 7 p.m. Thursday against Tulsa at Fifth Third Arena. UC is 16-3 overall. Tulsa (12-7 overall, 2-4 in the American) has lost two of its last three games, including a tough 64-62 defeat at league favorite Central Florida last Saturday after leading by 15 at halftime.
UC's current winning streak began with a 70-65 win at Tulsa on Jan. 10. That victory ended Tulsa's 15-game home winning streak, the Bearcats coming from six points behind with 1:16 left in regulation to win in overtime.
They played another overtime game against Connecticut and survived, 74-72. After beating South Florida by eight at home, they went to Wichita State and beat the Shockers 66-55 last Saturday.
In all four of those games, the Bearcats displayed a toughness and resourcefulness they had lacked against East Carolina.
"We needed to up our pride level and understand the situation we were in," said UC coach Mick Cronin. "Outside of 10 teams in the country everybody's fighting to build a resume for the tournament. We've called attention to our situation. It's not a given. The majority of our team hasn't been in a situation where, hey, man, we're in resume building mode. We've got to win every game."
Having Jarron Cumberland hit his stride has helped. The junior guard from Wilmington (Ohio) High School scored a career-high 34 points against USF and had a hand in 10 of UC's 12 points in overtime at Tulsa with two baskets and two assists. He's averaged 24.7 points in his last three games.
It was a foul against Cumberland by Wichita State's Erik Stevenson that led to two technical fouls against the Shockers with 5:18 left that UC led by five points at Wichita. Cumberland and Justin Jenifer took advantage by making six straight free throws to essentially put the game away for the Bearcats.
According to the Wichita Eagle, Stevenson told Cumberland, "I'm not afraid of you," after the foul. Cumberland responded by laughing.
"I just laugh at it because I come here to do one thing, to win," Cumberland said. "If you want to talk, go ahead and talk."
Cumberland has become a master this season of moving without the ball to get in a position to score. He constantly runs his man into screens and his defenders are frequently holding and bumping him to keep him from getting loose.
"I watched a lot of (former UC All-American) Sean Kilpatrick," Cumberland said, "how he moved without the ball running off screens. It gets tiring after awhile, but it pays off. (The defenders) get frustrated a lot because they get tired and then they get tired again, getting hit with screens. It's annoying to get hit with screens."
The junior guard, along with his teammates, struggled to score against Tulsa. He managed only 14 points on five-of-16 shooting, and made only two of eight from three-point range. The Bearcats were nine of 31 from beyond the arc.
'Their defense was a problem," Cronin said. "They're physical around the rim. They're a great charge-taking team. They rotate early defensively. They follow their scouting report. You've got to make some shots against Tulsa. We did early and then we went ice cold."
On the other hand, Tulsa made 14 of 23 from long range, consistently frustrating UC's defense.
"They play small but they get away with it because they play extremely hard," Cronin said. "They have tough kids. I've got a lot of respect for their talent. When a team plays small and spreads you out, it's hard to defend them because they can beat you off the dribble and when they kick it out they make guarded threes."
The Golden Hurricane ranks third in the league in three-point shooting percentage at 35.1 percent. UC ranks 11th in three-point field goal percentage defense (35.9). Tulsa is led offensively by swingman DaQuen Jeffries (13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds) and forward Martins Igbanu (12.1, 5.4).
Jenifer, one of UC's top perimeter defenders, played only 13 minutes in the first Tulsa game due to illness, but is expected to be at full strength for the rematch. He leads the American in three-point field goal percentage (44.6 percent) and is second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.82 to one).
Cronin is expecting another physical battle against Tulsa. So is Cumberland, who's getting used to being the focal point of the opponents' defense.
"After the games, my body's sore," he said. "I have scratch marks all over my body. I show the refs and say, 'do you see this?' I get held a lot."
That's the life of a prolific scorer in college basketball. Cumberland tries to take it in stride. He gets demonstrative at times when he makes a big shot, but for the most part he says he tries to avoid talking on the floor.
"When I was younger I used to trash talk but that doesn't make you look good," he said. "Just go out and there and put the ball in the hoop. That's all the talking you can do."
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.