Bearcats Breakdown: Dion Dixon

I sense your surprise. Why isn't the next logical person from Bearcats Breakdown Yancy Gates? I'll tell you why. It's because Saturday, I found out that my best friend Dion Dixon was on twitter. He's @DDixon3. He can't have any idea that this Cincinnati Bearcats blog shows him so much love, so I think all of you out there with twitter should tweet him and let him know. You should also follow the blog on twitter. That plug was shameful. What's not shameful was the performance of Dion Dixon this season. Let's take a look at how #3 performed in his sophomore year.

Scoring

Dion Dixon averaged 4.8 points a game this season. That's 2.5 points lower than his freshman year average of 7.2. That can be racked up to the fact he played 6 less minutes per game this season. He was banged up a little, but also fell out of favor in the rotation. Last season, he didn't have a game where he didn't play 10 minutes, this year, he had 9, not including 2 that he missed. He was on the court 54% of UC possessions, to 36%. Dixon's use of possessions grew slightly. Dion's effectiveness didn't translate, as his offensive rating plummeted from 104.3 to 97.1. His effective FG% fell from 45 to 39, and his true shooting % from 48 to 45. A huge part of that was his horrible 3 point shooting. After being bad, 36-118, 30%, his freshman year, he was 14-65, 21% this season. Dixon was 54-154, 35% overall, and missing that many shots really killed the percentage. He was 76-204, 36% his freshman year. One thing that got much better was his foul shooting. Dixon shot 39-52, 75%, up from 66.7%. His free throw rate, the rate at which he got to the line, stayed the same. Dixon got nearly 50% of his points from inside the arch, an amazing number for a shooting guard.

Dixon had a few good offensive performances this season. He put up 15 on 6-11 shooting in 22 minutes against Lipscomb. He was the only offensive player to show up at UAB when he scored a team high 13. He had 13 two more times, in wins over Cal St Bakersfield and Texas Southern. Dixon came up big with 12 in the Vanderbilt win in Maui, and 12 in the loss to Marquette. Most of the time when Dion Dixon scored, UC won. The Texas Southern win featured his best shooting game, 5-7. He got to the line 6 times against Winthrop, making 5, his best of the season. His best 3 point shooting game would be the 3 of 4 against Marquette, but he was also 3 of 5 against CS Bakersfield. Dixon is probably remembered more for the shots he missed though. In double overtime of the Xavier game, Dixon bricked an open 3 that would have given UC the lead. In the first Louisville game, he squashed a UC rally by taking a horribly ill advised triple. Believe it or not, those were the only 2 threes he took in those games. The last one to come to mind, is the brick display he put on against Gonzaga, when he was 1-6 and seemed to be forcing shots all night.

Rebounding

Dion Dixon was not a great rebounder this season, averaging 2 a game. He averaged 0.8 offensive boards, 5.9% of UC's offensive rebounds, and 1.18 defensive boards, 8.4%. All of those are down a percentage from last year. Some of that has to do with minutes yes, but some of it has to do with Dixon not being tenacious going to the glass. Did you know in his freshman season, there were 6 games total where he had 0 offensive rebounds. This year, he had offensive rebounds in only 16 games. Most of those came in a 2 week span. He had 8 games last season with 0 defensive rebounds, and 11 this year. He had 8 games with 0 rebounds this season, and he had 0 games with 0 rebounds his freshman year. I'm sure some of this had to be because he played out on the wing more, but rebounds are about wanting the ball, and I don't think Dixon wanted it as much.

Dixon's best rebounding games game in Maui. He pulled down 10 rebounds against Vanderbilt, 7 defensive. That ties a career high, and is a career high. It seemed every one of his offensive rebounds were huge in that game. Dixon had 5 boards against Maryland, 4 offensive, a season high. Dion pulled down 5 in the victory over Notre Dame. He had 4 twice, against Weber State, and against Miami. Interesting to note all of those were UC victories. When Dion Dixon rebounded, UC won.

Assists

Dion Dixon had 36 assists this season, down from 44. He had 1.01 a game. But, the percent of Cincinnati assists he had was up to 13%. Mainly because Cincinnati was a horrible passing team. He had 4 assists against UConn and CS Baker, showing when Dion Dixon passed the ball, UC won.

Other

Dixon had 16 steals this season, matching his output from his freshman year. He had 2 steals in games against UConn, Prairie View, Winthrop and Marquette. Dixon blocked 2 shots, against Vandy and UAB. Dixon turned the ball over 30 times, accounting for 17% of the UC turnovers. His assist to turnover ratio was 1.2. Dixon had a couple of games where it seemed all he did was turn the ball over, Providence, and Seton Hall.
Don't know how this slipped my mind, but Dion Dixon  had the most memorable UC turnover of the season. With the score tied, Dixon pulled a Charles Williams on a late inbound against West Virginia, setting the stage for Da'Sean Butler's ice cold three. Dixon shouldn't have been in the game in my book (book coming soon), and it really killed me that he committed the big gaff.

Overview
Dion Dixon didn't have the greatest of sophomore seasons. It could be seen as a slight regression, or it could be seen as him not improving. Either way, that's not great. Dixon fell victim to the log jam at guard. He couldn't get minutes over Cash, Vaughn or Lance, and once Ibrahima Thomas stepped in, Rashad Bishop played at the 3 giving UC a big line up. Jaquan Parker taking a big step at the end of the year also hurt Dixon. Like Larry Davis, Dixon's shooting stroke really hurt his production. Unlike Davis, Dixon wasn't a great shooter and he got worse. I believe that he will turn things around. I think his junior year is going to be the breakout one for Dion Dixon. I have to believe that though, because he's my best friend.

West Virginia 54 Cincinnati 51 (With Video)

(Craig Ruttle)

In a game that instantly makes the worst losses I remember list, West Virginia got a bank shot buzzer beater from 1st team All Big East selection Da'Sean Butler to knock the Bearcats out of the Big East Tournament. Cincinnati is off to the NIT or something, but god damn were they fun to watch the past 3 days. Cincinnati played their hearts, doing nearly all that it took to pull off their second upset. Unfortunately, Cincinnati has yet another Big East Tournament highlight of someone hitting a 3 on them at the buzzer. That was because of Dion Dixon pulling a Charles Williams and losing the ball out of bounds with 3 seconds left. I know that my best friend feels terrible about it, but that's the type of play that is going to hound him for a while. Not forever like Charles Williams because it wasn't against Xavier, but for a long time. Keep your chin up 3. Let's get to the recap. There are video highlights at the bottom if you want to vomit. 

The game started off terribly for the Bearcats. Kevin Jones made a bucket inside, Devin Ebanks scored and drew a foul, but missed the free throw, and Ebanks made a twisting, falling shot with his ass nearly on the ground with a foul, that he made around 1 Lance Stephenson free throw for a 7-1 lead. Dion Dixon drew a foul and knocked down both shots, but Jones came right back with another jumper. Da'Sean Butler netted one after the under 16, followed by a Wellington Smith put back for a 13-3 lead. Cincinnati called a timeout, and out of the break, they got another made free throw from Darnell Wilks on a good look for Larry Davis. Kevin Jones came back down and hit a turnaround over Dixon, Dixon had a pass deflected leading to a WVU break, with Ebanks getting fouled and making both, followed by a Butler jumper for an 18-4 lead. Cincinnati was 0-10 from the field. They scored their first field goal at 9:17 on a Stephenson lay up. That lay up started a run. Deonta Vaughn hit a 3 to cut the lead in half, Lance scored on a tip, and followed that with a lay up for a 9-0 run. Butler broke the run with a 3, but Vaughn got it back for Cincinnati. The Bearcats continued chipping at the lead with a Ibrahima Thomas put back, and a vicious dunk for Darnell Wilks from Cash on a 4 on 1 break. Casey Mitchell made a jump shot to try and stem momentum, but Larry Davis, Larry Davis!, hit a 3 from the left wing to tie. It was his first 3 in 12 attempts, and first since 1983. West Virginia shook that 19-5 run when Jonnie West, yes Jerry West, the Logo's, son rattled home a 3 at the buzzer for a 26-23 lead. The half was really sloppy, and I would have written about it more, but I got hit by one of the bricks and had a slight concussion.

Cincinnati shot 8-25, 3-7, and 4-6 at the stripe, with 16 rebounds, 4 offensive. Lance Stephenson had 7-4, Deonta Vaughn 6-3, Larry Davis 3, Darnell Wilks 3, Dion Dixon 2, and Ibrahima Thomas 2. West Virginia was 11-30, 2-10, 3-5 at the line, with 18 rebounds, 5 offensive. Da'Sean Butler led the way with 7-3-2 assists, Devin Ebanks 6, Kevin Jones 6, Jonnie West 3, Wellington Smith 2-6-2 blocks, and Casey Mitchell had 2.

Mick Cronin made a questionable coaching decision at start half 2. He put back in the 5 starters. UC was rolling with Wilks, Gates, Stephenson, Vaughn, Cash, Thomas and some Parker. But it was Parker, Vaughn, Stephenson, Thomas and Gates to start, and WVU immediately went up 7. Truck Bryant scored a forced runner off glass, and Jones drew a foul, making both. Yancy Gates drew a foul and made both for UC, who started 0-7 from the field. The Mountaineers were not much better though. Jones made a put back, added with a Cam Throughman free throw, West Virginia lead 33-25. UC cut 3 points into the lead with 2 free throws by Cash and 1 by Gates, but Butler was having none of that and made a 3. Cash has come a long way, but he dribbles the ball way too god damn much. He dribbled into some turnovers, including an over and back, and dribbles out of plays. Back to the action, UC scored their first field goal at 12:35 on a Gates turnaround. Gates scored again inside after the under 12 timeout, and UC cut the lead to 36-34 when Stephenson was fouled and made both free throws. West Virginia ran the lead back up with a Wellington Smith turner, adding a Butler lay up on excellent screening. Stephenson drilled a jumper from the top of the key, but the Cats couldn't hold serve as Jones drew a foul, making 1 of 2. UC missed a couple of tip in attempts, but on the other end Ebanks did not for a 43-36 lead at 7:30. Ibby Thomas, god love him, can't make put backs. After he missed yet another, Kevin Jones scored inside. Stephenson scored on a runner, but the lead went back to 9 on Ebanks free throws. Cincinnati would make a crunch time stand. Yancy Gates scored with some nice passing from his teammates, Lance hit a runner, WVU blew an open layup, Stephenson drove into the lane, kicked out to Vaughn for a 3 from the right corner. It was 47-45 with 3:19 left. Darnell Wilks tied the score on a tip in, following a Mountaineer turnover capping another 9-0 run. The Mountaineers got a jump shot from Kevin Jones from inside the foul line to take the lead. With under 1:45 left, Stephenson drove to the rim, drew a foul, but only made 1 of 2. Cincinnati played tough defense, causing the ball to hit the floor. Da'Sean Butler got down, threw a sitting pass to Jones for a lay up with 1 second remaining on the shot clock. UC wouldn't let that be the backbreaker. Out of a timeout, Lance Stephenson drilled a crossover 3 with 42 seconds left. 20% three point shooter Lance Stephenson. With confidence. West Virginia couldn't handle the Cincinnati defense. Devin Ebanks couldn't get a shot off and with 6.4, the Mountaineers were forced into a shot clock violation. For some reason, Cincinnati had Vaughn inbounding, Stephenson, Gates, Dixon and I think Larry Davis in the game. Why they didn't have Cash, or Parker in I have no idea. The ball went to Dixon, and when he turned up court in front of the WVU bench, he lost the ball. Butler poked it out off him, and the Mountaineers had a shot with 3 seconds left. Mick curiously didn't guard the inbound. A clean pass to Butler was made. Despite Lance Stephenson being in his jock, Butler banked it in for the win.

Cincinnati shot 17-51 33%, 5-14, 12-16, with 34 rebounds, 14 offensive. Lance Stephenson had 19-7, Yancy Gates 11-7, Deonta Vaughn 9, Darnell Wilks 3, Larry Davis 3, Cashmere Wright 2 (and 5 turnovers), Ibrahima Thomas 2-5, and Dion Dixon 2. West Virginia was 21-60 35%, 4-20, 8-13, with 34 rebounds, 14 on offense. They were powered by 17-6 from Kevin Jones, Da'Sean Butler 15-6-5 assists, Devin Ebanks 10-6-5 assists, Wellington Smith 4-6, Jonnie West 3, Truck Bryant 2-5-3 assists, Casey Mitchell 2, and Cam Throughman 1. 

This was a gut punch, followed by a nut punch. Cincinnati showed some life in the Big East tournament. Lance Stephenson especially played great. I hope he didn't play great enough to change his mind about going pro, because a team with him at the lead is something I want to see next season. Our boys played really hard, they just came up a little short.. 

Noooooooooooooooooo

Of all people to turn the ball over, it had to be the one man that I have a tag for that says he's my best friend. The men played hard, but Da'Sean Butler banked a 3 at the buzzer for one of the worst losses in my UC fandom, and a 54-51 win. Just brutal. More tomorrow.

Questions and Answers

There are many topics swirling around Cincinnati sports, and the best way to sort them out? Questions. The best way to sort out the questions? Answers. Yes, we've reached the point where it's questions and answers time. Unless you want to read a 43,000 word post about Mick Cronin's comments on why Yancy Gates didn't play at the end of the game Sunday.

Why didn't Yancy Gates play at the end of the game on Sunday?
If you listen to Mick, it's because he says that Marquette was exposing Gates and, to a lesser extent, Steve Toyloy. If you listen to Marquette head coach Buzz Williams, that was not the case. If you read Marquette blogs, like Cracked Sidewalks, they were happy that #34 took a seat on the pine. If you read any UC blog or message board, they are furious about this. As we should be. Every coach worth their salary goes offense for defense in those situations. It's no different than if Yancy was playing with 4 fouls. Yet, Mick was happy running pretty much a man down on offense. Ibrahima Thomas is good and getting better, but he only had 5 points at the end of regulation. He wasn't playing that well. Dion Dixon and Cashmere Wright went offense for defense down the stretch. It's baffling to me.

Is Deonta Vaughn the alpha dog of this team?
I'm going to surprise everyone, no. I don't think this team has an alpha dog. I think it could have been Lance Stephenson, but he lost whatever mojo he had after the first Connecticut game. Maybe he let the game winning points and praise get to his head. He's been pretty not good lately. I would like to see him get more minutes, but he's not doing much with the minutes he's had ever since he came back from injury. Besides the Notre Dame game, he played well then. Yancy Gates could be the alpha dog, but it doesn't seem like he wants to be. When he wants the ball and plays hard, he's nearly unstoppable. But, his play comes off as nonchalant at times. I'm not saying he's not trying, but it looks like he doesn't care much if he gets touches or runs back on d. Having said all that, it SHOULD be Deonta Vaughn's team, and the fact it's not has really hurt the Bearcats. We have needed a leader to step up since the let's say UAB game, but none has. I don't know what happened to Deonta. The past 3 years of Vaughn put this version to shame. I don't know if he wanted to get drafted so he started playing more point guard and distributing, or whether he and Lance Stephenson hate each other and can't play together. Deonta had his big alpha dog moment of the season Sunday, and I guarantee sophomore Deonta nails that 3.

What undersung player does UC need to be more consistent every game?
Rashad Bishop. In a way, Bishop signifies this team. He'll play great, not show up, play solid, play bad, and play ok. He played really well on Sunday against Marquette, he no showed Louisville, played solid against Providence, played badly against South Florida, and ok against UConn in Hartford. Rashad is the most improved Bearcat this season. In the games he hasn't shot well, he's rebounded well. I would like to see his assists take the uptick they did last year though. He seems more confident in his shot. He needs to work on the 3 ball still, and getting the 2% back up to the 60s where it was last year.

Are the guards coming off the bench finally back to playing like we know they can?
I really hope that Larry Davis, and Dion Dixon, who is my best friend, have started going out there and just played. Both played pretty significant minutes until Big East play started. Larry even started a few games. Both get their minutes yanked around, but I think Davis is rounding into form. After a horrible shooting slump, he's hit 8-17 from 3 the past 3 games he's played minutes in. Dixon has rebounded well in his time, but he needs to work on his jumper this summer. He shot 25% from 3 last year, and is at only 30% this year. He shot really well against Marquette, but I think that taking too many 3s is what gets him bench time. He can play d and be a pest, so we need him playing hard and well. I think that both are ready to step in again. Especially if Lance Stephenson has checked out.

What does the Big East tournament bracket look like right now?
Per our friends at Friar Blog.

Can we stop talking about basketball now?
Sure football fan.

Are any UC athletes on the twitter?
There are a few. On the Bearcats Blog twitter account, I have a list where you can see them all. It's quite fancy. My twitter is @ucbearcatsblog.

Any truth on Cincinnati playing at Tennessee in 2011?

Yes, that's absolutely true. It's just a one time deal with UC playing in Knoxville, but it's a good thing. I just found this out like 3 days ago, so I'm hoping you were all in the same boat as me. 

When is the Spring Game?

April 24. I've been promised that this is a different team than previously. I'm interested to see how the running back situation plays out. I really like Isaiah Pead, and I think Darrin Williams can be a stud. He's pretty fast, and I think he could be a gamebreaker. 

Where do draft analysts think Mardy Gilyard is going in the draft?

From everything I've seen, Mardy is being projected as a second round pick. People are worried about his weight, 185. Mardy has all the skills and drive, and I think if he has a good combine, starts Saturday, he could be a late first rounder. Maybe that's overly optimistic, but I believe in Mardy Gilyard.

What about Tony Pike?

Tony has been ranked as the 4th or 5th best QB in the draft. He has also been told to bulk up by the analysts. Whatever the dude's name on the NFL Network said he has Pike in the 4th round. Mike Mayock's his name. He is normally pretty right, and he's not Todd McShay, so you can believe him. 

Who is the coolest Bearcat football player?

That's a tough one. On one hand, I lean towards Travis Kelce because he once retweeted me. On the other, Reuben Johnson's nickname is Daddy. Plus, Reuben Johnson follows me on twitter, and that makes him the coolest Bearcat of this time, and currently, of all time. 

Golden Eagles outlast Bearcats in overtime

The Bearcats 11th loss of the season was one of the hardest ones to take, as Marquette dropped them 79-76 in overtime. The Bearcats are now 15-11, 6-8 in the Big East. Marquette improves to 17-9, 8-6. The Golden Eagles tied the game with about 30 seconds left in regulation on a Lazar Hayward (13-11) three. Hayward made a nice ball fake to get Rashad Bishop in the air, and drilled an open look. UC's last chance in regulation was a Rashad Bishop missed 3. The Bearcats had a chance to tie at the end of overtime, but Deonta Vaughn missed an open 3 off the right wing. UC was lead offensively by Bishop's 17-5. The bench was great, Yancy Gates had 14, Larry Davis 13, Dion Dixon, my best friend, had 12. Marquette's Jimmy Butler had 20-7, and Darius Johnson-Odom had 20 as well.

In a season of disappointing losses, this one is right near the top of the list. More tomorrow.

Cincinnati 60 Connecticut 48

(Enquirer)

The Cincinnati Bearcats improved to 15-9, 6-6, by sweeping the season series against the Connecticut Huskies Saturday afternoon. UConn fell to 14-11, 4-8, and look to have their backs to the wall just regarding a winning season despite Jim Calhoun's return to the bench. This was the type of game that the Bearcats haven't had on the road all year. The second half, they came out wanting to win and put UConn to shame, and for the most part, they did. I would say it was their best road performance since Xavier. It was something that Cincinnati badly needed as we head down the stretch of the season. Lance Stephenson lead UC, just like he did the first time they played, with 14-5. Ibrahima Thomas had his best game as a Bearcat, putting up a 10-11 double double. Deonta Vaughn had 10-4 assists, and Rashad Bishop had 7-7. UConn was lead by Kemba Walker's 14. Calhoun said after the game that Walker was the only player who played hard. Jerome Dyson had 13, but was 5-16 in doing so. Stanley Robinson had 10-9, with all 10 coming in the first half. Gavin Edwards threw in a solid 10-7-2 blocks-3 steals performance off the bench. Let's go back and see how this played out.

The game was in the XL Center in Hartford, a place so bad that UConn fans hate it. The game started off really slow. Rashad Bishop made the first 2, followed minutes later by a Lance Stephenson 2 that drew a Calhoun timeout 2:30 in. No one would score before Stanley Robinson scored for UConn at the 15:18 mark. Yeah, 5 minutes with 3 baskets. The next few minutes would see buckets from Stephenson, and Gates for UC, and Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson's only 3 of the game, and UC lead 9-7 at 11:51. UConn would go on a run. Kemba Walker hit a 3, and 2 free throws, and Ibrahima Thomas was stripped by Donnell Beverly, who outleted to Stanley Robinson for a dunk. UConn held the 14-9 advantage to the under 8 timeout. The teams would trade baskets at a slow, and leisurely pace when they weren't turning the ball over or taking wild jump shots. Deonta Vaughn made his only 3, and Stephenson and Steve Toyloy scored for UC, while Gavin Edwards and Robinson would score for UConn. The Huskies seemed to gather the momentum on a big play. Yancy Gates telegraphed a pass towards Bishop that Stanley Robinson picked off. Robinson drove down the floor with Bishop in front of him, before crossing him over for a dunk and a foul and an "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Robinson missed the foul shot, but UConn held a 20-14 lead. UC would go on an 8-2 run to close out the half. Ibrahima Thomas hit a 3, and Deonta Vaughn got a traditional 3 point play around a Robinson jumper, and Darnell Wilks scored his only 2 on his only shot in his only minute to tie the score at 22 with 1:35. That's the way the half would end. UC's points came from Vaughn's 6, Stephenson's 4, Thomas' 3, Gates , Toyloy, and Bishop's 2, and Cashmere Wright made a free throw. UConn was lead by Robinson's 10, Dyson's 7, Walker's 3, and Edwards' 2. UC was 9-31, 2-10 from 3, 2-7 free throws, with 19 boards 10 offensive, and 6 turnovers. UConn was 9-22, 2-7, 2-3, with 14 boards 4 offensive, and 9 turnovers. Yes, the half was very ugly.

Whatever Mick Cronin said in the locker room at halftime worked, because UC came out strong. Rashad Bishop drew a foul and made a free throw 20 seconds in for an advantage UC wouldn't give up. Lance Stephenson hit a jumper, a 3 pointer, and assisted Ibrahima Thomas for a bucket and UC lead 30-23. UConn got an Edwards free throw in that span. UConn would get free throws from Dyson to cut the lead to 5 before UC would continue to score. Deonta Vaughn missed a shot as the shot clock was winding down, but stripped the rebounder and fed Thomas for 2 more. Rashad Bishop rattled home a j, and just like that, UC was on a 12-3 run. Ending the first half on an 8-2 run and starting the next with a 12-3 run is something we haven't seen from UC in a while. UC lead 34-25 at 15:13 while shooting 5-10 on the half, while UConn was 0-7. After the break, the teams went cold. No scoring, but lots of turnovers, until Rashad Bishop got a steal from Edwards and made both free throws after drawing a foul. UConn got their first basket of the half after the under 12 timeout, when Edwards scored at 11:30 to make the score 36-27. That's right, UConn didn't make a field goal for 8:30 after going 4:40 in the first half without scoring. Great defense by UC, but horrible half court offense by UConn. UC's half court offense was terrible as well, because they could have been blowing UConn out if they ran plays, but that's neither here nor there. UC jumped right back on the Huskies with a Gates put back and Stephenson free throws after pulling home an offensive rebound, for a 13 point lead. The rebounding was great in this game. UC controlled the offensive, and defensive glass, and controlled the game. Beverly and Gates traded 1 made free throw, as the teams traded baskets by Walker, Thomas, and Edwards out of transition after the Thomas lay up. Dion Dixon, my best friend, scored his first points in 4 games by going strong to the rim. Walker hit a 3 for UConn, pulling the margin to 10 with 5:47 on the clock. Dixon would back down and hit a fade away over Stanley Robinson, and on the next possession, Steve Toyloy scored a put back, after Thomas missed a put back, after Vaughn missed a shot clock induced rushed 3. UC lead 49-35 with 3:59 left. The Toyloy rebound was UC's 17th, and final, offensive rebound of the game. Dominating effort by the bigs. Toyloy had 8 rebounds, 5 offensive. 4 of Thomas' 11 boards were offensive. After the break, Dion Dixon went strong to the rack again to give UC a 51-36 lead, which would prove to be important because UConn had a run in them. Jerome Dyson made a jumper, and UConn got a steal by Edwards from Bishop and Walker was fouled. Walker hit 1 of 2, and on UC's next possession, Stephenson would get fouled and hit 1 of 2. With 2:20 left down 13, Dyson made a lay up, drew a foul, but missed the free throw. But, he would steal the rebound from Lance and Gavin Edwards would get fouled. He hit 1 of 2. UC couldn't get the ball over half court due to UConn's pressure, and Dyson got another steal and lay up. It was 52-44 with 1:56 left and visions of St John's dancing in every UC fans, especially this one's, heads. UC finally got the ball over halfcourt, but it was because they threw it away. Dyson would draw a foul on Vaughn, but missed both free throws. If UConn made all their free throws in this stretch, who knows what would have happened, because Vaughn turned the ball over for a Dyson lay up and a 6 point game. UC finally got the ball over halfcourt at 1:15, a full minute of game time with only getting the ball over for like a second. Deonta Vaughn would hit a pair of freebies. Edwards got a lay up for UConn, making the score 54-48 with 1:07 left, and as you can see, that was the last UConn bucket. Vaughn hit 2 more free throws, got a steal from Edwards and hit Lance with an outlet pass for a Stephenson icing lay up. Ibrahima Thomas and Cashmere Wright both hit 1 of 2 at the line, and that's how we got the final.

UC shot 21-56 for 35%, 3-17 17%, and 15-25 60%. Thomas was 1-6 at the line, Cash 2-4 in disappointing efforts. UC had 41 boards, 17 offensive, and 14 turnovers. As for the Huskies, they shot 18-52 35%, 3-15 20%, and 9-18 50%. They pulled down 29 rebounds, 12 offensive, and had 15 turnovers. My prediction of less than 7 made 3s was right on the money. Neither team shot anywhere near a good percentage. Both play good to great defense, but damn are they bad to horrible on offense. Especially in the half court.

