TicketsWICHITA STATE (12-11, 5-6) AT CINCINNATI (20-4, 9-2)
Sunday, Feb. 17 // 1 p.m. (ET)
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 33rd meeting; Cincinnati leads 20-12 overall;
Cincinnati leads 11-4 at home and 9-8 in Wichita, Kan.
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 66-55 on Jan. 19, 2019
at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
STREAK: Cincinnati - 2
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (288-144); 16th season overall (357-168)
Gregg Marshall is in his 12th season at Wichita State (297-109); 21st season overall (491-192)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (FEB. 11): Cincinnati (RV/RV); Wichita State (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN; Mike Corey provides play-by-play with color analyst Seth Greenberg
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Since the start of the 2016-17 season the University of Cincinnati basketball team has suffered only one two-game losing streak while compiling an 81-15 record.
That losing streak occurred on Feb. 15 and Feb. 18 of last year when the Bearcats saw their 16-game winning streak come to an end with a 67-62 loss at Houston. Four days later, Wichita State ended UC's 39-game home winning streak with a 76-72 win over the Bearcats at BB&T Arena.
A year later, the circumstances are similar. The Bearcats again are coming off a loss at 12th-ranked Houston, this time by a score 65-58, this time ending their eight-game winning streak. And they'll face Wichita State at 1 p.m. Sunday looking to continue a Fifth Third Arena league winning streak of 23.
"You would hope that the loss (at Houston) is in their mind and they're thinking that they're not losing two in a row," said UC coach Mick Cronin. "You hope your veteran guys are like, we don't lose two in a row, especially around here."
UC, looking to become the first Bearcat team to win back-to-back conference titles since 2001 and 2002 in Conference USA, are 20-4 overall, 9-2 in the American Athletic Conference. Wichita State, suffering through a rebuilding year with a 12-11 overall record, 5-6 in the league, has won four in a row over SMU, Tulsa, East Carolina and Tulane. All except the ECU game were played in Wichita.
The Bearcats, who own a 20-12 series edge over Wichita State, knocked off the Shockers, 66-55, at Wichita on Jan. 19. Cronin said WSU was still finding its way back then as it adjusted to the loss of its top four scorers from last season.
"They're playing with a lot more confidence now," Cronin said of Wichita State. "They look like a much more cohesive, confident team."
UC, which led by only one point at halftime of that game, made 25 of 35 free throws in that game compared with five of seven for the Shockers. They took advantage of technical fouls against Eric Stevenson and Wichita State head coach Greg Marshall to pull away, increasing a 51-46 lead to 56-46 with 5:31 left.
There's little doubt that Marshall will use that game – and the way the Bearcats won – as motivation for the rematch.
"I've always been a big believer that the advantage is to the team that lost the first time because the coach doesn't have to convince his players that we've got to play really, really well to beat them because they know it because they lost," Cronin said. "It's on the winning coach to say, 'Hey, we can't forget how hard we had to play to beat them. It's not going to be easy to beat them.' That's always been the challenge of conference play."
Sunday's game will feature the top two scorers in the American. UC's Jarron Cumberland leads the league with 19.0 points per game, followed by Wichita State's Markis McDuffie, who averages 18.9. With 1,162 points, Cumberland has passed former All-American Tom Thacker (1961-63) for 34th on the school's career scoring list. Next up is Rick Roberson (1967-69) with 1,196 points.
The Bearcats enter the Wichita State game in a free throw shooting slump. They made only six of 11 at Houston after going 12 for 22 in their Feb. 7 win at Memphis. They've shot 69.5 percent from the line for the season, leaving them sixth in the league, just below the Shockers' 70 percent.
Cronin said at least part of the problem is a lack of experience at the free throw line for certain players with the game on the line and cited junior center Nysier Brooks as an example. Brooks is in his first year as a starter and is still adjusting to being at the line in such situations. He was one for four against Houston.
"I'm doing everything I can to get him to just focus on his routine, not the fact that it's a big game," Cronin said. "You've got to focus on the routine and know that if I bend my knees and get it over the front of the rim, it's going to roll in.
"It's very clear that he's nervous. You've got to do what you can to get a guy mentally to where he realizes his body language is saying, oh my gosh, I know this is a big shot instead of just focusing on his routine. The only thing that can help a guy with that is experience, that over time he'll get calmer in those situations."
By the time the UC players take the floor to face Wichita State, a full week will have passed since they lost to Houston. According to sophomore guard Keith Williams, they've adopted the attitude that they need to learn from the loss and move on. There's no need to let it simmer. That's how teams end up with long losing streaks.
"We can't worry about the past," Williams said. "We just have to play them again on the 10th next month. It was a close game. There were a few things we could have done better, but unfortunately we came up short."
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.
Sunday, Feb. 17 // 1 p.m. (ET)
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 33rd meeting; Cincinnati leads 20-12 overall;
Cincinnati leads 11-4 at home and 9-8 in Wichita, Kan.
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 66-55 on Jan. 19, 2019
at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
STREAK: Cincinnati - 2
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (288-144); 16th season overall (357-168)
Gregg Marshall is in his 12th season at Wichita State (297-109); 21st season overall (491-192)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (FEB. 11): Cincinnati (RV/RV); Wichita State (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: ESPN; Mike Corey provides play-by-play with color analyst Seth Greenberg
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Since the start of the 2016-17 season the University of Cincinnati basketball team has suffered only one two-game losing streak while compiling an 81-15 record.
That losing streak occurred on Feb. 15 and Feb. 18 of last year when the Bearcats saw their 16-game winning streak come to an end with a 67-62 loss at Houston. Four days later, Wichita State ended UC's 39-game home winning streak with a 76-72 win over the Bearcats at BB&T Arena.
A year later, the circumstances are similar. The Bearcats again are coming off a loss at 12th-ranked Houston, this time by a score 65-58, this time ending their eight-game winning streak. And they'll face Wichita State at 1 p.m. Sunday looking to continue a Fifth Third Arena league winning streak of 23.
"You would hope that the loss (at Houston) is in their mind and they're thinking that they're not losing two in a row," said UC coach Mick Cronin. "You hope your veteran guys are like, we don't lose two in a row, especially around here."
UC, looking to become the first Bearcat team to win back-to-back conference titles since 2001 and 2002 in Conference USA, are 20-4 overall, 9-2 in the American Athletic Conference. Wichita State, suffering through a rebuilding year with a 12-11 overall record, 5-6 in the league, has won four in a row over SMU, Tulsa, East Carolina and Tulane. All except the ECU game were played in Wichita.
The Bearcats, who own a 20-12 series edge over Wichita State, knocked off the Shockers, 66-55, at Wichita on Jan. 19. Cronin said WSU was still finding its way back then as it adjusted to the loss of its top four scorers from last season.
"They're playing with a lot more confidence now," Cronin said of Wichita State. "They look like a much more cohesive, confident team."
UC, which led by only one point at halftime of that game, made 25 of 35 free throws in that game compared with five of seven for the Shockers. They took advantage of technical fouls against Eric Stevenson and Wichita State head coach Greg Marshall to pull away, increasing a 51-46 lead to 56-46 with 5:31 left.
There's little doubt that Marshall will use that game – and the way the Bearcats won – as motivation for the rematch.
"I've always been a big believer that the advantage is to the team that lost the first time because the coach doesn't have to convince his players that we've got to play really, really well to beat them because they know it because they lost," Cronin said. "It's on the winning coach to say, 'Hey, we can't forget how hard we had to play to beat them. It's not going to be easy to beat them.' That's always been the challenge of conference play."
Sunday's game will feature the top two scorers in the American. UC's Jarron Cumberland leads the league with 19.0 points per game, followed by Wichita State's Markis McDuffie, who averages 18.9. With 1,162 points, Cumberland has passed former All-American Tom Thacker (1961-63) for 34th on the school's career scoring list. Next up is Rick Roberson (1967-69) with 1,196 points.
The Bearcats enter the Wichita State game in a free throw shooting slump. They made only six of 11 at Houston after going 12 for 22 in their Feb. 7 win at Memphis. They've shot 69.5 percent from the line for the season, leaving them sixth in the league, just below the Shockers' 70 percent.
Cronin said at least part of the problem is a lack of experience at the free throw line for certain players with the game on the line and cited junior center Nysier Brooks as an example. Brooks is in his first year as a starter and is still adjusting to being at the line in such situations. He was one for four against Houston.
"I'm doing everything I can to get him to just focus on his routine, not the fact that it's a big game," Cronin said. "You've got to focus on the routine and know that if I bend my knees and get it over the front of the rim, it's going to roll in.
"It's very clear that he's nervous. You've got to do what you can to get a guy mentally to where he realizes his body language is saying, oh my gosh, I know this is a big shot instead of just focusing on his routine. The only thing that can help a guy with that is experience, that over time he'll get calmer in those situations."
By the time the UC players take the floor to face Wichita State, a full week will have passed since they lost to Houston. According to sophomore guard Keith Williams, they've adopted the attitude that they need to learn from the loss and move on. There's no need to let it simmer. That's how teams end up with long losing streaks.
"We can't worry about the past," Williams said. "We just have to play them again on the 10th next month. It was a close game. There were a few things we could have done better, but unfortunately we came up short."
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.