Bearcats Breakdown: Ibrahima Thomas

Bearcats Breakdown today focuses on one of the more unsung players on the Cincinnati roster this season, Ibrahima Thomas. Thomas was in his first season as a Bearcat, his junior year overall. He played 2 seasons at Oklahoma State if you don't remember. Thomas wasn't eligible until December, and didn't get consistent minutes until January. But, he came on late in the season, and is one of the players I'm interested in seeing next season.

Scoring

Ibrahima Thomas averaged 5.75 points a game his first year at UC. In his full year at OSU, he averaged 6. Thomas shot a horrible 38%. His effective field goal percentage was 41, and his true shooting percentage was 44. All of those are pretty bad. Thomas played 18 minutes a game, and used 19.6 of UC possessions when he was on the floor. That resulted in his offensive rating being a poor 94.7. Thomas was 54-141 on the season overall. He was determined to shoot the 3 ball, putting up 31 attempts. He made 8. He made 2 of 2 in the WVU regular season game, meaning he was just 6-29 the rest of the year. Take away a 3-7 string he had in 3 games, and he was 3-22 outside those 4 games. Thomas was also horrible from the free throw line, going 45-83, 54.2%. But, the good thing in that was that he got to the line a lot. He shot more free throws this season than he did in his Oklahoma State career. The biggest thing that kept Thomas' scoring, and percentage down was his inability to make put backs. I swear he missed at least 3 a game. At least. If he can learn to score from inside 5 feet, he's going to be very good.

Thomas had his biggest scoring day in one of the Bearcats biggest games, scoring 13 against Syracuse. Thomas made 4-8 from the field, 4-6 at the line, and hit a 3. Thomas had 11 against Cal State Bakersfield. Seriously, who didn't have a good game against Cal State Bakersfield? If UC didn't play them, everyone's stats would suck. Thomas matched the 11 in a winning effort against Winthrop. Thomas scored 10 against Lipscomb, his first big UC performance. Winthrop and Lipscomb came back to back, and I think some of the fanbase might have had raised expectations for Thomas then. Ibby scored 10 on a season high 12 shots in the win at UConn. He scored 10 one last time against Seton Hall in only 14 minutes. Here is a freaky occurrence. Ibrahima Thomas had all of his double digit scoring games back to back. The previously mentioned Lipscomb and Winthrop, Bakersfield and Seton Hall, and Syracuse and UConn. Odd isn't it? The 3 point games I mentioned in the first paragraph were West Virginia for the 2-2, and Notre Dame, Syracuse and UConn for the 3-7.

Rebounding

Ibby averaged 5.28 rebounds per game, a career best. Thomas had 148 total. Ibrahima pulled in 1.821 offensive boards a game, 11% of UC's o boards, and 3.6 defensive rebounds, 22%. Thomas had a career best rebounding game in the Big East Tournament win over Rutgers, pulling home 13. That bested his previous career high, 11 in the road win at UConn. That was his only double double of the season, and his best game statistically. Thomas pulled home 10 rebounds in 19 minutes in the win over DePaul. Thomas had 9 rebounds twice, in the home win over UConn, and the NIT loss to Dayton.

Thomas had some disappointing rebounding games. He had only 2 against Marquette, not taking advantage of his size. He had but 4 in the destructions at Notre Dame and Georgetown. But other than that, he hit his averages in the minutes that he got. It's hard to come down harshly on games he didn't score or rebound well in, because Mick came down harshly and didn't play him. Thomas had some solid games down the stretch, 8-9 against Dayton, 8-8 against Louisville, 9-5 against Weber St.

Other things

Thomas had 7 assists this season, which is pretty horrible. He was basically a black hole inside, or outside, when he touched the ball. Or, people bricked shots after he passed them the ball. Thomas had 4 steals against Georgetown before that game turned into a rout. Thomas also blocked 3 shots in that game, a season high. Thomas got himself into too much foul trouble this season. He fouled out of 3 games, Dayton, Villanova, West Virginia. The Villanova game has to be his most disappointing game, as he played but 12 minutes. You can't talk about Ibrahima Thomas and not mention the pull apart he was involved in against Xavier. It was his first game and he nearly got into a fight. That's dedication.

Overall

I would dare say that overall, Ibrahima Thomas had a good first season. He played hard once he got his sea legs, and was a part of the best line ups that UC had. He may have committed silly fouls, and shot poorly, but you couldn't question his effort. Especially when it was clear that he has less talent than Yancy Gates, but played with a much higher motor. Thomas needs to work on his shot this summer, that's a no duh. If he's going to be a big help to the team, he needs to develop some more muscle and a shot around the basket. I think he's going to have a very solid senior season.

Dayton 81 Cincinnati 66

(Enquirer/Gary Landers)

This is a late recap of the final game of the Cincinnati Bearcats season. As so, I will spice up the action with personal stories of my experience at 5/3. It was the first game of the season that I had the pleasure of attending. The night got off to an ominous start. I met up with one of my friends and his parents at Mecklenberg Gardens only to find out that it was a UD alumni gathering. Sure, there was a UC side on the other half of the top level, but I was surrounded by Dayton fans. I did get a towel and basketball necklace, which was nice. Mecklenberg Gardens 2 meat dish should come with a paddles for the heart attack you are going to suffer later by the way. After the nice dinner, we took a bus over to the big fraction. I snapped this photo from section 209.

That was during warm ups obviously. Shout out to section 209. Not only was I there being handsome, but there were a couple of guys behind me who knew their shit, and there was a foxy lady sitting next to me that was also very knowledgeable. I bought a Deonta Vaughn jersey before the game. I think my not wearing it until about 3 minutes left was cause for the loss. Let's see how we got to the loss.

Yancy Gates scored the first basket of the game. It was the only thing Yancy would do positively all night. He got in foul trouble like 3 minutes in, and vanished the rest of the night. Kurt Huelsman, not liked by my friend Justin, but apparently loved by 2 kids wearing Huelsman jerseys, got a tip in for UD, before Chris Wright dunk made it 4-2. Jaquan Parker drilled a trey for UC's last lead. Rod Lowery connected for Dayton, starting an 11-2 run. Wright made a jumper, Stephenson a lay up for UC, and Paul Williams and Mickey Perry made 3 pointers. Deonta Vaughn added to his 3 pointers made number by netting one to make it 15-10 as we hit the under 12. The Flyers pushed the lead to 10 on a Williams jumper and a Luke Fabrizius 3 that brought out a Luuuuuuuuuke from the UD fans in attendance. The crowd was roughly a 1/4 UD fans. UC was putting up a ton of three point shots to no success, but Jaquan Parker connected on his second to bring the lead to 7. Huelsman scored inside, inciting a "That's his career high," from my UD friend Justin. Vaughn answered with free throws to make the score 22-15. That's when the Dayton 3 point party started. Lowery hit one, Stephenson drew a foul making both for the Cats, Perry made another, Lowery another, and Paul Williams another. From my recollection, they were all wide open. Dayton went up 34-17. The lead stayed at 15 to the under 3 timeout, with a Wilks jam, 2 Cashmere Wright free throws, a Marcus Johnson tip, a Thomas dunk, and a Wright jumper for UD. I should point out that Lance Stephenson got banged up and went down for a few minutes. Then, Jaquan Parker got hurt at the 7:30 mark or so, and didn't return. With the score 38-23, Cincinnati made a run. Larry Davis hit a pair of free throws after the break, and then Deonta Vaughn took over. Vaughn hit back to back 3s to cut the lead to 7, before Chris Johnson hit a 3 to push it back to 9. With 1 minute to go, Lance Stephenson was intentionally fouled by London Warren. Vaughn filled in, iced both foul shots, and on the subsequent UC possession, hit a jumper to make the score 41-36. That stayed the score though halftime.

The second half started with Stephenson getting to the basket, drawing a foul, making a free throw and cutting the lead to 2 a minute in. It was a very loud crowd for 6,300 or so. We can thank Dayton being our opponent, and their traveling fans for that. Anyway, UD got their first point on a Wright free throw, but UC cut the lead to 1 on a Thomas dunk from Stephenson. Chris Wright got it back for Dayton on a wide open dunk off an inbound play. The Bearcats cut the lead to 1 once again, when Cash got a steal, and passed to Stephenson for an emphatic dunk. Stephenson had a shot blocked by Wright for the lead, that turned into a Lowery lay up to push it back to 3, and started a 6-0 UD run. Matt Kavanaugh scored on a lay up, as did London Warren. All 3 lay ups were after UC missed 3 pointers. The Cats kept it close after a 3 minute draught with another Thomas dunk. Marcus Johnson answered that with a jumper, but UC got a 5 point spurt on a Cash lay up and a Vaughn 3 to make it 52-50. Paul Williams hit a 3 off an offensive rebound for the Flyers. Yancy Gates was stripped by Wright, which lead to a missed 3 by Marcus Johnson, but a rebound by Paul Williams, who found Devin Searcy, who in turn, dunked on Ibrahima Thomas' face. It was pretty impressive. Deonta drew a foul while shooting a triple, made all 3, cutting the lead back to 4. Cincinnati would go another 3 minutes without scoring, setting up a 6-0 UD run. Marcus Johnson hit a pair of 2 point jumpers, and Luuuuuuuuuuuke Fabrizius one for himself, causing a UC timeout with 6:24 left. There was no scoring until the 5 minute mark, when Stephenson scored a lay up. Off another UD offensive rebound, Chris Johnson scored a lay up. Ibby Thomas fought hard in the post, the only UC player who did, got 2 offensive boards and a bucket to cut the lead to single digits for the last time. Wright hit 2 free throws, got a steal, made another free throw to make it an 11 point game. After a Cash miss, Marcus Johnson made 1. Vaughn drew a foul and made both. London Warren made 1 of 2, Cash missed a lay up attempt, Warren ended up with the ball and made 1 of 2 again. It was all free throws late, Marcus Johnson 2, Wilks 1 for UC, Marcus 2 more, Vaughn 2, and Chris Johnson 1. The free throws stopped when Stephenson scored a lay up, Vaughn got a steal and a lay up, and UD a Marcus Johnson lay up, but continued when Marcus Johnson made 1, and Lowery 2. Before Lowery's second, Deonta Vaughn checked out of the game for the last time in his Cincinnati career to a standing ovation. It was not the way he, and all UC fans, wanted him to go out, but at least he got a big reception. The Lowery free throws were the last points, making it 81-66 Flyers for their biggest win over UC in 15 years.

