The Battle of Cincinnati - All Basketball, No Punches

Almost exactly a year removed from the infamous brawl between Cincinnati and Xavier, there was less than a 0% chance of anything close to that situation happening again in the yearly rivalry game between the teams separated by ~3 miles. Instead, we got what we expected - a hard fought game filled with passion and emotion accompanied by a raucous crowd.

After last year’s mess they decided to move the game to a neutral location (after alternating campuses for the last 25 years), splitting the tickets 50-50 amongst the schools and renaming the game from ‘Crosstown Shootout’ to ‘Crosstown Classic’ (to curtail the violence obviously).

The Bearcats eventually ran away with a 15 point win, but it likely would have been much closer if it wasn’t for two key injuries to the Musketeers. Their best player, freshman point guard Semaj Christon, missed almost all of the second half with a leg injury, and their only other significant contributor, sophomore guard Dee Davis, was constantly checking in and out as he dealt with cramps for most of the half.

Without Christon and Davis in the lineup, Xavier struggled mightily with Cincinnati’s full court pressure defense, turning the ball over a total of 15 times, most of them in the second half. There’s no telling how this game would have turned out had these injuries not happened, but Xavier was up by two at half, mostly due to their guard play.

Cincy on the other hand had a rough first half. Not only did it seem there was a lid on the basket, but they were unnecessarily settling for long-range shots. Coach Cronin described his team’s first half performance as a ‘complete debacle’ as they scored only 22 points.

The second half was better. They ran their offense and attacked the basket with authority. Mainly, it was Sean Kilpatrick having his was with his opponent. And it helped that Xavier couldn’t hit a free throw, finishing 2-13 from the line.

Some may discredit this win for the Bearcats using the continued argument that they’ve yet to beat a good team. But the fact of the matter is – this was a rivalry game (never easy no matter how up or down either team is for a given year), on a neutral court, and on national television. Cincy is the best rebounding team in the country, averaging 46.2 per game (whenever there is an offensive rebound opportunity, I always assume JaQuon Parker is going to come up with it), who plays excellent defense from end to end, and has an exceptional back court. They may not end up being in the top two or three of the Big East come the end of conference play, but they will come darn close to that - as they are 11-0 today for a reason.

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac

Big East Preview: #6 Cincinnati Bearcats

Previewing all 15 teams from #15 to #1 

By:  Shane McCarthy

After a seemingly out of nowhere run to the Big East Championship game and Sweet 16, Cincinnati will be looking for a repeat performance, and then some. However, they will have to do it without two important pieces from last year’s squad.

Who’s Back:

Sean Kilpatrick –G– Junior – 34.5 Min, 14.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.1 apg

Cashmere Wright –G– Senior – 31.2 Min, 10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.6 apg

JaQuon Parker –G– Senior – 26.6 Min, 9.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.3 apg

Justin Jackson –F– Junior – 21.1 Min, 5.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 apg

Ge’Lawn Guyn –G– Soph – 10.1 Min, 2.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.6 apg

Cheikh Mbodj –C– Senior – 9.7 Min, 1.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.1 apg

Jermaine Sanders –F– Soph – 8.5 Min, 1.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.5 apg

Kelvin Gaines –C– Soph – 8.5 Min, 0.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.1 apg

Jeremiah Davis III –G– Soph – 7.9 Min, 2.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.5 apg

Incoming Recruits:

Shaquille Thomas – [Small Forward] – 6 foot 6, 185

Rivals.com’s 81^st ranked player and 23^rd ranked Small Forward

He was redshirted last season

Incoming Transfers:

Titus Rubles – [Forward] – 6 foot 7, 207

A junior college transfer from Blinn College, Titus is a tall slashing-type player who will see the floor plenty this upcoming season.  He averaged 14.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg during the 2011-12 season, earning him a NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention. 

David Nyarsuk – [Center] – 7 foot 1, 230

Averaging 9.8 ppg and 8 rpg for Mountain State in the NAIA last year, David will immediately be available for the Bearcats this season.  His size will help replace that of Yancy Gates and he gives the team added depth to an already strong and deep front court.  “If he was a junior college player,” coach Mich Cronic said, “he’d have been the No. 1 player in the country.”  

Who’s Out:  Yancy Gates, Dion Dixon, Octavius Ellis

Overview:

The foundation of Cincinnati Bearcat basketball is built on defense.  Last season they allowed 61.5 points per game, 5th best in the conference.  They also ranked 3rd in the conference in turnover margin, with a +3.11 figure.

Expect the tenacious attack to continue, but I’m not sure they will have as much success without Yancy Gates holding down the middle.  Gates was a terrorizing force who could control the low-post on his lonesome and forced opponents to game plan around him.  He was lost to graduation and without an obvious replacement – the Bearcats may find it difficult to repeat last year’s performance.

Justin Jackson and Cheikh Mbodj are the returning candidates who are in position to benefit the most from the departure of Gates.  But neither has shown much in the past to justify a jump in production.

That is why it is going to have to be a collective effort.  The addition of junior college transfer Titus Rubles was a huge victory for the program.  Rubles, in conjunction with Jackson, Mbodj and Nyarsuk, should provide the size and athleticism to survive in the low-post in the Big East.  And it helps that JaQuon Parker is an extremely scrappy player who can hold his own down low, despite his size.

While questions remain about how the front court will look and what type of production we should expect, there are no such questions about the back court.  That back court is so skilled, that it allows Coach Cronin to go to a smaller lineup when needed.  Something they did from time to time last year, and a move they could go to more often this year.

Cashmere Wright, a senior, ran the point with great efficiency last year and finished with an assist-to-turnover ratio better than 2-to-1.  And Sean Kilpatrick, a junior, is one of the most lethal shooters in the nation.  This combo alone will give opposing teams headaches, and that’s not even accounting for Parker, Ge’Lawn Guyn, or Jeremiah Davis III. Cincinnati will also be welcoming redshirt freshman Shaq Thomas, who should be productive as he gets his feet wet.  The Big East has some talented back courts (i.e. Louisville and Notre Dame), but I don’t think Bearcats fans should feel at a disadvantage when matched up against any of them.

Cincinnati was very steady last year - they only lost back-to-back games once, a three game losing streak in late January.  But they never got the attention they deserved (outside the infamous brawl against Xavier) until they knocked off Syracuse to reach the Big East title game.  There is the obvious question about replacing Gates, but Cronin has done a great job of improving this team every year.  A similar season to last year’s, led by the back court seems reasonable.  But if the front court ends up surprising, advancing past the Sweet 16 is not out of the question.  

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac