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Friday, February 27, 2009

February 27, 2009


Last night in Cincinnati there were a lot of Huggs and Misses (Charleston Gazette) as Bob Huggins' Night Not One to Remember (Charleston Gazette) as West Virginia falls to UC, 65-61.

It was an Emotional Return for Huggins (Times West Virginian) who wiped tears from his eyes during a pregame video highlight tribute film to his career as the UC head coach, one which saw him become the winningest coach of the program's history. In the game, however, it was the Bearcats Who Made their Own Highlights (Cincinnati Enquirer) as Mick Cronin beat his former mentor and UC icon for the second consecutive season. It was a win UC simply had to have to keep their NCAA Tournament chances alive and they delivered by riding the back of freshman big man Yancy Gates, picking up the slack for injured starter Mike Williams, whose sprained knee could improve enough to have him back for a game at Syracuse on Sunday. Gates finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds and the Mountaineers had no answer for him when he got the ball on the block. He was 9-11 from the field. Deonta Vaughn added 13 points for the winners as UC Takes Down Huggins and WVU (Cincinnati Enquirer), improving to 18-7 in the Big East and 18-10 overall.

West Virginia fell to 8-7 in the Big East and into a tie in the standings with UC and Syracuse in Big East competition as the Mountaineers Waste an Opportunity Against the Bearcats (Daily Mail) to seperate themselves a little from the pack. They also lose an tie-breaker with both the Orange and Bearcats since they have lost to each of them.

The UC defense held the Mountaineers to just 34% shooting from the field in the game. Alex Ruoff led the Mountaineers with 18 points, but he was just 3-15 from the field and 2-11 from beyond the arc.

The Bearcats hit the road for games with Syracuse on Sunday and South Florida before wrapping up the Big East regular season at home against Seton Hall. Winning two of three should but them in a pretty good situation heading to the 2009 Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden the second week of March.

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

BEARCATS WELCOME BACK COACH HUGGINS, LOOK TO SEND HIM HOME WITH A LOSS

February 26, 2009


Although much of the attention in tonight's game between West Virginia and Cincinnati will focus on the return to UC by former coach Bob Huggins, this is a pivotal game for both schools. West Virginia is 19-8 overall on the season and 8-6 in Big East play, having won their last three games, beating Villanov, Notre Dame and Rutgers in succession. While everything looks good for WVU in terms of the NCAA Tournament, they can not afford to slump at the wrong time as the stretch run continues.

Cincinnati is is more dire need of wins. At 7-7 in the Big East and 17-10 overall, the Bearcats are fully on the bubble, most likely on the wrong side of it at the moment. They have a chance tonight, along with a game at Syracuse on Sunday, to pick up a quality win against a fellow NCAA Tournament-worthy opponent. They finish up against South Florida and Seton Hall, two games they will be expected to win, so finding a win in a game that will pad their resume is a must.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's match-up:

Huggs Returns to Cincinnati, Tribute Planned (kypost.com)
Ruoff Grew Up a Cincy Fan (Times West Virginian)
Bearcats Must Avoid Distractions (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Huggs Will Be 'Fine' for Cincy Game (Daily Mail)
Old Stomping Grounds (Charleston Gazette)
Homecoming 'Uncomfortable' for Huggins (Register-Herald)
Emotional Night in Store for Huggins (Charleston Gazette)
Cincinnati Game Means a lot to Huggins (Charleston Gazette)
Mountaineer Players Want to Win Next One for Huggins (Daily Mail)
Huggs Got their Best (Cincinnati Enquirer)

For 16 seasons, Bob Huggins roamed the sidelines as head coach of the University of Cincinnati. The last 14 of those seasons finished with a trip to the NCAA Tournament, including a run to the 1992 Final Four as 'Huggs' built a very loyal fan following. Since being pushed out as coach by UC president Nancy Zimpher, the fan support at UC has noticeably dwindled as the program, now headed by former Huggins' assistant Mick Cronin, has yet to make a NCAA Tournament appearance since he was exiled from the program.

Tonight, Huggins returns to Fifth Third Arena and will be brining in his new team, West Virginia, his alma mater, along with him in an attempt to come up with a win and make a return to the NCAA Tournament even more tougher for the Bearcats. Both teams have plenty to play for and motivation to get a key win tonight.

West Virginia's ability to defend and rebound the basketball make them a very worthy candidate to pick up key road wins in the Big East. Senior Alex Ruoff and junior Da'Sean Butler provide the scoring punch needed and make WVU a very dangerous team on both ends of the floor. However, the emerging threat of freshman Devin Ebanks could mean the Mountaineers still have their best basketball ahead of them this season.

The Bearcats have been getting deeper, stronger and more athletic, especially in the frontcourt, under Mick Cronin. In the process, they do resemble a team that Huggins might have coached in the past. While the talent level might not be up to the par as a whole of a Huggins coached UC team, the program is definitely moving in a positive direction, even if the crowd still yearns for the days of their former leader on the bench.

Cronin was a former UC assistant under Huggins and also served under Rick Pitino at Louisville. Last season, the Bearcats shocked both teams coached by Cronin's former mentors on the road. This year they have already lost to Louisville and in the emotional setting that tonight promises to be, they will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of their coach's former mentors.

Both teams will work hard defensively and on the boards, but it will likely be offense that is the key. West Virginia, a 4 1/2-point favorite, seems to have a couple more players with higher offensive potential. While UC will likely look to ride Deonta Vaughn's scoring tough, the WVU perimeter defense could be fairly successful in limiting his amount of free looks. If that is the case, UC will struggle in scoring.

I expect a very tight game, emotions and energy could be at a fever pitch, but in the end, Bob Huggins walks out as a winner in his return home.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 67
Cincinnati 64

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Saturday, February 21, 2009

CINCINNATI HOSTS LOUISVILLE, LOOKS FOR MARQUEE WIN

February 21, 2009


Another game with big NCAA Tournament implications is taking place in Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon when the Bearcats will welcome in Rick Pitino and Louisville. Mick Cronin will face his former mentor in a game UC will look to steal to but their NCAA Tournament chances in much better light.

After starting conference play 0-3, UC has won seven of their last 10 to move to 7-6 in the Big East and 17-9 overall. The Bearcats own a pair of wins over Georgetown and a win over Notre Dame, but two losses to Providence put them in a precarious situation. They have an advantage over PC with out of conference wins against a decent UAB and Mississippi State, but a road win over UNLV might be their strongest argument to date for inclusion in the tournament. That being said, there next three games with UL, West Virginia and Syracuse will likely decide their fate. They must win won and not slip up in their last two (at USF, vs SHU) in order to head to the Big East Tournament with a chance at a bid to the Dance.

While Louisville is safely in the NCAA Tournament at this point in the season, Rick Pitino knows this game is very important to both teams.

“Obviously we’re fighting for a Big East championship and they’re fighting for a shot in the NCAA Tournament,” Pitino said in this week’s coaches conference call.

Also, fresh in the minds of many Louisville players is the 58-57 loss the Cards suffered in the first game of the conference schedule last season, a loss they have certainly been reminded of this season.

It is a tough match-up for UC as the Cards will apply pressure all game long and could wear out UC star Deonta Vaughn. If Vaughn is unable to carry the load offensively, as well as the added ball-handling duties as the team’s point guard, it will be a long day for the Bearcats, even on their home floor.

The Louisville frontline also has a solid advantage with Terrence Williams, Earl Clark and Samardo Samuels, all strong NBA prospects. Look for that talent to overwhelm UC with the press and quick-strike scoring abaility.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 69
Cincinnati 62


Cards Prepping for Improved Cincinnati (SI.com)
Cards are Less Fashionable After Loss to Notre Dame (Courier-Journal)
Cronin: Losing is a Great Motivator (Courier-Journal)
A Nastier Gates Would be Pretty Nice for UC (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Playing in Reverse, Cards Move Forward (Courier-Journal)
Cards Wearing the No Frills Look Well (Courier-Journal)
Cincinnati’s Rebound Bears Cronin’s Stamp (Courier-Journal)

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

CINCINNATI STILL SEARCHING FOR SIGNATURE WIN, FALLS AT PITT

February 15, 2009

The Pittsburgh Panthers took care of business on Saturday afternoon, beating the Cincinnati Bearcats 85-69 at the Peterson Events Center. In doing so, Pitt matched a school record by shooting 67.4% from the field and guarantees that their meeting with UConn on Big Monday will be a battle of top 5 teams.

Pitt had five players in double figures, led by Sam Young's 18 points. DeJuan Blair added 17, Jermaine Dixon 14, Gilbert Brown 12 and Levance Fields added 11 points while orchestrating another flawless floor game, handing out 13 assists without turning the ball over. As a team, Pitt was credited with 21 assist on their 31 made field goals and had just six team turnovers.

While the Pitt defense allowed UC to shoot 52% themselves, Pitt did an excellent job on the two Bearcat stars, Deonta Vaughn and Yancy Gates. Vaughn was hounded by the JUCO transfer Dixon and sophomore guard Brad Wanamaker the entire game and finished with just nine points in 37 minutes. Gates was just 2-8 from the field, scoring 4 points in 28 minutes.

Pitt's 6'7 Blair, the nation's leading offensive rebounder, was quiet on the boards today as Cincinnati did a good job limiting second chance opportunities, of course, when a team missed just 15 shots the ENTIRE game, there aren't many rebounds available, so next time, Mick Cronin would probably prefer his players to make Pitt miss AND prevent the offensive rebounds.

UC had won seven of their last nine, but they have been desperately searching to a signature win that will impress the NCAA Tournament committee. Two wins over Georgetown and a win over Notre Dame do not have the same weight now as it did earlier this season. Home games with Louisville and West Virginia are up next and then a road trip to Syracuse, so they have a couple more opportunities to impress the selection committee.

Mike Williams scored 17 to lead UC and Larry Davis added 13.

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Friday, February 13, 2009

RIVER CITY SHOOTOUT: HOOPS STYLE!

February 14, 2009


On the football field, they call this one the River City Rivalry as Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, linked by the Ohio River, battle for possession of the River City Rivalry Trophy. Apparently ESPN believes this is a rivalry on the hardwood as well as the Panthers and Bearcats will meet in the Steel City at 4 PM for an ESPN televised clash during the Rivalry Week celebration.

Can you feel the excitement? While Pitt-WVU or UC-Xavier this is not, it is still a pivotal Big East conference game.

The Panthers are 9-2 in Big East play and 22-2 on the season and playing for NCAA Tournament seeding here on out. Pitt is coming off a 70-59 win over rival West Virginia on Monday night to kick off Rivalry Week and now will look to cap off the week against Cincinnati, ahead of the ‘Big Monday’ match-up against No. 1 Connecticut.

Before Pitt can begin thinking about UConn, they better have their full attention centered on Cincinnati as Mick Cronin’s club has won seven of their last nine games and are now 7-5 in the Big East and have their own thoughts of the NCAA Tournament.



Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:


Newcomers Giving Panthers Boost in 3’s (Post-Gazette)
Young Fueled by Brother’s Plight (Times Leader)
Guru’s Bracket Excludes UC (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Defense Still Part of Pitt’s Repertoire (Beaver County Times)
Pitt Focused on Cincinnati (Tribune Review)
Pitt Not Surprised by Cincinnati’s Success (Tribune Review)
Pitt Needs More Consistent Young on the Court (Post Gazette)

This is not a particularly good match-up for Cincinnati. While the Bearcats are deeper and bigger in the frontcourt than previous editions in the Big East, they really do not have any one area they stand out in over Pitt in their match-ups. While Deonta Vaughn torched the Panthers last season in the Pitt wins, he will see a variety of defenders coming at him and it happens to be their strongest defenders (Jermaine Dixon and Bran Wanamaker) that will be getting the call most often. The duo has more size and are likely to match up athletically with Vaughn, making it tough to believe Vaughn is going to be able to beat Pitt by himself.

The other way UC can try and beat Pitt is by getting DeJuan Blair in foul trouble. While it worked on Monday for WVU, getting Blair in foul trouble, Pitt seemed more comfortable playing without the big ‘fella’ than they did in the past and won by double digits over a good WVU team with Blair playing just 16 minutes.

Pittsburgh really is beginning to look like a team that potentially has any answer for any type of team. While they will still be susceptible to foul trouble on Blair, they can still get by with senior forwards Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young logging the minutes in the frontcourt. If Blair is not in foul trouble, nobody has really been able to challenge Pitt this season. In their two losses (at Louisville and at Villanova) and their closest wins (by 8 at Florida State, by 6 at Rutgers and by 11 vs. WVU), Blair averaged just 18 minutes and seven points and 8 rebounds, well below his season averages (15 points, 12.6 rebounds and 26 minutes). In the other 19 contests, nobody has come within 12 points of beating the Panthers. Sure, tougher tests may lie ahead to challenge that theory, like Monday night, but in this one, it is likely to follow the same pattern.

Still, expect a spirited effort from UC and Pitt possibly looking ahead just a bit. But, as Levance Fields gets control of the game and Blair and Young start to do their thing, Pitt will pull away.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

Pittsburgh 74
Cincinnati 61

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

UC NEEDS TO SUPPORT CURRENT COACH & PLAYERS

February 11, 2009


by Ray Mernagh


It's not Mick Cronin's fault that Nancy Zimpher fired Bob Huggins as the basketball coach at Cincinnati back in August of 2005. None of the current players had anything to do with it either. In fact, both Cronin and his players are too busy trying, finally, to make good on their first real chance at an NCAA Tournament berth since Cronin took over the program. Cronin accepted the job in March of 2006 after leading Murray State to two NCAA Tournaments in his three years there -- compiling a 69-24 record while in charge of the perennial Ohio Valley Conference power. Why some in Cincinnati are still upset with the Huggins firing is somewhat understandable, given the love for Huggins there (think Pete Rose-like adulation). But to use that bitterness as a reason not to support native son Cronin and the Bearcats program is petty.

With yesterday's news that Zimpher will be leaving the Queen City to take over the reigns of the SUNY system, the largest state university system in the country that has 64 campuses across New York, it seems like now is the perfect time for closure. Cincinnati plans to honor Huggins, a mentor of Cronin's who gave the young coach his start in the D-1 game, when West Virginia visits Cincinnati later this month. Honoring Huggins is fine. He's a legendary figure in Cincinnati lore, having turned the ravaged program he inherited from Tony Yates in 1989 into a huge winner. He deserves to be recognized for what he accomplished, especially if honoring Hugs will allow the Bearcat Nation to move on and finally embrace native son Cronin and the job he's doing.

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The only situation even comparable to the one Cronin stepped into at Cincinnati is the one currently happening at Indiana. Tom Crean, after cleaning house and watching Jordan Crawford transfer to Xavier, had no returning scholarship players. When Cronin began his first season at Cincinnati, he had one scholarship player returning -- on a team expected to compete in the Big East. Not an easy gig. Yet some fans of Cincinnati basketball still consider Cronin a traitor. You see, Cronin left Huggins' staff to be Rick Pitino's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisville in 2001. Yes, Louisville was a huge rival of Cincinnati in Conference USA, but holding the move against Cronin, especially now, is nuts. Because when you look at it with the 20/20 vision that hindsight provides, Cronin not only made the right decision for his career at the time, but ultimately, the right decision for the future health of the Cincinnati basketball program.

Cronin was a recruiting beast as an assistant under Huggins. He was the lead recruiter on five Bearcats who went on to be NBA draft picks: Steve Logan, two-time Conference USA Player of the Year (Golden State); DerMarr Johnson, Parade Magazine National Prep Player of the Year and C-USA Freshman of the Year (Atlanta); Pete Mickeal, a junior college national player of the year selection (Dallas); Kenny Satterfield, a McDonald's All-American (Dallas); and Jason Maxiell (Detroit). Cronin helped deliver recruiting classes ranked in the top-five nationally in two of his last three seasons and another that was ranked in the top-ten. His work helped UC compile a 108-26 record, capture five regular season titles in Conference USA, plus two conference tournament titles.

So Cronin's move, while upsetting to Huggins and UC fans at the time, wasn't traitorous. He'd repaid any debt to Huggins for making him an assistant coach in the first place by doing such a monster job on the recruiting trail. Cronin showed keen insight and intelligence for making the move when he did. Rumors were swirling at the time that Huggins wasn't long for Cincinnati, plus Cronin felt he'd never have a shot to be a head coach -- especially in his hometown -- if he didn't go somewhere else and have success first. When Pitino called, as hard as it was for Cronin to leave, the choice to get in that car and head to the 'Ville was a no-brainer. Being on Pitino's staff was, and is, a gateway to a head job in D-1 basketball. That's exactly what Pitino used to sell Cronin on the move. It turned out exactly the way Pitino pitched it.

Cronin delivered for Pitino -- and in turn -- Pitino delivered for Cronin. Cronin was hired by Murray State in 2003 and had the aforementioned success. When his dream job came open following his third season at Murray State, Cronin's success made him a viable candidate, and more importantly, he was ready for the job.

Now in his third year, Cronin has implemented the toughness he learned under Huggins into the program, while steadily acquiring the kind of talent needed to compete in the Belly of the Beast. The Bearcats stand at 16-8 and 6-5 in the Big East going into their game with St John's this evening. They look to be on track for 20 or 21 wins and certainly are in the discussion for a bid to the NCAA's.

None of that would be possible if Cronin had stayed eight years ago.

Huggins is gone, coaching a conference rival in what he calls his dream job. Zimpher is on the way out the door.

Cronin is back home where he belongs. UC fans should be thankful for that.
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Ray Mernagh is the Basketball Editor for the Pittsburgh Sports Report and writes for Basketball Times as well as his own blog, Hoop Wise. Ray's first book, 1 Chance 2 Dance: A Season Inside Mid-Major Hoops in Mid-America, focuses on 18 months of MAC basketball.
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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN'S @ CINCINNATI

February 11, 2009


With a daunting four-game stretch right around the corner, the surging Cincinnati Bearcats can not afford a mis-step tonigh when they host St. John's in Fifth Third Arena at 7:30 PM. UC has won four of their last five and six of their last eight, including a sweep of Georgetown and a win over Notre Dame at US Bank Arena last week to pull them abover .500 in conference play at 6-5.

St. John's continues to scuffle along in the Big East under Norm Roberts. While injuries have hit a young Redstorm squad quite hard, SJU is 3-8 in the Big East and the amount of 'winable' conference games are dwindling with the schedule ahead. SJU is coming off a solid defensive effort against Louisville, before the Cards pulled away at the end for a 60-47 decision.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's game:

A Solid Building Block (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Looking ahead, after tonight's contest, Mick Cronin's squad will travel to Pittsburgh this weekend to start a stretch that also includes games with Louisville and West Virginia, at home, and then a trip to Syracuse. They can ill-afford to drop a game tonight as they have clawed their way back into the NCAA Tournament mix and have positioned themselves that finding a way to win three of these next five puts them in a real position to finish 11-7 in the Big East. While that is definitely getting ahead of ourselves, it shows how important this game is.

UC is led by guard Deonta Vaughn who iasked to carry the bulk of the scoring load as well as the ball-handling chores of the club. He has been getting offensive support in the frontcourt from Mike Williams and Yancy Gates, who was the top freshman in the Big East last week. Sophomore guard Larry Davis has also stepped up his scoring, which is a big key to UC's chances of success as it takes some pressure off of Vaughn.

These two teams met back on January 22nd and UC rallied from a double-digit deficit to post a 71-60 win. The game got really chippy as DJ Kennedy and Rashad Bishop were both ejected after earning a pair of double technicals for continued jawing after a brief altercation. SJU was already without point guard Malik Boothe and forward Rob Thomas because of injuries and the loss of Kennedy was too much for them to take down the stretch as UC ran past them in the last 10 minutes for the win.

Boothe is back and Thomas is also healthier, so if Kennedy can contain his emotions and if Paris Horne can rebound from his horrendous shooting effort against Louisville, SJU matches up pretty well with UC.

The Bearcats are a 9 1/2-point favorite in tonight's game, but look for both teams to defend very well, keeping this a relatively low-scoring affair. I liked how SJU competed in the first game until their lack of depth caught up to them, I think they will compete again tonight with the motivation from the previous game on their minds. However, Vaughn is the best player on the court and provides enough offense for UC to get the important win heading into their tough stretch.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Cincinnati 64
St. John's 59

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Saturday, February 07, 2009

CINCINNATI EDGES HOYAS IN OT ON THE ROAD

February 7, 2009


The way Georgetown started off conference play, with a win at UConn, nobody foreshadowed the fall that has occurred the past few weeks. Saturday might have been rock bottom as Cincinnati finished off a sweep with a 64-62 overtime win at Georgetown.

The Ice Cold Hoyas Continue to Skip (Washington Post), now losing six of their last seven and find themselves at 4-7 in the Big East.

UC Beats Georgetown in OT (Cincinnati Enquirer), despite not making a field goal in the extra session. The Bearcats scored all five of their OT points from the line. Georgetown missed all eight of thier field goal attempts in OT, including Austin Freeman's attempted three-pointer to win at the buzzer.

Deonta Vaughn had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead UC while Mike Williams, Larry Davis and Yancy Gates each scored 11. Cincinnati is 6-5 in the Big East and have won six of their last eight games.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI TRAVELS TO GEARGETOWN

February 7, 2009


Georgetown finally tasted victory again on Tuesday night with a 57-47 home victory over Rutgers. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Hoyas who saw their record plummet to 3-6 in the Big East before picking up the much-needed win.

One of those five losses came on the road at the hands of Cincinnati, 65-57, just 10 days ago. Now, the Hoyas will look to even things up by beating the Bearcats at the Verizon Center. UC is coming off an impressive 93-83 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night, evening their Big East record at 5-5, one game better than the Hoyas.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

Back on Track: Georgetown’s Sapp Eager to Lead (Washington Post)

In their earlier meeting, Cincinnati got a game-high 20 points from junior Deonta Vaughn, out-rebounded the Hoyas 36-31 and held them to 40% shooting in a 65-57 victory. Georgetown’s leading scorer DaJuan Summers played just 13 minutes in the game and did not return to the floor after spraining an ankle late in the 1st half with the Hoyas leading. He is healthy now and scored 22 points in their game at Marquette just a few days later.

Georgetown’s biggest problems, aside from the loss to Marquette, have been on the offensive side of the ball in their recent slump. They have scored 60 or less four times in the last six games and in their three consecutive losses to WVU, Seton Hall and Cincy, they were a dismal 10 of 55 from three-point range. The UC and SHU were close games and they shot themselves out of it from beyond the arc, going 8-39 in the two losses.

Losing their point guard and leading scorer from last year’s team has stripped much of the consistency of the Hoya offense. John Thompson III runs an intricate system based on the Princeton offense and this year’s team has had trouble finding the efficient harmony that the offense promotes against Big East competition. They also miss last year’s size and toughness that Roy Hibbert, Patrick Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin could provide as they are routinely out-rebounded and out-toughed in the paint.

Cincinnati is a pretty sizeable challenge with a frontline of Mike Williams (6’7, 235), Yancy Gates (6’9, 255), Steven Toyloy (6’8, 255) and Anthony McClain (6’11, 245) rotating up front. Vaughn provides much of the scoring, and is coming off a season-high 34-point performance in the win over Notre Dame. The offense goes through Vaughn, who doubles as the team’s point guard, and he will be the area of concentration for the Hoya defense.

This is unlikely to be a very pretty game. Both teams need the win for their NCAA Tournament hopes and expect the defensive effort and intensity to pick up considerably down the stretch in conference action. If Georgetown can find anyone to knock down some shots, and they have players like Jesse Sapp, Summers, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman who are capable of doing so, they should be able to win this game.

Cincinnati will defend and hit the boards, which will give them a chance to win, but in the end, look for the home team to escape with a win, keeping their season alive.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
Cincinnati 60

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Thursday, February 05, 2009

BEARCATS CLAW IRISH IN BIG EAST ACTION

February 5, 2009


So with their season most likely on the line last night against Cincinnati, how does Notre Dame respond to the challenge? By giving up 93 points for the second consecutive game as the Bearcats Deep-Six ND (South Bend Tribune), dropping them to 3-7 in the Big East.

The Bearcats Shock Irish, Extend Losing Streak to Six (Journal Gazette) as junior Deonta Vaughn scored 34 points while just making five (all three's) shots from the floor. Vaughn was 19-22 from the line and as a team UC was 31-41.

Larry Davis added 21 points and Yancy Gates had 15 points and 8 rebounds as UC Takes Down Irish (Cincinnati Enquirer) at US Bank Arena in Downtown Cincinnati and even their conference mark at 5-5.

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Wednesday, February 04, 2009

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI LOOKS TO EXTEND IRISH SLIDE

February 4, 2009


Notre Dame looks to snap their five-game losing streak when they hit the road once again to take on Cincinnati. Over the weekend, ND played just down the Ohio River in Pittsburgh and saw an early 10-point lead behind some hot three-point shooting evaporate as the Panthers ran them out of town, 93-80. The Irish now sit at 3-6 in the Big East and in serious jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament if they do not turn thing around VERY quickly.

Cincinnati had won four of five, including a home game with Georgetown, and were looking to begin to push their way onto the NCAA bubble when they traveled to meet Villanova on Sunday. The result was not pretty as the 'Nova defense was turned up in the second half and the Bearcats went down, 71-50, and fell to 4-5 in the Big East.


Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the web:

Irish Come Skidding into Town (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Harangody Needs Some Help on Offense (Gary Post Tribune)
Irish in Dire Need of a Victory (Journal Gazette)
Notre Dame Knows it is Now or Never (Chicago Tribune)
Time Running Out on Irish Season (South Bend Tribune)


We all know that Notre Dame has lost five games in a row and, out in cyberspace, panic has set in among the Irish faithful and fueled by those looking to stir the pot. However, closer in spection of those losses reveals that four of them have come at the hands of teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the country and the other was to #20 Syracuse on the road (when they were ranked in the top 10). So, what we have probably learned is that the Irish are NOT a top-10 team. Now, we shoudl be able to really see what they have. Their recent 5 game slide is probably a slide that 90% of the Division 1-A teams in America would also be on with those five games.

That is not to say there are not some alarming traits with this club. Obviously, their defense is as spotty as it comes. In their three road losses during the slide, they have given up an average of 91 points a game! Their rebounding outside of Luke Harangody has been non-existent. Luke Zeller, the starting power forward who stands at 6'11, had what amounted to a season's-best game against Pitt on Saturday, draining six threes and scoring 18 points in 21 minutes. However, Zeller did not grab a single rebound or block a single shot. Pitt's 6'3 guard Jermaine Dixon had 5 rebounds and was able to register a blocked shot. Also, Kyle McAlarney is just nine of 38 from the field in the last three games, including seven of 23 from 3-pt range. Since nobody has stepped up on the perimeter consistently, teams have gone all out to shut down McAlarney. While Luke Harangody is still getting his points, averaging 26.6 in the five losses, he has taken 116 shots, over 23 a game, to do so. Not very efficient.

When Cincinnati began with three straight losses to start conference play, it was their defense that was letting them down. Two of those losses came at home as they were being blitzed from beyond the arc. Notre Dame will have to hope that porous defense returns tonight.

The Bearcats have made improvements defensively, but they still have not really been tested in that regard. Their best win was over a slumping Georgetown team and this game will be played at the US Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati, not their normal on campus home at Fifth Third Arena in the Shoemaker Center.

Deonta Vaughn is still the one to make UC go, they have been getting more help from the supporting cast, including Yancy Gates and Mike Williams, but it has not been as consistent as they had hoped to this point.

The early NCAA basketball betting odds have the Irish as a 3 1/2-point road favorite. At first, that was a little bit of a surprise. Looking closely at the game, seeing it is at US Bank and the schedule the Irish have faced, we think they do come out and put things together for a nice win tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Notre Dame 75
Cincinnati 68

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Sunday, February 01, 2009

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCY MEETS 'NOVA IN PHILLY

February 1, 2009


Villanova will look to follow-up Wednesday night’s emotional victory over No. 3 Pittsburgh in the Spectrum finale as they welcome surging Cincinnati to the Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The Bearcats are also coming off a big win as the knocked off Georgetown on their home floor Wednesday.

One Wednesday night, Villanova pulled the energy from the 17,000+ fans gathered for the final college basketball game at the Spectrum and some timely foul trouble on DeJuan Blair to gain control and then their defense did the rest as the Wildcats knocked off Pitt. It was the first significant in for Jay Wright’s squad this season.

The same can be said for Cincinnati, although Georgetown has been in a freefall of late. Still, the Bearcats came through with a win that still holds some weight on their resume and have won four of their last five after starting conference play 0-3.

The Bearcats are led by junior guard Deonta Vaughn, who is averaging a team-high 15.6 points a game. The emergence of Texas transfer Mike Williams, who also missed last season to an injury, has also keyed their recent run. Williams is averaging 10.2 points a game on the season, but that number is up to 14.8 in the last seven contests. The 6-foot-7 Williams also teams with 6-foot-9 frosh Yancy Gates (10 points/game), 6-foot-8 JUCO transfer Stephen Toyloy and 6-foot-11 sophomore Anthony McClain to give Mick Cronin’s team a much deeper frontcourt than his previous UC clubs.

Villanova is led by 6-foot-8 senior Dante Cunningham, who is enjoying a breakout season. The big forward averages team highs in scoring (16.5), rebounding (7.1), blocks (1.4) and steals (1.7). Junior Scottie Reynolds also adds his normal scoring punch, averaging 14.5 points a game and a team-high 4.2 assists a game. Reynolds also shows he can still carry the club, evidenced by his 40-point outburst in an OT win over Seton Hall earlier.

The oddsmakers have Villanova as an 11 ½-point favorite. The number seems slightly generous with the Wildcats prone to a letdown as they are in the midst of a very tough stretch of games and this being a follow-up to the Pitt win. UC is prone to some offensive slumps and the Villanova defense is strong, especially on the perimeter, where they will make it tough on Vaughn, but the UC size could keep this one pretty close throughout.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Villanova 69
Cincinnati 60

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