There were lots of good things to see in this game. Lance Stephenson played great. Ibrahima Thomas proved to be a force. Steve Toyloy got his hands on lots of rebounds. Rashad Bishop played well on offense and locked down Stanley Robinson in the second half. And Dion Dixon, did I mention he was my best friend, played like he had at the beginning of the year when he was playing well. As for the bad, we got nothing from Cash Wright. Deonta Vaughn has lost his jump shot, another 2-8 effort. Yancy Gates was nowhere to be seen, just 5-5. But, some of us saw that coming in their preview. The end of the game mini disaster was not fun to watch.

 The effort in the first half was so bad, both ways, that Calhoun said neither team wanted to win. Well in the second half, UC wanted to win. It's going to take an effort like that tomorrow night, as UC travels to Tampa to play the rematch against South Florida.

Bearcats rebound against Connecticut

The Bearcats got back to .500 in the Big East with a 60-48 win over UConn in Hartford. The Bearcats are now 15-9, 6-6, while UConn is 14-11, 4-8. Jim Calhoun's return to the sideline was the only thing that the Hartford crowd cheered for. The Bearcats had much more to cheer for, as they played a fantastic second half in pulling away. Lance Stephenson lead the way with 14 points, and lead the way by helping UC break a 22-22 halftime tie into a 9 point lead UC would never relinquish. Deonta Vaughn had 10 points, 4 assists, but the surprise star was Ibrahima Thomas. Ibrahima put up a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. My best friend Dion Dixon returned from the dead with 6 points, looking strong taking the ball to the rim and keeping UC ahead. The Huskies were lead by Kemba Walker's 14. Jerome Dyson had 13, and Stanley Robinson scored 10, all in the first half, to go with 9 boards. The Bearcats rebounded the ball very well, holding UConn to 1 shot most of the time, and getting a lot of offensive rebounds. UC had 41 boards on the day, 17 offensive. Steve Toyloy had 8, 5 offensive, Rashad Bishop 7, and Yancy Gates 5. This was a great win for the Bearcats, mainly because it came on the road. Let's take the rest of the weekend to enjoy this one.

Know Your Opponent: Louisville Cardinals edition

The Cincinnati Bearcats take their last trip to Freedom Hall Sunday at noon to take on the Louisville Cardinals. The Bearcats have played the most games of any Louisville opponent at Freedom Hall, 41, and have won the most, 14. The Bearcats also won the 1962 National Championship on that very floor. I told you those facts would be in the preview. I fully expect Lance Stephenson to play. I don't know how limited he will be with his ankle injury, but the Bearcats chances of winning improve if Born Ready is in the lineup. This is an important game for both the 13-6, 4-3 Cats, and the 12-7, 3-3 Cards. Louisville has dropped their last 3 Big East games, while Cincinnati has won 2 straight. Louisville doesn't want to dip under .500 before they travel to West Virginia. Cincinnati has a chance to climb back to 2 games over .500 in conference before heading home next week to play Providence. Louisville has had the opposite problem of Cincinnati in the Big East. While UC hasn't been able to score, Louisville hasn't been able to stop anyone, giving up 85 points a game during their losing streak. Something has to give. Will the Bearcats add to Louisville's misery, or will the Cards sink their claws into the Bearcats? Before we hit the numbers, check out the awesome Card Chronicle. There are more Louisville blogs listed on the right, but this is the one that I visit the most and recommend.

Cincinnati 78 South Florida 70

(Cincinnati Enquirer)

The Bearcats were powered by Deonta Vaughn's 20 points, and an unlikely source to beat South Florida Wednesday night. With Lance Stephenson on the shelf due to an ankle injury he suffered in practice Tuesday, Jaquon Parker entered the starting line up and put in 15 points to go with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Rashad Bishop had a nice game as well with 15 points. UC improved to 13-6, 4-3, and South Florida fell to 11-7, 1-5. The Bulls were powered by Dominique Jones who scored 21. But, it took him 19 shots to get there. He did have 6 boards and 4 assists. USF also got good performances by Chris Howard (16-10) and Jarrid Famous (14-7-2 blocks). The Bearcats had a great offensive game shooting 56% from the field. They shot 36% from 3, but a woeful 13-23 at the free throw line. USF shot 44%, 17% deep, and 13-17 at the stripe. Let's take a look at how the Bearcats got the win.

As soon as the ESPN2 coverage kicked off, we found out Lance wasn't playing and that the starting line up was Bishop, Yancy Gates, Vaughn, Parker and Steve Toyloy. Parker got right into the grove by making the Bearcats first shot, a 3. Yancy Gates powered a 10-4 Cats start with 6 points, but picked up 2 silly fouls and sat on the bench from the 15 minute mark on. South Florida would use that momentum to go on 10-3 run capped by a Dominique Jones lay up for the lead. Jones had 6 of the first USF 14. The teams traded makes before UC went on a run that featured a put back by Ibrahima Thomas, his only 2, an alley oop lay up from Vaughn to my best friend Dion Dixon, and a Vaughn lay up and 2 free throws to take a 23-16 lead halfway through the half. That was a really long sentence. USF wouldn't lay down here either storming back into the lead 24-23 thanks to 4 of Mike Mercer's 10. UC, believe it or not, settled into taking 3s at this juncture with Parker, Dixon, and Darnell Wilks, who played awful, missing. Rashad Bishop would break a 26-26 tie with a 3 and UC would hold the lead the rest of the game. Spoiler alert. UC was able to pop the lead to 8 on a Parker lay up, Bishop lay up and a Vaughn 3. Jarrid Famous had 8 points in the half, and broke up that Cats run with a lay up of his own. Steve Toyloy would get those points back on a dunk off a batted around offensive rebound. The half ended with Deonta Vaughn wisely getting fouled while attempting a 3 and netting all 3 freebies for a 41-32 UC lead at the half. Both teams shot 50%, USF 13-26 UC 15-30. USF was 0-6 from 3 and 6-7 at the stripe, while UC was 4-11 and 7-9. Scoring wise, Jones had 10, Famous 8 and Mercer 6 for the Bulls. For the Bearcats, Vaughn had 13, Bishop and Gates 6, and Parker and Toyloy 5. UC turned the ball over just twice that half. The difference was the 3 point shooting, gasp!, and the Bearcats ability to offensive rebound.