Dayton was 28-58 48%, 10-29 from deep, 15-24 at the stripe with 39 rebounds, 11 offensive. Marcus Johnson had 16-7-4 assists, Lowery 13, Wright 11-5-3 steals, Williams 11, Chris Johnson 7-7, Perry 6, Luuuuuuke Fabrizius 5, Huelsman 4-5, Warren 4-8, Searcy 2, and Kavanaugh 2. Cincinnati shot 20-60 33%, 6-31 from 3, 20-23 at the stripe, with 31 boards, 9 offensive. Vaughn lead the way with 28 points, 4 assists, 4 steals. He got 12-13 at the stripe, while shooting 6-18, 4-15 deep. But, Deonta Vaughn moved into third place all time in points in Cincinnati history, passing Danny Fortson. Congratulations on your achievement 5, and thank you for the great career. Stephenson had 13-6-4 assists, Thomas 8-9, Parker 6, Cash 4, Wilks 3, Gates 2.

A couple of bullet point thoughts to close this out.

• Thanks for nothing Yancy Gates. I know you were in foul trouble, but c'mon son. UC should have dominated inside, but got nothing from everyone not named Ibrahima Thomas. 
• Hey Darnell Wilks, stop shooting the 3.
• Hey Larry Davis, I like you a whole lot, more than section 209 did, but please work on that jump shot this summer. I don't think anyone, you included, had any faith in any of your shots falling. You d up hard, but you need to score.
• Lance Stephenson said after the game that UC took Dayton lightly. I don't understand how this team, who was favored to lose on the projections I saw, could take anyone lightly. That's on the players, and on the coaching staff. This is a rival who had a better record. UC shouldn't take Arkansas Pine Bluff lightly, let alone a 21 win team. 
• It's performances like that, that make it hard to be one of the people not disappointed that Mick Cronin isn't getting fired. 
• I was kinda surprised how many Dayton fans were there. I know there are a lot of transplants in the area, but they represented very well. It was a nice atmosphere. 
• This was one game where UC could have used Rashad Bishop. I was wrong on that one. 
• The bus taking us back to Mecklenberg Gardens smelled like shit. Plus, it was crowded and I had to stand. There was one point where the bus driver seemed to just gun it, and I stared at a car coming directly at me. Luckily, it stopped short instead of ramming into us. I had visions of that State Farm or whatever commercial where the car does crash. 
• Where do we go from here? Good question. I'm going to break down the season, the players, memorable games, and all that jazz starting in the next week. There will be an NCAA Sweet 16 breakdown tomorrow, and Friday, and Saturday and Sunday. There will be a Final 4 preview the following Friday, and a National title preview that Monday. 
• Also, there will be spring football news as it comes.

Since this is the last recap of the season, I want to thank you for reading. This season wasn't the best, wasn't the worst. It was fun at times, nerf basketball wall throwing times as well. It had memorable games, all nearly memorable losses though. More importantly, it had me and you. I hope that you enjoyed the basketball coverage. I enjoyed writing it. Thank you.

Cincinnati v. Dayton Flyers NIT Preview

The NCAA tournament has been going crazy, but there is another tournament running wild. It's called the NIT. And it features the Cincinnati Bearcats. Since only 2,200 showed up to the Weber St game, I'm guessing that a little more care about the game tonight at 9, as the Bearcats play host to the Dayton Flyers. Bearcats Blog will be in the house tonight. I'll be the guy sporting the Field Williams autographed hat. I know there are so many of those going around, but think of it as a where's Waldo. The Bearcats and Flyers haven't played in a couple years. The last time they played was in Las Vegas in the 05-06 season, and the Bearcats won by 18. They played earlier that season as well, with Dayton winning at 5/3. But, I'm going with the story that the Flyers haven't beaten Cincinnati in nearly 5 years. How do the Dayton Flyers and the Cincinnati Bearcats match up in the battle of 1-75 as Go Bearcats calls it? Let's hit it.

KenPom Offense/Defense Rank: 111/52
Notable Stats: 29.6 Three Point Percent (322), 63% Free Throw Percent (330) 38.5 Offensive Rebounding Percent (18)

Minutes

1. Deonta Vaughn 30.3
2. Lance Stephenson 28.2
3. Yancy Gates 25.7
4. Cashmere Wright 18.1
5. Ibrahima Thomas 17.9

Points

1. Lance Stephenson 12.3
2. Deonta Vaughn 11.2
3. Yancy Gates 10.6
4. Ibrahima Thomas 5.7
5. Cashmere Wright 5.5

Rebounds

1. Yancy Gates 6
2. Lance Stephenson 5.3
3. Ibrahima Thomas 5.3
4. Deonta Vaughn 3.5
5. Steve Toyloy 3.4

Assists

• Deonta Vaughn 3.5
• Lance Stephenson 2.4
• Cashmere Wright 2

Steals

• Deonta Vaughn 1.1

Blocks

• Yancy Gates 0.9

KenPom Offense/Defense Rank: 110/9
Notable Stats: 27.5 Opponent Offensive Rebound Rate (13) 45.1 Opponent Effective Field Goal % (32) 43.8 Two Point % Defense (33)

Minutes

1. Chris Wright 28.4
2. Marcus Johnson 24.3
3. Chris Johnson 24
4. Kurt Huelsman 21.5
5. Paul Williams 20.5

Scoring

1. Chris Wright 14
2. Chris Johnson 11.5
3. Marcus Johnson 8.6
4. Rob Lowery 7.5
5. Mickey Perry 5.7

Rebounding

1. Chris Wright 7.2
2. Chris Johnson 6.8
3. Kurt Huelsman 4.3
4. London Warren 3.3
5. Marcus Johnson 3.1

Assists

• London Warren 4.2
• Rob Lowery 3.6

Steals

• London Warren 1.2

Blocks

• Chris Wright 1.5

The big key to this game is going to be rebounding. If Cincinnati can crash the offensive glass, they have a great shot at winning. Cincinnati has really been playing solid lately, while the Flyers have been up and down. They swooned to the finish in the A-14, but they have a lot of quality players. Chris Wright stole James White's nickname, but he's a tremendous player. The Dayton defense, like most other A-14 defenses, is very solid. The Cats are going to have to earn their points tonight. A prolonged scoring slump is to be expected. It's to be expected in every game, but especially in this case, where Dayton can really put the clamps down. The Bearcats playing at home gives them the advantage in my eyes. I don't know how much of an advantage it will be now that I think about it, but I will be in the house, and that's more than enough.

Prediction: Cincinnati 73 Dayton 67

Cincinnati v. Weber State Wildcats NIT Preview

For the first time a few years, the Cincinnati Bearcats are ready to play in a post season tournament. It's the NIT, but hey, it's better than nothing. At least, I'm guessing that it's better than nothing. After last week's run in the Big East Tournament, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this team, so the extra game(s) should be fun to watch. Unless Cincinnati pulls an Arizona State and doesn't care, then it would be no fun. The game tonight is at 7 pm on ESPN2. Also, Rashad Bishop is still suspended for this game. He may return later in the tournament. Before we hit the preview, let's run down the NIT action from last night.

• 4 Connecticut 59 5 Northeastern 57
• 6 North Carolina State 58 3 South Florida 57
• 2 UAB 64 7 Coastal Carolina 49
• 5 Texas Tech 87 4 Seton Hall 69
• 1 Mississippi State 81 8 Jackson State 67
• 8 Jacksonville 67 1 Arizona State 66

KenPom Offense/Defense Rank: 111/57
Notable Stats: 19 in Offensive Rebound % (38.8), 297 in Free Throw Rate (32.3), 330 in 3 pt % (29), 332 in FT % (62).

Minutes

1. Deonta Vaughn 30.2
2. Lance Stephenson 28.4
3. Yancy Gates 25.6
4. Cashmere Wright 18.3
5. Ibrahima Thomas 17.7

Scoring

1. Lance Stephenson 12.3
2. Deonta Vaughn 11.1
3. Yancy Gates 10.7
4. Ibrahima Thomas 5.5
5. Cashmere Wright 5.4

Rebounding

1. Yancy Gates 6
2. Lance Stephenson 5.4
3. Ibrahima Thomas 5.3
4. Steve Toyloy 3.5
5. Deonta Vaughn 3.5

Assists

• Deonta Vaughn 3.4
• Lance Stephenson 2.4

Steals

• Deonta Vaughn 1.1

Blocks

• Yancy Gates 0.8

KenPom Offense/Defense Rate: 74/160
Notable Stats: 271 in Opponent's 3 pt % (36.2), 263 in Opponent's FT Rate (263).
Also Notable: They are the team that blew the 20 point halftime lead in the second half to Montana.

Minutes

1. Damian Lillard 34.3
2. Franklin Session 31.4
3. Nick Hansen 29.5
4. Kyle Bullinger 25.9
5. Steve Panos 21

Scoring

1. Damian Lillard 19.7
2. Steve Panos 10.8
3. Franklin Session 10.6
4. Nick Hansen 9.2
5. Kyle Bullinger 8.9

Rebounds

1. Franklin Session 6
2. Steve Panos 5.3
3. Kyle Bullinger 4.2
4. Damian Lillard 4.1
5. Darin Mahoney 3.7

Assists

• Damian Lillard 3.7
• Franklin Session 2.8
• Lindsay Hughey 2

Steals

• Franklin Session 1.8
• Damian Lillard 1.1
• Nick Hansen 1
• Lindsay Hughey 1

Blocks

• Franklin Session 0.9

The Wildcats have a very short bench. Only 7 men have played every game, and only 8 have played 28. They only go 8 deep, so if Cincinnati can get them in foul trouble, one would think that it would pay off for the Bearcats. I expect UC to try and press this team, but it might not work that well with Weber St's good passing. The conference tournaments ended poorly for both teams, with Weber St getting bounced after blowing a huge lead, and Cincinnati getting beat on an infamous turnover and a buzzer beater against West Virginia.

The esteemed Ken Pom computer rankings have Cincinnati winning by 12. I think that's probably going to happen. Maybe that's a little arrogant, but I think UC should have little problem putting the Wildcats away. I say that knowing full well that Cincinnati has put no one away, but after what we saw in the BET, I think the Bearcats have turned a corner. With Rashad Bishop out, Darnell Wilks and Jaquan Parker should get some more run. Wilks was impressive in New York, and Parker continued to play solid. I would like to see Dion Dixon, my best friend, get some kind of redemption after his blunder, but that may be wishing too much. Should Cincinnati advance, they would play the winner of the Dayton/Illinois St game, also being played tonight. If Cincinnati loses, this is the last you'll hear of the NIT besides the game recap. I don't think the Bearcats run ends tonight though. I'm looking for Lance Stephenson to play on the higher level he's been, Yancy Gates to want the ball inside, and I'm going out on a limb and saying Ibrahima Thomas has a big game.

Prediction: Cincinnati 70 Weber State 57

Cincinnati v. Louisville Big East Tournament Preview

The 11 seeded Cincinnati Bearcats meet the 6 seeded Louisville Cardinals tonight in the Big East tournament. In case you didn't see it the 100 times I posted it, the game tips off 20 minutes after the 7 pm game ends. I'm estimating 9:25 pm. The quick preview worked pretty well for Rutgers, so why not keep momentum going? In case you didn't read the last one, shame on you, we highlight the top 5 in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, blocks and other notable stats. My prediction for the whole tournament can be found here, but I'll post my prediction at the bottom.

Minutes

1. Deonta Vaughn 30
2. Lance Stephenson 28.3
3. Yancy Gates 24.9
4. Cashmere Wright 17.8
5. Steve Toyloy 17.5

Points

1. Lance Stephenson 12
2. Deonta Vaughn 11.2
3. Yancy Gates 10.5
4. Ibrahima Thomas 5.7
5. Cashmere Wright 5.6

Rebounding

1. Yancy Gates 6
2. Lance Stephenson 5.3
3. Ibrahima Thomas 4.9 
4. Steve Toyloy 3.7
5. Deonta Vaughn 3.4

Assists

• Deonta Vaughn 3.5
• Lance Stephenson 2.4

Steals

• Deonta Vaughn 1.1
• Lance Stephenson 1

Blocks

• Yancy Gates 0.9

Minutes

1. Samardo Samuels 29.1
2. Edgar Sosa 27.3
3. Jared Swopshire 25.1
4. Reginald Delk 21.3
5. Preston Knowles 19.6

Scoring

1. Samardo Samuels 15.4 
2. Edgar Sosa 12.8
3. Jared Swopshire 7.8
4. Preston Knowles 7.5
5. Reginald Delk 6.3

Rebounding

1. Samardo Samuels 7.1
2. Jared Swopshire 6
3. Terrence Jennings 3.4
4. Rock Buckles 3.3
5. Preston Knowles 3.2

Assists

• Edgar Sosa 4.6
• Preston Knowles 2.3

Steals

• Preston Knowles 1.1
• Peyton Siva 1

Blocks

• Terrence Jennings 1.3
• Samardo Samuels 1.2

Notables

• Jerry Smith, a senior guard, was left off the Louisville top 5 because he is out for the Big East tournament with an injured thumb. Look for him to be waving towels on the sidelines.
• Samardo Samuels was 3rd team All Big East.
• Sophomore Kyle Kuric is coming off a 22 point second half against Syracuse in the last game at Freedom Hall. It'll be interesting to see if he gets more minutes.
• Louisville beat Cincinnati 68-60. Lance Stephenson had UC's first 12, but no more, along with 6 rebounds, and Cashmere Wright, Deonta Vaughn, and Yancy Gates all had 12. Louisville was lead by 14 by both Samuels and Sosa. Reginald Delk had 13-11 in a huge effort. Peyton Siva also had 10.
• Cincinnati shot 10 of 20 from 3 in that game, their best performance from deep all season. Like it or not, they are going to launch against the Louisville zone.
• The Louisville zone shut down the Cincinnati guards in the second half. Ball movement is key. 
• Cincinnati won their first game ever in the Big East tournament, Mick Cronin's first game in March, and for the first time in March since Jihad Muhammad was ruled ineligible in 05. Thanks to the studly JF Keating for that note on twitter. 
• I'm probably not going to live blog the action, but follow Bearcats Blog on twitter for the next best thing. 

I'm on the hook for picking Louisville by 9, 72-63, and I think that's the way this will turn out. I expect the action to mirror the first meeting, minus the hawkeye three point shooting. Louisville is coming off a huge win against Syracuse, so hopefully for UC they packed it in for this one. It should be fun. This is our tournament people, get pumped. 

Cincinnati 69 Rutgers 68

(AP/Henny Ray Abrams)

Lance Stephenson saved the day for the Cincinnati Bearcats, as they were able to take home a round 1 win in the Big East tournament Tuesday night. Stephenson netted the game winning free throw with 1.8 seconds left following a furious Rutgers rally. Cincinnati plays the Louisville Cardinals tonight at 9:30ish, 20 minutes after the 7 pm game ends. Cincinnati was without Rashad Bishop, who was suspended for the Big East tournament due to conduct detrimental to the team. It's a shame. Hopefully Rashad realizes the error of his ways and plays in the next tournament UC is in. 

The game started with a 5 minute stalemate after the fireworks of Seton Hall and Providence. We had a 5-5 tie after a Gates put back, an NBA range 3 from Deonta Vaughn, Jonathan Mitchell scoring inside and a James Beatty triple. Hamady Ndiaye dominated the paint, as he had 4 blocks in the first 6 minutes, setting the Rutgers career record. Congratulations to Hamady. After the 4th block, he was fouled on the other end by his best friend Ibrahima Thomas and made 1 free throw. Gates followed by making 1 of 2, but the teams didn't make a field goal until the 13 minute mark when Mike Rosario hit a 3. That was followed by a Mitchell 3 and a 12-6 lead. Cincinnati scored 4 quick on a Cashmere Wright jumper, and on a Gates dunk from Wright when Rutgers turned the ball over after Dane Miller dribbled the ball off Rosario trying to break UC pressure. Rutgers scored 6 of the next 8 on threes by Rosario and Beatty around a Darnell Wilks jumper. But UC went on a 9-0 run to take a 22-18 lead off a Wright jumper, a Wilks lay up around a defender from Stephenson, a Parker 3 from passes from Lance and Wilks, and a traditional 3 point play by Cashmere Wright. The Scarlet Knights tied it on a Ndiaye dunk and a Coburn lay up. Rutgers and Cincinnati would play tight the rest of the half. UC scored 4 on a Wilks dunk back, and a Stephenson baseline jumper. RU got a Mitchell 3. UC got a Toyloy bucket off a drop off from Vaughn, answered by 2 Rosario free throws. A Darnell Wilks 3 to give UC a 4 point lead was met by a goaltend by Stephenson on a Coburn lay up off a great outlet pass by Rosario, and another Ndiaye dunk off a zone break. Rutgers took the lead into intermission after Cash had a lay up blocked, and with 1.8 seconds left, Coburn was fouled and made 1 of 2 for a 32-31 Rutgers lead. 

Rutgers shot 50% for the first half on 11-22 shooting. They were 6-12 from 3 and 4-8 from the foul line. The Knights grabbed 15 rebounds, 2 offensive and had 8 assists. They were lead by Mike Rosario 10, Jonathan Mitchell 8-5, James Beatty 6, Hamady Ndiaye 5-4-2, or 4 blocks, and Mike Coburn 3-2 assists. Cincinnati shot 35% on 13-37 shooting, were 3-8 from deep and 2-3 from the foul line. The Cats grabbed 19 rebounds, 9 offensive. They were lead by Darnell Wilks 9-3, Cashmere Wright 7-2 assists, Yancy Gates 5, Deonta Vaughn 3, Jaquon Parker 3, Lance Stephenson 2-6-3 assists, and Steve Toyloy 2.

Deonta Vaughn started the second half with a 3 pointer to put UC back in front, but it was answered by 3 Ndiaye free throws. We stayed tied until the under 16 media break, but there was lots of scoring. Gates scored on a lob from Thomas on a nice press break by Vaughn, Rosario and Jaquon Parker traded 3s, Dane Miller made 1 free throw, followed by Parker making 2 free throws, only for Jonathan Mitchell to score a basket with a foul and covert the free throw. The Knights took advantage of Cashmere Wright falling asleep at the wheel when they got an open 3 from Rosario after a high pass. It looked like the ball was going out of bounds, and Cash turned and ran, but it didn't. UC crashed the glass hard all night, as Toyloy scored on a tip in of a Thomas miss, but Coburn went right to the rim in transition to score. The 46-43 Rutgers advantage would hold through the under 12 timeout, and grow after on a Coburn long 2. It was at this point, Lance Stephenson started taking over. Stephenson scored on a nice move inside and off a tip in, around a Mitchell 2. UC was in full bomb threes mode here, but Rutgers couldn't really capitalize much. Dante Rosario got to the rim by splitting the defense, but Cash found Gates for an interior shot to start a UC run. Ibrahima Thomas scored off a turn around jumper to pull UC to within 1, 52-51. At the 7:25 mark, Lance Stephenson pulled down a rebound, went on a one man fast break, scored a lay up, was fouled, and made the free throw. On the inbound, Stephenson stole the errant pass, drove to the rim and scored with a foul. And again he made the free throw to put UC up 5. Austin Johnson scored his only 2 on a jump shot off a ball screen, a play Rutgers ran all night. But, Jaquon Parker had a personal 5-0 run by picking up a loose ball off a Cincinnati shot attempt, and by drilling a 3. That 11-2 run put UC up 62-54 with 3:31 left. Rosario and Rutgers would come back. Rosario got the line and made 1 of 2. Gates wiped that out by making 1 of 2 for UC. But, Gates would miss an easy put back on the next UC possession, allowing Mitchell to get the rebound and hit Rosario with a beautiful baseball pass, drawing a foul on his lay up attempt. He made both. Rutgers fouled Parker after the inbound, but Jaquon missed the front end of a 1-1. Rutgers missed 2 wide open three chances by Mitchell and Rosario though. But, they hung tough and drew a 5 second closely guarded call on Deonta. Beatty immediately went to the rim and the lead was 63-59 with 54.7 to go. UC broke the Rutgers press, and when Mitchell fell down, Vaughn hit Thomas for a huge lay up. Rosario made a quick lay up for Rutgers, who called their last timeout with 38.7. Vaughn got fouled on the inbound, and made both, but UC fouled Coburn as he drove, and he made both keeping the lead at 4. With 2 timeouts left, Jaquon Parker, who played great, made a stupid play by not calling timeout when he couldn't get the ball in, had the ball slip out of his hands and onto the floor, where Mitchell dove on it and was fouled by Vaughn. Mitchell made both and with 29 seconds left, it was a 2 point game. UC called 2 timeouts in a row to get a good inbound play, and they did as Vaughn was fouled with 23 to go. He missed the first free throw, and made the second. Rutgers took the inbound pass up in a hurry, and Dante Rosario hit a twisting 3 as he was trying to jump into Larry Davis for a foul. With visions of St John's and the last trip to the Garden dancing in UC fans heads, Lance Stephenson gave us visions of UConn. Lance took the ball up court, and drove hard to the rim, drawing a foul. He calmly drilled the first before Mick Cronin told him to miss the second. He did, and Rutgers three quarter court heave was short and UC survived and advanced.

Cincinnati shot 26-69 37.7%, 6-20 from deep and 11-18 at the stripe. They gathered 44 rebounds, 19 offensive. UC was lead by Stephenson 13-9-5 assists, Parker, who started in place of Bishop, 13-5, Gates 10-5, Vaughn 9, Wilks 9, Wright 7-4-3 assists, Thomas 4-13, and Toyloy 4. What a beast Ibrahima Thomas has been on the boards lately. Him and Lance Stephenson are playing great, and give a lot of hope for improvement next season. Rutgers was 22-51 43%, 9-24, 15-23 at the stripe, with 28 rebounds, 4 offensive. They had 16 assists. Rosario had 26, Mitchell 15-10, Coburn 9, Ndiaye 7-8-5 blocks, Johnson 2, and lastly but not least, Miller 1-5-8 assists. 

This was a big win. The team hadn't pulled out a close game late in a long, long time, and this was important. It's on to bigger and better things, and those things are the Louisville Cardinals. It's tournament basketball, enjoy it friends. 

Cincinnati v. Rutgers Big East Tournament Preview

Quick note: I will be live blogging the first round games tomorrow starting at 12 noon. Be here (EDIT: Sorry, I couldn't. But I will tomorrow, whether Cincinnati wins or loses)

The 11 seeded Cincinnati Bearcats meet up with the 14 seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights tonight in the Big East Tournament. The game will tip off sometime around 9:30. I'm eschewing the normal Know Your Opponent preview for something a little quicker, as Cincinnati could play up to 5 games in 5 days. I'll just break down the basics about the teams, since I made my predictions yesterday in this post. Don't worry, I'll repeat the prediction at the bottom so you don't have read that again if you don't want. In this space, we're going to highlight the top 5 in minutes, points, and rebounds for each team, as well as the leading assist man and shot blocker and what have you.

Minutes

1. Deonta Vaughn 30
2. Lance Stephenson 28.3
3. Rashad  Bishop 25.8
4. Yancy Gates 24.9
5. Cashmere Wright 17.8

Points

1. Lance Stephenson 12
2. Deonta Vaughn 11.2
3. Yancy Gates 10.5
4. Rashad Bishop 8.4
5. Ibrahima Thomas 5.7

Rebounding

1. Yancy Gates 6
2. Lance Stephenson 5.3
3. Ibrahima Thomas 4.9 
4. Rashad Bishop 4.4
5. Steve Toyloy 3.7

Assists

• Deonta Vaughn 3.5
• Lance Stephenson 2.4

Steals

• Deonta Vaughn 1.1
• Lance Stephenson 1

Blocks

• Yancy Gates 0.9

Minutes

1. Mike Rosario 33.7
2. Jonathan Mitchell 32.9
3. Hamady Ndiaye 28.1
4. Dane Miller 27.2
5. James Beatty 25.6

Scoring

1. Mike Rosario 16.4
2. Jonathan Mitchell 11.7
3. Hamady Ndiaye 9.5
4. Dane Miller 9.5
5. Mike Coburn 6.5

Rebounding

1. Hamady Ndiaye 7.1
2. Jonathan Mitchell 6
3. Dane Miller 6
4. Mike Rosario 4
5. James Beatty 2.1

Assists

• James Beatty 3.5
• James Coburn 3.3
• Dane Miller 2.3

Steals

• James Beatty 1.4
• Mike Rosario 1
• Dane Miller 1

Blocks

• Hamady Ndiaye 4.5

Notables

• Hamady Ndiaye is the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. 
• Dane Miller joined Lance Stephenson as the only two unanimous selections to the Big East All Rookie Team. 
• Cincinnati won the only meeting 65-58. Deonta Vaughn had 17, Yancy Gates 10-8, Lance Stephenson 10-6. For Rutgers, Jonathan Mitchell had 14-7, Mike Rosario 12, and Dane Miller 10-6-3 assists-2 steals.
• Hamady Ndiaye and Ibrahima Thomas are close friends.
• Cincinnati has never won a Big East Tournament game.

I think this game will be a little more high scoring than the first. Cincinnati goes dark for times on offense, but I think they will be motivated after the Georgetown disaster. At least I hope so. Rutgers hasn't broken 80 since early February, and Cincinnati hasn't since late January, so I don't expect it to be too much fireworks. Especially following Seton Hall and Providence. Curious note, both teams were drilled in their last games out. Cincinnati by Georgetown, and Rutgers by Pittsburgh.

I have a feeling that the Bearcats may take an early lead, but Rutgers will storm back. I know, what a crazy concept that is. But, I think that the Bearcats hang on and win, 70-68. 

West Virginia 74 Cincinnati 68

(AP/David Smith)

I chose the picture up top not because that was a pivotal play of the game, but because Steve Toyloy is pointing at who took over when the ball could bounce either way late. Cincinnati fell to 16-12, 7-9, Saturday, as the Mountaineers, 22-6, 11-5, out talented UC the second half. The game was swung on the 4th foul call on Yancy Gates, but that's no excuse for UC shooting 28% the second half, and having no answers on defense. Yes, the referees were fucking horrible, but UC played well with the horrible officiating for a half. It was just another case of what we've seen with Xavier, Gonzaga, Louisville, and to an extent, Syracuse, the other, more talented team, makes plays down the stretch, and Cincinnati doesn't. We are who we are this late in the season, and the result, as you are about to read I hope, is a wildly inconsistent team.

The teams started a little tight as neither scored until Devin Ebanks sunk a jumper 2 minutes in. That got the offenses rolling, and that also started a UC trend for the half. Lance Stephenson hit a wide open 3, Steve Toyloy got a put back on the UC's 3rd shot of the possession, Wellington Smith hit a 3 for WVU, Kevin Jones scored inside on a pass from Truck Bryant, and Deonta Vaughn hit a UC 3 for the under 16 timeout advantage. Neither team scored much until the under 12 timeout, West Virginia got buckets from Da'Sean Butler and an Ebanks jumper from the right elbow, and UC got an Ibrahima Thomas triple. It was around this point in the game that UC players thought they were being hacked on drives to the basket. Normally I don't make notes about this, but you couldn't help but notice the no calls and UC players complaining. Kevin Jones would hit a 3 for WVU, and UC took matters into their own hands. UC went on a 12-2 run featuring a Cashmere Wright 3, a Butler turnaround jumper for WV, Thomas hitting a pair of free throws (something he's done in back to back games for the first time in maybe his entire life), Darnell Wilks forced a turnover on a trap, and came back down and hit a 3, Yancy Gates got involved inside, Larry Davis forced a turnover that lead to Lance Stephenson lobbing a pass to the post that Gates converted into a dunk. UC started the game 4-15, but that 4-4 spurt gave them a 23-16 lead with 7:55 in the half. West Virginia would try to keep the lead close with a Bryant traditional 3 point play, Ibrahima Thomas hit another triple from off the left wing. A Cam Thoroughman long 2 was answered by a Deonta Vaughn jumper from the right elbow. Larry Davis and UC picked up the lead from there. Davis got another steal, that lead to Vaughn putting on a spin move, crossover number on Bryant and hitting an open 3 for a 31-21 lead. UC was 7-10 from 3. That was the trend mentioned earlier, I hope you caught on. UC put the lead at 12 after Stephenson took Thoroughman to the rim, got fouled, and made both free throws. Casey Mitchell tried to start a WVU run with a running right handed banker and a made free throw at 3:59, but UC pushed the lead to 13, thanks to a Rashad Bishop running left hander, and a fine piece of passing that saw the ball go from Stephenson to Bishop to Toyloy for a lay up. It was 37-24 at the 3 minute mark. The Mountaineers did what all good teams do who suddenly find themselves down 13 at home, they went on a run. After an Ibrahima Thomas over the back call, Cam Thoroughman made a pair of free throws, they stripped Rashad Bishop (not like that) leading to Bryant getting fouled by Stephenson. He would make both. At this point, Gates, Stephenson and Thomas all had 2 fouls for UC. Darnell Wilks threw a pass right to John Flowers for a lay up, the problem is that John Flowers isn't a UC player who rides the bench, he's a WVU forward. Bishop would get called for a UC travel, and UC would have another error when Dion Dixon couldn't grab a rebound, leading to Thoroughman pulling the ball in and scoring with a foul, and he made the free throw. Yes, that's another trend, West Virginia had roughly 55 and 1's the first half. Just like that, it was 37-33. UC managed to get the last basket of the half on a Toyloy lay up from Dixon, my bff, on a press break. 

The foul disparity this half, 12-3. But, UC was 14-28, 7-10 from three, 4-6 at the stripe, with 13 rebounds, 3 offensive, and 9 assists. The stat leaders were Vaughn 8-2-3 assists, Thomas 8-4 Toyloy 6, Stephenson 5-5-2 assists, Gates 4, Wilks 3, Cash 3, Davis 2 steals. The Mountaineers shot 12-27, 2-9 from deep, 7-7 at the line, with 13 rebounds, 4 offensive, 7 assists, but 7 turnovers. They were lead by Thoroughman 7, Bryant 5, Jones 5, Ebanks 4-3, Butler 4, Smith 3-2-3 assists, Mitchell 3, Jennings 2, Flowers 2-2 steals.

Half the second started well for UC, as they rolled the lead back to 10. Lance Stephenson got it going with a lay up over Kevin Jones that drew a foul, and Lance converted. Wellington Smith answered with a 3, but UC broke the 1-3-1 WVU zone with Rashad Bishop hitting a wide open Yancy Gates for a dunk. Ibrahima Thomas blocked a Da'Sean Butler shot, and that lead to UC getting the ball to Gates, who rolled in a one hander for the 10 point advantage. Truck Bryant didn't like this, and went on a personal 5-0 run with a triple and 2 free throws. Yancy Gates was called for a bullshit offensive foul, his 3rd. Ibrahima Thomas quickly picked up his 3rd the next trip down as he fouled John Flowers, who made 1 of 2. Lance Stephenson stripped Bryant and passed ahead to a wide open Deonta Vaughn for a lay up, and at the 15 minute mark, UC held the 6 point halftime advantage. UC got the lead to 8 out of the break, when Stephenson pulled in a rebound that lead to a 3 on 1 break that got Cashmere Wright 2 free throws. West Virginia got things going down 8 with 14 left. Kevin Jones hit a 3, answered by a Stephenson jumper from the left elbow, Devin Ebanks drove to the rim, drawing #4 on Ibby. Ebanks made the first, but when he missed the second, Dan Jennings got the rebound and scored. Dion Dixon got a 3 point attempt blocked by Wellington Smith, that turned into a Da'Sean Butler 3 and at 12:41, we had a 1 point game at 52-51. UC came out of the Mick Cronin called timeout with a Gates airball. We went into the under 12 with a call that pissed me off. Ebanks had the ball high on the left wing, and clearly traveled right into Cash, who was guarding him, but the call was on Cash, not a travel. The Mountaineers came out of the timeout with a Jones bucket from Ebanks to take their first lead in a while, and erase a 10 point deficit. It was telling how UC came out of a timeout with no points, and WVU scored. Cash forced up a shot that was short, leading to a run out for an Ebanks traditional 3 point play. UC would tie though on a pair of lay ups, Gates on a cherry pick, and Stephenson went around a defender to tie. Steve Toyloy missed a bunny that could have given UC the lead, and WVU would take it when Bryant made 1 of 2 on Deonta Vaughn's 4th foul at the 9 minute mark. On the rebound, Yancy Gates would be called for an absolute bullshit push off when Wellington Smith, who is shorter than Gates, fell down on the rebound. There was no contact, and UC thought the foul was on WVU. It set Mick off, and he threw his sport coat. Smith made both for a 58-56 lead. Larry Davis continued his defensive mastery with another steal that lead to Bishop getting fouled and making both. Joe Mazzula threw the ball away, and Lance took advantage by driving strong and getting fouled. He made both at 7:57, and UC had a 59-58 lead. Things would turn for the Mountaineers in winning time. Kevin Jones hit a big 3, and after both teams had turnovers, Bryant got fouled and made both for a 4 point lead. Deonta Vaughn took a deep 3 that was unnecessary, even more so when West Virginia got an Ebanks stick back. Vaughn made up for that bucket by driving and getting fouled and making both. The game could have been much different on this possession. West Virginia's Kevin Jones missed a lay up that lead to a UC run out. Larry Davis was as wide open as you are at your computer or cellular device, and missed. It was the type of shot that I'm sure Larry was thinking about on the trip home, and that when UC watches tape, they say "If only that fell." We went into the final media break at 3:19, 66-62. UC dodged a bullet when WVU got 2 shots on their next possession that ended in a Butler miss. Lance and Gates had a miscommunication on the offensive end, leading to a throw away. Stephenson really wasn't happy with Gates there. But things worked out when Thomas got a steal from Jones. Yancy Gates threw up a horrible shot that missed badly. In fact, my notes say "Gates horrible miss whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy." WVU iced the game for all intents and purposes when Jones would get a bucket and foul. He missed the free throw. Vaughn's rushed shot was short, and Thomas and Stephneson couldn't get tips to fall, leading to Butler being fouled and making 1 of 2 with a minute left. Vaughn hit a 3, but the UC press was broken for a Smith dunk that brought the house down. The scoring ended with 1 made free throw by Bryant, a Bishop 3 and 2 free throws by Ebanks. 

UC shot 23-59 39%, 9-21, 13-15, with 28 rebounds, 8 offensive, and 14 assists. UC was called for 26 fouls, only 3 in he last minute. Deonta Vaughn had a nice game 15-5-5 assists, Lance Stephenson had another stellar effort 14-9, Yancy Gates 10 points 0 rebounds. That's unacceptable. Yancy has something like 4 defensive rebounds in the last 6 games or something odd like that. Defensive rebounding is a variable and can be controlled by one or two ball hawks, but your center needs to be one. Ibrahima Thomas had a solid 8-7, Rashad Bishop 7, Steve Toyloy 6, Cashmere Wright 5, and Darnell Wilks 3. Larry Davis 3 steals and played good defense. West Virginia shot 23-54 43%, 7-19, 21-27 free throws, with 39 rebounds, 14 offensive. They committed 13 fouls. Kevin Jones had 15, Truck Bryant 14-4 assists, Devin Ebanks 12-10, Da'Sean Butler only had 8, but had 7 rebounds 5 assists, Cam Thoroughman 7, John Flowers 3-2 steals, Casey Mitchell 3, and Dan Jennings 2-4.

This was yet another one that got away. At this point of the season, this had to have stopped happening in like January. It seems like the Bearcats are floating towards the NIT or CBI. They have 2 chances to make a statement before they have to win 5 games in 5 days in the Big East tournament. It's winning time now guys. Let's see if you have it inside. 

Tomorrow is Senior Day, and I'll try to get something up on the UC players leaving tonight, or tomorrow morning with the Know Your Opponent coming around 3, or 4. Thanks for reading, and show up tomorrow night. Show your appreciation for Deonta Vaughn at least. I don't ask for much, but please show up. If you have any stories about Deonta Vaughn or Steve Toyloy, leave them in the comments, or email them. 

Cincinnati 74 DePaul 69

(Enquirer/Gary Landers)

The Bearcats got win 16, and improved to 7-8 in the Big East by downing the Blue Demons of DePaul Wednesday night. DePaul took it's 9th loss in a row, and is now 8-19, 1-14. The Bearcats really couldn't afford to lose this game, and they kinda tried to. If I'm going to highlight the positives, I have to highlight the big negative, the free throw shooting. I will in a minute because a couple Bearcats had career days, and I am going to give them their due first. Yancy Gates showed up ready to dominate, and the big man did. Yancy put in a career high 23 points on 11-15 shooting, and gobbled up 8 rebounds, 6 offensive. DePaul had no answer for him. Lance Stephenson practiced until 2 am Wednesday morning and it paid off. Lance had the best game of his career, and one of the best all around Bearcat games in a long time. Born Ready had 18 points on 7-12, 10 rebounds, 5 offensive, and 4 assists. And he dunked on Mac Koshwal's face. It was an NBA performance by the talented freshman.

To the big negative, Cincinnati was a horrific 14-32. Just think about that. If UC hit free throws, this game would have been a blow out. It was the worst I have ever seen a team shoot free throws in my life. I coached 8 year olds, and they wouldn't go 14-32 with the college lines. It was beyond pathetic. Ibrahima Thomas was 2-5, Steve Toyloy 0-1, Deonta Vaughn 2-5, Lance Stephenson 4-8, Larry Davis 3-4, Dion Dixon 1-2, Yancy Gates 1-5, and Cashmere Wright 1-2. Awful. Let's get to the game recap.

The first basket of the game spoke a lot to how this one was going to play out, as Cincinnati scored on a Steve Toyloy put back. Cincinnati would control the glass all night. UC scored the first 6, with open lay ups for Rashad Bishop and Deonta Vaughn. DePaul got their first 3 from Mac Koshwal, as the big man hit a free throw, and displayed a nice turn move for an open dunk. UC took an 8-3 lead into the first tv timeout when Ibrahima Thomas hit Yancy Gates for a bucket and a foul. Gates would miss the free throw. UC continued to hit the offensive glass, this time it was Lance Stephenson scoring on a put back. The lead stayed around 7, as we had buckets by Jeremiah Kelly, Gates, Krys Faber, a goaltend by Darnell Wilks on a breakaway lay up attempt by Kelly, a Gates free throw line jumper, and a Cashmere Wright fast break dunk when Dion Dixon tipped the ball loose to Rashad Bishop, who hit Cash with a half court bounce pass. UC lead 16-9 at that point, and built the lead to 20-11 after a Koshwal tip in for DePaul, and a Wright lay up and Bishop runner for UC. The Blue Demons would go on a run. Kelly, who averages 5 points, nailed a 3 for his 7th, and last, point. Mike Stovall iced a jumper, and after UC had a press break leading to a Gates dunk from Larry Davis, Michael Bizoukas hit a 3 to make it 22-19. Vaughn had a lay up blocked by Koshwal, leading to a Devin Hill breakaway dunk in which not a one UC player moved I don't think. The Blue Demons took the lead after Steve Toyloy dropped a pass at one end, and on the other fouled Koshwal who scored. He missed the free throw, but DePaul had a 23-22 lead at the 5 minute mark. UC would counter that run with one of their own to close the half. Lance Stephenson got to the line twice, making the first pair, and on the second pair, made the first, and missed the second, but Gates got the rebound and scored on a putback. Larry Davis hit a runner from the right baseline, Gates scored inside on a pass from Stephenson, and Larry Davis hit 2 free throws for an 11-0 Cat run. The Demons got 3 back on a Will Walker triple. The Bearcats finished on a 13-3 overall run, as Lance Stephenson ended the half with Sportscenter top play #4 by jumping over Koshwal for the dunk. It's pictured up top, and right here. UC lead 35-26 at the break.

The Demons were 11-31, 3-8 from 3, 1-3 at the stripe,  15 rebounds, 3 offensive. They were powered by Mac Koshwal 7-9, Kelly 7, Bizoukas 3-3 assists, Walker 3, Hill, Faber, Stovall 2. For the Cats, they shot 15-35, 0-5, 5-9, 29 boards, 10 offensive, with 7 assists. UC was lead by Gates 12-5, Stephenson 7-7, Cash 4-2 assists, Davis 4, Bishop 4-3-2 assists, Vaughn, Toyloy 2, Thomas 0-7.

Half two started well for UC as Dion Dixon, my best friend, made a jumper. Koshwal scored 4 quick for DePaul, but UC got them back with buckets by Stephenson on a put back, and a coast to coast lay up, in which he drew a foul, but missed the free throw, around a Toyloy inside score. Will Walker started his second half scoring by hitting a pair of free throws. Tony Freeland had a nasty putback dunk to cut the lead to 9, but UC got it to 12 at the 15:30 mark as Stephenson found Gates who scored with some harm. Walker started getting hot, as he got a lay up and hit a 3. Ibrahima Thomas shocked the world, and considering how UC shot free throws in the game, he really did, by making a pair of free throws. Yes, Ibrahima Thomas. Freeland and Gates exchanged put backs, Gates' coming on the 4th UC shot of the possession. DePaul was down 9 with 12:28, and would cut the lead. Will Walker drilled another j, and his name has to be typed out in full. Lance Stephenson scored on a turnaround jumper from the elbow, but Koshwal would score. Koshwal score again on a move that drew a foul from Toyloy, and after the made free throw, it was a 4 point game 52-48 with 10 minutes left. Dixon made 1 of 2 at the line, and Rashad Bishop hit a shot, but that was wiped away by a Faber bucket, foul, and free throw. Will Walker got to the rim easily and it was a 2 point game. UC went right back inside, and got 4 points. Steve Toyloy scored and got fouled. When he missed the free throw, Yancy Gates got the board and scored. Michael Bizoukas hit his second 3 for the last of his 5 points to cut the lead back in half with 6 minutes left. UC would stretch the lead out. Gates would hit a turnaround, get fouled, but miss the free throw. However UC saved the ball off DePaul, and Ibrahima Thomas got fouled. He missed the front end of a 1-1, but once again the Cats saved the ball off a Blue Demon, leading to Lance Stephenson hitting a step back jumper. UC kept the 63-56 lead to the 3:53 mark. UC turned on the defense, forcing a travel by Walker and Koshwal turnover, leading to Stephenson hooking Gates up for a dunk. Koshwal quickly got a traditional 3 point play to cut it to 6. DePaul seemed to be unsure to foul, because Deonta Vaughn was able to get to the basket, score and get fouled. He missed the free throw. Walker scored, but the Blue Demons seemed unsure of whether or not to foul again, leading to Stephenson scoring and getting fouled. He made the free throw. Will Walker drilled another 3, but after Cash hit 1 of 2 at the line, DePaul turned the ball over. Vaughn hit 1 of 2, but UC fouled Walker on the other end, who hit both. Vaughn would get fouled once again, and would make 1 of 2 once again, but once again UC saved the ball off DePaul. That set the record for most once agains in one sentence. Larry Davis hit 1 of 2. The scoring, and game, ended after Will Walker made 3 free throws after Lance fouled him sillily on a 3 attempt.

Let's give DePaul credit. Their kids play really hard. They don't have a ton of talent outside of Walker, and Koshwal, but they do their best. Koshwal was really good, and had 19-12. Will Walker had 3 in the first half, but exploded for 21 in the second for his 24. DePaul shot 24-46 40.6%, 6-17 35.3%, 11-13 84.6%, with 31 rebounds, 10 offensive. Jeremiah Kelly had 7, Michael Bizoukas 6, Krys Faber 5-7, Tony Freeland 4-4, Devin Hill and Mike Stovall had 2. Cincinnati shot 30-59 50.8%, 0-9, 14-32 43.8%, with 44 rebounds, 16 offensive. Gates and Stephenson were highlighted up top, Deonta Vaughn, Steve Toyloy and Rashad Bishop had 6, Larry Davis and Cashmere Wright 5, Dion Dixon 3, and Ibrahima Thomas 2. But, Ibrahima had 10 rebounds. UC had 2 double digit rebounders for the first time since the Vanderbilt game.

This was an important game in the sense that UC couldn't lose, and they didn't. It wasn't the most impressive game, or the best to watch, but it was win 16, and that's all that matters. Now it's onto Morgantown to meet West Virginia and their coach who seems vaguely familiar. Let's see that Lance picture again. Thanks for the great shot Enquirer and Gary Landers.

Bearcats dump Blue Demons

I just really like that DePaul logo. Cincinnati improved to 16-11, 7-8, with a 74-69 win over 8-19, 1-14 DePaul. Yancy Gates and Lance Stephenson had career days, and UC might have set a school record for worst free throw shooting ever. Gates had a career high 23 points to go with 8 rebounds. Lance went off for 18-10-4 assists. Great effort from those 2. Ibrahima Thomas grabbed 10 rebounds, and UC had 44. The Bearcats let the Demons hang around by shooting 14-32 at the free throw line. That's right. We'll break this down more in the recap tomorrow. DePaul played hard tonight. Will Walker had 24, and I believe 21 in the second half. Mac Koshwal had 19-12 as well. This game wasn't pretty, wasn't very fun to watch, but it was a win. And it will end with an amazing recap tomorrow that you should all read. Probably twice. We needed this one, and we got it. That's all that matters.

Marquette 79 Cincinnati 76 OT

(Enquirer)

Normally in this space, I write a little recap of how the game ended, and who the stars were. Not today. This was the biggest game of the season for the Bearcats. It was also one of the most disappointing. It was also a microcosm of the season. The Bearcats did some things well, and did some things badly. The end of the first half, phenomenal. In the end, it was the things that they did badly that cost them. They fell in love with the 3. They missed a ton of free throws, 8-16. They had defensive breakdowns at key times late. They stood around on offense. No one stepped up to take charge. And finally, coaching was an issue. I am a Mick fan, I've said it before, but I can't justify not playing Yancy Gates at the end of regulation. I don't know why you don't go offense/defense with him. I don't know why after he dominated against a small Marquette front court, 14 points, 6-9 shooting, 2-2 free throws, he rode the bench the last 7 minutes. Lazar Hayward had 4 fouls, and probably wouldn't have challenged. UC has run plays for Gates in close games, but Yancy doesn't see the floor. He played only 22 minutes. I like Ibrahima Thomas, but he's not a low post threat. At the end of the game, Marquette wasn't worried about him scoring. With Gates in the game, you damn well know Marquette is going to sag the post, which could only help get a better shot. Yancy Gates was finally playing like the monster that we know he can be on offense, and yet he sits for whatever reason. And you know what? I'm not sure that I care what Mick has to say about it. I understand wanting to play 3 guards at the end, but why not 3 guards, Bishop and Gates? I don't get it. It wasn't Mick's fault that Rashad Bishop leaves his feet and gives Hayward an open look to tie. It's not Mick's fault, but it partially is, for Dion Dixon and Deonta Vaughn getting confused, when Marquette was inbounding the ball with 15 seconds left in overtime, and leaving Jimmy Butler wide open for a breakaway dunk. It's not Mick's fault that Deonta Vaughn missed an open 3 off the right wing to tie at the end of overtime. This was a loss we couldn't take, in a way we couldn't take it. Let's break it down.

Deonta Vaughn got a rare start on the bench today. As the ESPN Full Court announcers, and Anthony Buford, told us, it was a coaches decision. Cashmere Wright ended up in the lineup. The scoring started when Steve Toyloy threw a pass to Darius Johnson-Odom, who plays for Marquette, and JO, as I'm calling him now, took it for a lay up. Ibrahima Thomas made a pair of free throws, JO made a 3, and my best friend Dion Dixon drilled a 3 to leave us 5-5 at 15:36. Larry Davis and Lazar Hayward traded triples, but Dixon accounted for the next 3 on a free throw after an offensive rebound, and an assist to Rashad Bishop. Jimmy Butler made a traditional 3 point play as we went back and forth. A Yancy Gates turnaround j was met by a JO 3. Gates free throws were followed by a Davis 3, and down 18-14 with 12:15 left in the half, that's where Marquette made a run. With the Cats playing zone, Joseph Fulce nailed a 3 and a lay up off an airballed 3 point attempt where Gates was late getting back. Dixon had a shot blocked by Butler, and Maurice Acker raced down court and drew a foul, making both shots. Jimmy Butler nailed a 3 right in front of Toyloy, who hesitated in the zone. Butler followed that by drawing a foul on Toyloy, and making both shots. With UC forcing shots, Johnson-Odom hit a 3, followed by a runner to cap the Marquette 17-0 run. The lead was up to 31-18, and shades of last year were dancing in the air. But, the Bearcats turned it around. In the last 6:40, UC played their best basketball of the season. Larry Davis drilled a 3 off a Thomas steal of Hayward. Another turnover lead to a Dixon lay up. A Dixon steal of a thrown away pass by JO lead to a Deonta Vaughn jumper from the left wing. JO threw up an airball that turned into a Dixon triple causing a Marquette timeout. Jimmy Butler had his shot attempt blocked by Rashad Bishop that lead to the only UC miss, a Cash jumper. But, Yancy Gates gathered the rebound, scored, and pulled UC to down 1. After an Acker miss, Dixon hit Bishop for a lay up that gave UC the lead at the 2:46 timeout. Marquette broke the 14-0 run with 2 free throws by Hayward, but UC retook the lead with a Bishop 3. After a couple Marquette misses, and Deonta missing a pair of free throws, Cash came flying down the lane and hit Gates with a beautiful behind the back pass for a wide open dunk bringing the house down. David Cubillan threw a pass right to Dixon, who fed Cash for a lay up, putting the lead at 39-33. The last shot of the half by Fulce was blocked by Gates, and UC went into intermission with that lead on a 21-2 run. I'm not lying when I say that was the best they looked. Great defense, great hustle, great teamwork, great shot selection. It was interesting that there was no Lance Stephenson the first half. Lance played about 6 minutes I would guess. The lineup was mainly Vaughn, Bishop, Davis, Dixon, with Thomas, and Gates switching and Cash getting run at point. 

Marquette was 10-24, 6-13 deep, 7-7 free throws, 11 rebounds, 3 offensive. They were lead by Johnson-Odom's 13, Jimmy Butler's 8-2 steals, Lazar Hayward's 5, Joseph Fulce's 5-3, and Maurice Acker's 2-3. UC shot 14-26, 6-9, 5-8, with 15 boards 5 offensive. UC had 12 assists on their 14 shots. Outstanding. The Cats were lead by Dion Dixon's 9-3-3 assists, Larry Davis' 9, Yancy Gates' 8-2, Rashad Bishop's 7-2, and Ibrahima Thomas, Cashmere Wright, and Deonta Vaughn all had 2-2, with Vaughn tossing in 3 assists. From deep, Davis was 3-5, Dixon 2-2 and Bishop 1-1. Who saw that coming? 

Marquette came out the locker room on a mission. Gates started the half with a jumper, but Johnson-Odom answered with a traditional three point play. A Dixon 3 was answered by a JO 2. A Gates 2 answered by a Cubillan 3. Gates would block an Acker shot, but Jimmy Butler got the loose ball and scored. JO got to the rim, and at the under 16 break, it was 46-45 UC. The teams traded buckets until the 11 minute mark, with Bishop and Vaughn scoring a jumper and a lay up respectively, Butler with another Eagle traditional 3 point play, Steve Toyloy getting a dunk off a spin move assist by Vaughn, 2 Butler free throws, Lance Stephenson's only jumper and points, and finally a Fulce lay up. 54-52 was the score with 11:06 on the clock, and the UC lead wouldn't last long. Davis drilled a long 2, Fulce got a tip in off a Hayward miss. Charges by Cash and Butler, and a missed 3 by Dixon set the stage for a Maurice Acker 3 for the Marquette lead, 57-56, with 9:35 left. The offenses went stagnant for a couple minutes until Gates got a tip in off a Dixon miss, off a Davis steal from Butler. Fulce, who came into the game averaging 3 points, hit a jumper, and after Davis hot shotted a pass through Bishop's hands, got a bucket from a Butler offensive rebound. That was the last of Fulce's crucial 13. Cincinnati called a timeout at that point, with 7 minutes to go down 3, 61-58. Yancy Gates and Lance Stephenson didn't play another minute. In fact, only Wright, Davis, Dixon, Bishop, Vaughn and Thomas played from here out. Neither team scored for a minute and a half, when Davis hit Bishop with a great pass for a lay up to start a UC run. Vaughn went hard to the rim for 2, and Thomas sprinted back after a Hayward miss to get a lay up on a good outlet from Vaughn. UC lead 64-61 with 3:53 left. The defenses stiffened for the next 2 minutes. David Cubillan stepped up to nail a 3 with 1:39 on the clock to tie the score. The Cats answered back with a bad 3 by Cash, but a right place, right time rebound and put back by Davis. Cubillan would miss a subsequent shot. With the ball out of bounds, UC for some reason had Ibrahima Thomas in the game, and in the back court. Of course Ibby was left open because he's a shitty foul shooter. He made 1 of 2 with 43 seconds left. Marquette ran a screen and pop to get the ball to Hayward. Hayward hadn't scored in the half, but got Bishop to jump on a pump fake, and drilled a 3 with 27.5 left. Inexcusable play by Rashad. I wrote at length about not having Gates in the game up top, and UC could have used him, because the shot they got off was a Bishop 3. Of course it was no good because it was a Bishop 3. 

UC won the overtime tip, but in a precursor, had an over and back violation. Hayward and Thomas exchanged buckets, and Butler and Thomas exchanged 1 of 2s at the charity stripe. The turning point came with 2 minutes left. Lazar Hayward dropped a 3. Deonta would badly miss a rushed 3, but Butler would get blocked by Thomas. Cash made a great move past Cubillan, or Acker, but blew an open lay up. Like he missed by 2 feet. Bishop got the rebound, but made, guess what 1 of 2. Marquette took a timeout with 45 seconds left, 11 on the shot clock. The play got Jimmy Butler a lay up attempt, but Bishop fouled him. Butler made both with 38 seconds left, exactly what we needed from Ibby in regulation. UC wasted 17 seconds by standing around and dribbling before Vaughn hit Bishop for a lay up. UC trapped Hayward on the sideline in front of the UC coaches, and was forced to call time with 17 seconds. UC looked in a disarray on the Marquette stack play. As the announcer, clearly a Marquette guy, said "Butler is going long," Butler went long. Dixon, maybe Vaughn if they were supposed to switch, got caught on a pick, leaving Butler wide open and Hayward hit him for a dunk. UC got a Bishop 3 with 7.7 left though. This where that wasted, let's say 12 seconds, killed. Acker was fouled and calmly drilled both. UC ran a clever play where they inbounded to Thomas at half court, who flipped to Cash. Cash dribbled to the left wing and when he got pressured, he passed over to Deonta on the right wing. Deonta caught, had an open look, and missed. Ballgame. #5 has got to make that. Another poor shooting day, 3-8, 0-3, 0-2, on an otherwise strong day for Vaughn. And boy was it costly.

All credit to the Marquette Golden Eagles. If it appears I have slighted them in any way, I didn't mean to. They played strong, and focused, and never faltered. I have said it the past few weeks, this is a tournament team. The Eagles shot 26-57 45.6%, 11-27 40.7%, 16-17 94%. They gathered 33 boards, 9 offensive. They outrebounded UC 21-16 the second half and OT. Leading the Golden Eagles were Jimmy Butler 20-7-3, Darius Johnson-Odom 20, Lazar Hayward 13-11, Joseph Fulce 13-5, Maurice Acker 7-4-6 assists, and David Cubillan 6, both daggers. 

UC finished 30-63 47.6%, 8-20 40%, 8-16 50%, with 31 rebounds, 12 offensive. UC had 20 assists. Rashad Bishop lead the way with 17-5, Yancy Gates had 14-2 blocks in 22 minutes, Larry Davis had 13-3 assists, Dion Dixon 12-3-3 assists-2 steals, Ibrahima Thomas 8-6, Deonta Vaughn 6-7-6 assists, Cashmere Wright 2-3-4 assists, and Steve Toyloy and Lance Stephenson both had 2, and both played 11 minutes. Great efforts by the bench, as Gates, Vaughn, Davis and Dixon came of it. Davis and Dixon had great 1st halves, but had nothing the second half. Especially my best friend. They played hard, all of them. 

At the end of the day, I don't know what to think about this team. I don't imagine the last 3 turning out well, and like the commenter JFK said, I have no idea how they are going to come out Wednesday night against DePaul. And at this point, who does? 

South Florida 65 Cincinnati 57

(Tampa Tribune/Chris Urso)

In another typical dismal road effort, the South Florida Bulls (16-9, 6-7) beat down the Cincinnati Bearcats (15-10, 6-7) 65-57. And it wasn't even that close. I was optimistic that this team had turned the road corner, and thought that this late in the season, 2 weeks after getting humiliated on the road against Notre Dame, that Cincinnati would have the road woes straightened out. Turns out, I was wrong. The Bearcats had a late flurry to cut the margin to something a more respectable. I am on the record of saying that we shouldn't look ahead, and I'm keeping with that. Sunday afternoon against Marquette is the biggest game of the season. It's not a must win because the season isn't on the line, but it's the next closest thing. Let's not skim over this one though, as nice as that would be. First off, South Florida played hard, and made all the plays necessary to win. Their zone had UC baffled, and they made shots. I hope that they can string together another streak, and make a run at the NCAAs. It's the underdog champion in me. The Bulls were lead by, of course, Dominique Jones. Jones poured in 26 on just 12 shots, because he made 10-12 free throws. He also had 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Mike Mercer had 12-2 steals. Augustus Gilchrist (pictured) was rusty in his second game back, but had 10-6. Anthony Crater had 9 off the bench. Chris Howard had 4 points, but 7 assists. The other 4 were scored by Toarlyn Fitzpatrick. UC was lead by Deonta Vaughn. The senior scored most of his points late, and finished with 14-2 assists-2 steals. Cashmere Wright had 14, 11 in the second half, and 5 boards. Ibrahima Thomas had 5-7 rebounds, but every board in the first half. Darnell Wilks had 5 in garbage time. Rashad Bishop put in 6. Lance Stephenson scored 4, all coming early, and only played 20 minutes. Dion Dixon and Yancy Gates had 3, Jaquan Parker 2, and Steve Toyloy 1 to go with 5 rebounds. 

The first 12 minutes set basketball back 80 years, as AstroBull kindly said on twitter. The game started with a jumper by Stephenson, and a 3 by Jones. The 2 trash talked nearly the whole first half. Rashad Bishop made a jumper, and USF got 1 free throw from Chris Howard and 1 from Jones to take a 5-4 at 15:45. Cashmere Wright scored off a lay up out of the timeout. The teams went into a prolonged slump. UC missed bunnies, and USF missed mainly jumpers. There were shot clock violations, airballs, wild passes and a couple turnovers. USF scored at the 13 minute mark with a Mike Mercer j, that was quickly answered with Yancy Gates' only basket. Steve Toyloy threw a pass right to Anthony Crater, who scored a lay up. The 9-8 score at 11:15 was highlighted by UC going 4-14, 0-3, 0-2 at the stripe, and USF going 3-7, 1-2, 2-4 with 3 turnovers. It was worse than it looks. Crater scored again after the break, leading to a pathetic sequence. Gates would be blocked by Alex Rivas, USF turnover, UC turnover, Gus Gilchrist had a great upfake, losing Thomas, but blew the dunk, and Dion Dixon dropped the rebound out of bounds. Dom Jones scored after that. Deonta Vaughn stepped on the timeline for a turnover, USF threw away the inbound pass, Jaquan Parker traveled, and Lance Stephenson couldn't grab a rebound and flipped the ball right to Anthony Crater, who passed to Mike Mercer for 3. Truly terrible basketball. UC went from the 12:29 mark to 7:10 without a basket before Jaquan Parker scored a lay up. At the 6:54 break, it was 15-10. Out of the break, 20% 3 shooter Mercer would hit another trey. UC went zone after this for I believe the rest of the game. UC got the points back on an Ibrahima Thomas basket and foul. Lance hit 2 free throws to make it a 3 point game, 18-15. USF got the next 4 on a Mercer j from the elbow, and 2 Jones free throws. UC went on a 7 point run with a Toyloy free throw, a Vaughn 3, a Thomas j and a Cash free throw to tie the score at 22. Crater made the last field goal of the half, and Gates scored the last point of the half on a free throw, giving us a 24-23 score. UC was 8-24, 1-6, a horrible 6-13, with 15 rebounds, 8 offensive, and 6 turnovers. They were lead by Thomas 5-7(5 offensive) Lance 4, 2 fouls, 3 Vaughn, Gates, Wright, 2 Parker, 1 Toyloy. USF was 9-23, 2-6, 4-6, 15 rebounds 5 offensive, 7 turnovers. Lead by Mercer 9, Jones 7-4, Crater 6, Howard 2-4 assists.

USF jumped on UC right from the whistle to start the half. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick scored the first non-guard points for USF. Gilchrist nailed a 3, probably the shot pictured, causing a UC timeout. Jones would hit a jumper, and get a steal from Gates into a break away lay up that put him 5th all time in USF scoring, and the Bulls up 10 at the 15:52 mark. UC's possessions were  

1. A Mercer steal of Stephenson
2. Stephenson taking a bad shot, followed by a Thomas missed put back
3. