Bearcats Change Practice Structure, Welcome SMU Saturday

SMU (12-8, 4-4) AT CINCINNATI (18-3, 7-1)
Saturday, Feb. 2 // 8 p.m. (ET)
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 16th meeting; Cincinnati leads 10-5 overall;
Cincinnati leads 7-0 at home; 
SMU leads 3-2 in Dallas and 2-1 at neutral sites 
STREAK: Cincinnati - 3
2017-18 MEETINGS: Cincinnati won 76-56 at home (Jan. 7);
76-51 in Dallas (Feb. 11); 61-51 in AAC Quarterfinals (Mar. 9)
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (286-143); 16th season overall (355-167)
Tim Jankovich is in his third season at SMU (68-29); 12th season overall (225-149)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (JAN. 28): Cincinnati (RV/RV); SMU (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: CBS Sports Network; Carter Blackburn provides play-by-play with color analyst Pete Gillen
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB

By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com

CINCINNATI – As we turn the calendar from January to February, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats are a half game back of Houston for first place in the American Athletic Conference as they try to become the first Bearcats team since 2001 and 2002 to win back-to-back conference titles.

They're also just hitting the meat of their schedule, the part that will determine if they repeat as conference champions and how high they'll be seeded in the NCAA Tournament.

All of which means that it's time for UC coach Mick Cronin to dial things back in practice.

Huh?

It might not make sense on the surface, but Cronin has learned over the years that when late January arrives, the wisest course of action is for him to focus on keeping his players fresh and their energy level high as they begin the dog days that will carry them into the postseason.

"I don't care how much you love something it can become a grind in February," Cronin said. "We try to do some things different. Our practices change every Jan. 20. When I see that day on the calendar, we don't practice as long. We spend a lot of time on individual skills."

The Bearcats (18-3 overall, 7-1 in the AAC) will face SMU (12-8, 4-4) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Fifth Third Arena as both teams reach the midway point of the conference season.

UC has won six straight games overall and 22 straight league games at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats are 10-6 all-time vs. SMU, 7-0 at home, and have won the last three games against the Mustangs.

SMU is coming off an 85-83 loss Wednesday night at Wichita State. The Mustangs are led by guard Jahmal McMurray, who averages 18.9 points and leads the league with 3.7 three-point field goals per game. Point guard Jimmy Whitt Jr., averages 12.8 points and 4.45 assists. 

UC hasn't played since last Saturday when it wiped out a 14-point deficit early in the second half to knock off the Owls. Junior guard Jarron Cumberland scored 25 points in that game and leads the league with a 22-point average since the start of conference play, but Cronin credited the UC bench with turning that game around after the Bearcats got off to a bad start.

"We don't win if not for our bench," Cronin said. "I thought Logan (Johnson) saved us from getting blown out in the first half with his energy. I showed the team how Eiliel (Nsoseme) saved us. He had two unbelievable what we would call Bearcat plays in the second half. He stopped the drive, then turned around and blocked the shot and got the rebound. Rarely do you see a guy stop the ball and block the shot. You almost never see a guy do it and then get the rebound. He did it two times in the second half."

That kind of praise is music to the ears of Nsoseme, the 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward-center from the Congo, who averages 4.2 rebounds in an average of 13.4 minutes per game.

"We really do take a lot of pride in that," Nsoseme said of his fellow reserves. "We try to do everything we can to help the team win. Sitting on the bench is not just like waiting to go in the game It's watching everything that's going on on the court and trying to make sure that when I get in I can bring something positive because I see some mistakes that the opposite team is doing."

Reserve guard Trevor Moore also made a big contribution with five rebounds – two on the offensive glass – in 17 minutes.  

"Trevor Moore's rebound of a missed free throw was JaQuon Parker-esque," Cronin said, referring to the tenacity that Parker displayed when he played at UC. "It was a big-time rebound."

The UC coach has said all season that the development of the Bearcats' bench will go a long way toward determining how far they go. Their depth could make a big difference against an SMU team that used only seven players against Wichita State.

One player who did not play was guard Jarrey Foster, a pre-season all-conference selection who averages 7.1 points. Foster went down with a knee injury on Jan. 16 while playing against Houston and has not played since. He's missed nine games this year due to injury. When he plays the Mustangs are 8-3 and hold their opponents to 40.6 percent shooting.
 
"Our bench has got to be important with the type of program and the level of player that we can get," Cronin said. "We don't have three lottery picks. Our strength has to be in our numbers."

Cronin makes no apology for easing up during practice at this point in the season. He's learned over the years that it's more important to practice effectively than to run his players into the ground physically regardless of the enormity of the games coming up.

"We've got a lot to play for, but I want them to try to get better as an individual player," Cronin said. "I noticed it when I was coaching at Murray State. I just noticed our energy level vs. some of our opponents. You could just see that they thought their season was over. 

"The energy level, the excitement level is really important in college athletics. I enforce myself on that. We put 99 minutes on the clock, so the guys know when it hits zero, practice is over. My goal is to get a lot done before it hits zero. If you've got to beat each other up now, you didn't do your job in October and November."

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.