The foes swapped buckets to start the second half. Yancy Gates wasn't a fan of the action, so he picked up his 3rd foul with 17:30 left. Steve Toyloy would have a dunk where he went from one side of the basket to the other, and the Cats lead by 10 at the first media break. The Bulls would continue to chip away and fall back behind. A 3 on 1 break for a Jones dunk to make the score 49-43 was met with a Deonta Vaughn 3 on the other end to push the lead to 9. Yancy Gates would re-enter the game at the 14 minute mark, and still not be impressed and get his 4th foul and head back to the bench with 13:51 left. The Bulls cut the lead back to 5 when Chris Howard hit the first USF 3 with the shot clock running down. Jaquon Parker would not stand for it, and go on a 6-0 by himself. Parker hit a jumper, free throws and a lay up to give the Cats a 58-47 lead. Biggie McClain would extend the lead to 12 by taking, and making, his first free throw of the season. He ruined the perfection by missing the second. With 8 minutes left, the Bulls would make their last run. Dominique Jones hit his only 3, Bishop would make a UC jumper, and Jones would score a lay up. Cashmere Wright played 4 minutes and the only stat on the box score was a turnover as he threw a pass Anthony Crater picked off and took for a lay up with 5:49 to go. Mick Cronin would call time out, but the next trip down the court Rashad Bishop threw a pass right to Crater, and Crater took the ball to the rim for the last of his 4 points and made the score 61-56. The next sequence would seal the game. Dion Dixon banked in a j from the free throw line that was as ugly as it sounds. Rashad Bishop would score a lay up on a nice inbounds play to make the lead 7. The star of the night Jaquon Parker took his man down on the box and nailed a turnaround jumper for his final points and made the UC lead 9. The last major gasp for USF was airballed by Crater with 3:24 left. Vaughn made a lay up to get the lead to 11. Chris Howard came back with his last 3 to cut the lead to 8, but USF's press was broken, ending in a lay up by Gates. The last 2 minutes were spent with USF trying to score, and UC at the line, where they weren't very good. Rashad Bishop went 1 of 2, but got a dunk off the rebound of his miss. Yancy Gates would miss both. Larry Davis missed his first 2 free throws of the year. South Florida didn't score, so it didn't really matter much. But you would like to see the men iron it out from the line.

All in all, this is a good win for the Bearcats. Like I mentioned earlier, this wasn't so much a must win as a can't lose. If the Cats lost this one, along with losing to Seton Hall and St John's, they would have been in trouble in the Big East. Instead, they are a game over .500 and can get back to 2 games over as they travel down I-71 to face the Louisville Cardinals Sunday afternoon. One last time, I want to mention Jaquon Parker. He was that good tonight. If he can step into the point guard role that UC needs, it could be the break the Cats need to get the offense going. Steve Toyloy and Rashad Bishop played very well too. Toyloy had 9-8 in a game Gates spent much time on the bench. The rebounding needs to shape up, because Louisville hits the glass hard, especially on the offensive end. Let's enjoy this one until Sunday.

Cincinnati 60 Notre Dame 58

(Cincinnati Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua III)

Edited to change UC's record to their actual record in the Big East. Big time slip up. Apologizes

The Cincinnati Bearcats (12-6, 3-3) knocked off the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-4, 3-2) Saturday afternoon by the score in the title. The picture is of Yancy Gates putting back his miss of an alley oop from Deonta Vaughn with 2.4 seconds remaining to win. It was an important win for Cincinnati, and Gates really played well 11 points, 13 rebounds. He also helped do a good job on the Big East's leading scorer Luke Harangody. Harangody was 5-20 for 14 points. Instead, it was Tim Abromaitis leading ND in scoring with 16. The play the Bearcats ran to win was quite simple, a high screen and roll. Harangody was guarding Gates, and when Gates screened for Vaughn, ND switched. Gates was then guarded by Tory Jackson and was able to get an easy look and the rebound. It's the second game winning shot attempt for Gates, and this one turned out better than the one against Gonzaga where he couldn't get the shot to foul, probably because he was fouled then. But that's neither here nor there. Let's look back at how UC was able to get the job done.

Due to some lower conference game, everyone on ESPNU joined the game with ND up 7-3. The starters must have been awful because the lineup for UC was Darnell Wilks, Jaquan Parker, My best friend Dion Dixon, Yancy Gates and Rashad Bishop. Wilks ended up playing most of the first half and being quite effective with 8 rebounds. The lead would switch numerous times early. UC would get 5 points from Parker, who got the nod over Cashmere Wright who played 0 minutes. Notre Dame would get scoring Abromaitis and Tory Jackson and have a 22-16 lead with 6 minutes left. The teams missed lots of shots, and UC was able to keep ND off the glass, free throw line and overall inefficient. UC had a 5 point spurt of a Vaughn 3 and a guess what, Wilks dunk to cut it to 3. I swear all Wilks does is dunk. It was his only 2. Lance Stephenson was quiet in this one, but scored 4 points in a row on lay ups, including a lay up off a steal in the backcourt right over Harangody who was called for a block. That made the score 28-25 Irish. Notre Dame would get the lead up after a technical foul on a UC assistant coach. Harangody and Wilks got tied up fighting for a rebound and Gody clearly pulled Wilks down with a handful of jersey. The foul was called on Wilks before that, and when Wilks got heated Gody backed away right into the UC bench. He must have said something because coach on UC said something that got a T called. Abromaitis hit both free throws, and Gody a runner. The score at the half was 32-25. UC held Notre Dame to 2-10 from 3, and ND was 6-9 at the stripe. UC was 3-13 from deep and 3-5 at the line. Tim Abromaitis poured in 10 with 4 rebounds to lead ND, with Gody having 9-7. UC was lead by Vaughn's 6, and Gates' 5-7. The Bearcats got 7 offensive rebounds, and that helped their pitiful offense.

Half 2 started off with a Rashad Bishop 3, a Tim Abromaitis 3, and a Deonta Vaughn 3. Bishop would score on and up and under fake, and Vaughn would hit a pull up jumper off the break and just like that, UC tied the score at 35. The Bearcats would take the lead, capping off a 9-0 run with a Bishop lay up off a long pass he was able to corral. Jackson would make a jumper and have a breakaway lay up his own to give the Irish a 39-37 lead with 15 minutes to go. The teams would trade the lead. My best friend Dion Dixon had a traditional 3 point play as part of his 7 points, but Harangody would make a 3 pointer to put ND back on top.   Jackson would make another shot to give ND a 46-42 advantage, but 3 Stephenson free throws and a tough lefty hook by Gates gave UC a 47-46 lead with 9:30 on the clock. Ben Hansbrough, 8-5 assists, and Stephenson traded baskets. Born Ready had 5 boards in the game, right on his average for the year. A big play would occur at 6:38 when Vaughn would drive the lane and pick up a block on Gody, his 4th. UC wouldn't be able to take advantage though. Jonathan Peoples hit a 3 to tie us at 51. Gates and Abromaitis traded jumpers. Abromaitis made 1 of 2 free throws to give ND the lead, but Vaughn would score to put UC back in the lead with 3:30 left. Tim Abromaitis was a 90% free throw shooter. He would miss 2 big ones and only shoot 5-8 at the stripe, with all the misses coming late. Ben Hansbrough scored seemingly all his points late, and made 2 free throws to give ND a 56-55 lead with 2:30 left. But after Jackson stripped Vaughn and Dixon fouled Hansbrough, he would miss 2 free throws, and he is a historically 78% foul shooter. Tyrone Nash was invisible due to foul trouble in this game, and fouled out at the 1:46 mark. The man he fouled was Rashad Bishop, who made both to give UC a 57-56 advantage. Harangody would take the shot on ND's next trip, but it was a 3 pointer that couldn't have been the shot Mike Brey wanted. Bishop would once again be fouled, but he only made 1 of 2. With 22.3 seconds left, Ben Hansbrough hit a jumper off the left elbow to tie the score. That would lead to the screen and roll mentioned earlier and the UC win.

This was a big win for UC in a number of ways. It keeps them in the middle of the Big East race. It had a nice, nice crowd fully behind their team. The Bearcats put the clamps on a really good offensive team. Notre Dame was 22-54 40%, 5-17 29% from 3, and a surprising 9-19 at the charity stripe. UC shot poorly as well 21-65 32%, 5-21! 23.8% and 13-18 72%. The Bearcats cleaned the glass, outrebounding the Irish 48-28 and holding the Irish to 2 offensive rebounds while gathering 16 of their own. Getting nearly half of their misses won the game for Cincinnati. That and good Notre Dame foul shooters going ice cold late. The Bearcats only turned the ball over 8 times, but had just 7 assists. The offense really needs to be fixed. It's crucial.com. The Bearcats have a couple days off before they get back in the grove Wednesday against South Florida and a chance at over .500 in the Big East.

St John's 52 Cincinnati 50

(New York Times, I think)

I have been a UC fan for as long as I can remember, and I don't recall more than 5 losses that stung as badly as the one the Cats were dealt Wednesday night. The Bearcats fell to 11-6, 2-3 in the Big East by giving away the game to the St John's Red Storm 11-5, 1-3. Style wise, this was one of the worst Cincinnati games I laid eyes on. Cincinnati turned the ball over 21 times, were 0-12 from 3, were 10-18 at the free throw line and shot 42% overall. St John's shot 35%, were 5-18 from 3, were 11-20 at the free throw line, and turned the ball over 11 times. There were only 2 players in double digits, Dwight Hardy of the Red Storm, and Yancy Gates for the Cats. Neither team got in any kind of rhythm, and played generally ugly basketball down to the wire. Unfortunately, the Bearcats played ugly basketball to the wire and it cost them greatly.

After forcing a St John's shot clock violation (another ugly example) the Bearcats called time out with the ball up 3 with 25 seconds left. The inbound play was either poorly drawn up, or poorly executed or both, because the ball ended up with Gates who was trapped. He flipped the ball to Rashad Bishop, who had it poked away. Dion Dixon recovered the ball and threw up a quick shot that was blocked by, I think, DJ Kennedy. The Storm drove down to the other end where Justin Brownlee was fouled by Rashad Bishop. Brownlee made 1 of the 2 to make it a 50-48 game. In a completely insane move, Bishop threw the inbound pass full court where St John's had Deonta Vaughn double teamed. Hardy drove into the lane where he was fouled. I have no idea what the hell Rashad Bishop was thinking. In that spot, you take a time out, you throw it off a defender, you do anything but throw the ball away. Hardy made both foul shots to tie the score. Mick Cronin decided to call timeout after the first free throw. I wrote interesting in my notes, and little did I know how interesting it would be. Then the play that made Bearcat fans everywhere sick. Lance Stephenson, who had a horrible game back in NYC proper, tried throwing the inbound pass to Dixon, but threw it right to Hardy, who was fouled. It looked like Lance was trying to throw it in to Dixon and get it back quickly, but he threw it right to Hardy. Not having a timeout here was gigantic. The team was in disarray, and no one knew what to do. I thought Mick called time to draw up an inbound play, and to say who to give the ball to on a miss by Hardy. Instead, no one had any idea of what the hell to do. That said, Lance Stephenson can not be so careless with the basketball. I don't really know what he or Bishop were thinking.  Deonta Vaughn used the last 7 seconds to drive to the 3 point line and miss. It was a gigantic tank job by the Bearcats down the stretch. This team has faded down the stretch before, like the UConn game, but not to this extent. Mick said this was the worst loss he has had. It was a terrible one to take because the Cats gave it away. The ultimate snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The loss to Seton Hall was bad, but this loss was much worse. Not just because of how it ended, but because of where it leaves UC. 2-3 in the Big East is not where you want to  be. Especially since the team could be 4-1 if breaks go right against Pitt and they close out tonight. Then again, they could have lost to UConn if that game went to OT and could be 1-4. Sorry, I had to play the opposite of the 'they could be this' game. This is the type of loss that puts teams in the NIT. This is the type of loss that makes you play 5 games in 5 days in the Big East tournament. And we all know how well that worked out last year when the Bearcats lost day 1 to winless DePaul. I'm not going to be so dramatic to say that this loss can ruin a season, but it really puts pressure on the Bearcats to beat Notre Dame. 2-4 is unacceptable. That 2 game ditch is a tough one to pull out of, and I don't know if the Bearcats can do it. The bar has been raised this season, and the fans have tournament expectations. Not CBI, or NIT. NCAA. It's been 6 years and Cat fans are getting restless. Emotions were riding high after the UConn win, and UC has failed to deliver on the high hopes. This loss is really hard to take. Is it a sign the team is falling apart? Is it a fluke? Is it a sign of coaching? Who's to say. We'll get answers though, starting Saturday. Let's look back at this one and find out how it ended like it ended.

The first half was poorly played. The UC highlight was an alley oop from Deonta Vaughn to Yancy Gates right on Dele Coker's head. That would be the only 2 for Gates in the half, as he would get in foul trouble. Ibrahima Thomas was unusually aggressive getting most of his 5 shots and 6 free throws in the half. Lance Stephenson wasn't comfortable and turned the ball over 3 times in the half. He would turn the ball over 3 times in the second half for 6 total. He only had 7-5-3 assists. The Cats had an early lead, but a 7-0 St John's run gave them a lead with about 5 minutes to go in the half. Jaquon Parker got 3 minutes and had 3 boards and 2 points. The points came on free throws that gave UC a 24-23 lead with 3 minutes left in the half that would extend to the break. Rashad Bishop, Lance Stephenson, Steve Toyloy and Ibrahima Thomas all had 4 for UC, with Ibby chipping in 6 boards. Justin Brownlee had 7 and DJ Kennedy had 6 for St John's. UC was 9-27, 0-9, and 6-11 at the stripe. St John's was 10-24, 2-8, and 1-6. Horrible.

The second half started off Yancy Gates returning from foul trouble and scoring 4 quick. A Lance Stephenson  lay up gave UC a 30-26 lead. Dwight Hardy hit a pair of 3s to tie the score at 32. UC took a lead off a Cashmere Wright jumper, but turned the ball over 3 times in a row to give it up on a Malik Stith jumper. UC tied the score on a Gates dunk, and built a 3 point lead. Deonta Vaughn made his only field goal after St John's pulled within 1. UC would throw the ball away after a rebound, and Lance would travel, leading to a Hardy 3 to give the Storm the lead 43-41 with 5:25 left. The lead would turn back UC's way when a Rashad Bishop shot was goaltended by Coker. Bishop made 1 of 2 free throws with 2:10 left to give UC a 48-45 lead. After a Justin Burrell hook shot, Yancy Gates would score UC's last basket after a great pass by Steve Toyloy out of a double team with 1:13 on the clock. Toyloy played great. He had 8 points and 7 rebounds, 4 offensive. That lead to the shot clock violation and everything you read above.

The big question is where does UC go from here? The game Saturday afternoon vs. Notre Dame is huge for the Bearcats. It's early to say games are big, but this one is. It's important for UC to not get too down, and to make things happen. It's also important to stop being so fucking terrible on offense. The offensive woes are pathetic this late in the year. The Cats didn't make a 3 for the first time since 2002. The defense was stellar, but that won't win games if you are anemic on offense. Deonta Vaughn was 1-7, and had 2 free throws. My best friend Dion Dixon was 0-5. Stephenson was 3-9. Thomas 1-5. Gotta get it together boys, we don't have much choice not to.

UC 3 Point Shooting; How Bad Is It?

After the tough loss on the road at Seton Hall, and calling out bad 3 point shooting in this very space yesterday, I decided to delve deeper into the matter. We all know Cincinnati has been terrible at shooting the trey, but how terrible are they? Looking at the stats, fucking awful. They are a 29.45% 3 point shooting team. Give that 3 seconds to register. That's 314 nationally and dead last in the Big East. I'll type that again in bold and make the text bigger. 29.45%.Now if that's not cause for concern, I don't know what is. Oh yeah, the fact that UC is 79th in the country in taking 3s, and 5th in the Big East. During conference play, UC has made 31% of their shots from deep. Still horrible, but 10th in the Big East. And they've taken 64 3s, which is 8th in the Big East. It's outrageous how bad this team is at shooting from long range. 


Let's compare that to their 2 point shooting. Overall, Cincinnati shoots 44.8%. In conference play so far, it's been 46.2%. Taking out the 3s, the overall shooting balloons to 52%, and is the same in Big East play. That's nearly 8% and 6% better. So, who have been the culprits to murder the Cincinnati Bearcats 3 point %? Let's find out. Note: Alex Eppensteiner and Yancy Gates have both taken 1 3 point attempt and missed.

1. Ibrahima Thomas 1-9 11%. Now you might be saying, but Ibrahima Thomas shouldn't count. But you are wrong because he is going to take and miss more. In his freshman year at Oklahoma State, Thomas was 11-34 for 32%. Before he transfered, he was 2-7. That shows he is going to chuck when he has the chance. But Ibby, you are a power forward, don't shoot the 3.
2. Lance Stephenson 6-38 15.8%. Born Ready was not born with a ready made outside shot. He's still shooting 46% on the year despite this flaw in his game. I don't know about you, but every time Lance has fired up a 3 since the Xavier game, I have cringed. Know why? BECAUSE HE HAS MADE 1 THREE SINCE! Lance is 1-14 in that stretch. Horrible, horrible, horrible. 
3. Dion Dixon 11-43 25.6%. It's shocking to no one that my best friend, if it wasn't creepy to say that he would be my best friend if we ever met and became friends, is really the second worst 3 point shooter on the team. He shot 30.5% last year, and this decrease is disappointing. Dion has really hit a slump from outside. Since December 1, Dixon is 6-26. Actually, let's count December 1. He's 8-28. Not very good. Follow through my man. And yes, I might start calling Dion Dixon my best friend every time I mention his name. 
4. Larry Davis 10-38 26.3%. This one comes as a great surprise. Larry hit 30% his freshmen year, and 35.2% last year. A 9% decline is very bad. Minutes have been cut, but Larry's shot has not fallen. He started the year off 6-15, which isn't completely terrible. From Xavier on he is 4-23. Ouch babe. I expect Larry to turn it around, because he has a nice looking shot. But damn is he slumping now. 
5. Cashmere Wright 9-30 30%. Cash at least has an even percentage. He doesn't really take a whole lot of 3s. Not just because his minutes were cut. He's actually 3-7 the last 7 games. That followed a 1-8 run, but let's stay positive. Cashmere has gotten the message it seems, and I think his percentage will go up because he stopped taking silly 3s. 
6. Rashad Bishop 12-38 31.6%. Believe it or not, Rashad isn't completely horrible at 3s this year. He's not good, but he's not mind numbingly awful. His first 2 years at UC he shot 29.2% and a horrible 26.3% last year. I don't mind when Rashad shoots open 3s in rhythm. The problem is, he doesn't always. He's riding a cold streak 1-10, and 4 of those misses were against Seton Hall. When Rashad doesn't rush, and doesn't think he's a superstar, he can make 3s. I don't want him shooting a lot, but he has worked hard and gotten his percentage up 5.3 and that's nice.
7. Jaquon Parker 7-20 35%. Parker doesn't play much now, but he has hit 6-11 after starting 1-9. I doubt Parker will get the chance to shoot many more, but he is a good 3 point shooter. I think he has some potential.
8. Deonta Vaughn 34-94 36.2%. After a down year where he shot 33% from deep, Deonta has gotten the percentage up near where he had it his sophomore year. I don't know if he can get it all the way back up to 39%, but the way he's shooting right now, it's possible. Deonta started the season off shooting terribly, his only good game deep was against Texas Southern. But since the Winthrop game, he is 18-32 56%. He's been on fire. He hit 6 treys against Seton Hall which is his 4th best day by 3s made. He hit 9 a couple times and 8 once. Vaughn has gotten himself into a great rhythm, and I hope, as you do, it continues.
9. Darnell Wilks 6-14 42.9%. Darnell was 10-21 from deep last year to the surprise of many. He has a nice shot and only shoots when he's open. The Xavier game was the only game I thought he shot too much from downtown. Darnell has the wide open green light from me every time. 

That's it, that's the list. Cincinnati has 1 player over 32%, and it's the player you would expect. I hope that there is a way that Mick Cronin can get in the team's head that shooting 3s is not a necessity. Especially if your last name is Stephenson, Dixon, Bishop or Thomas. I would like to see the Cats penetrate more and try to get to the line, but the guys stand around too much. Let's hope the 3 point shooting is curbed for the most part, and the Cats get back to winning. Lastly, here's a recap of who has the Bearcats Blog green light.

All the time

• Deonta Vaughn

When open

• Cashmere Wright
• Larry Davis
• Darnell Wilks
• Rashad Bishop

Don't shoot as much

• Dion Dixon

Drive to the rim instead

• Lance Stephenson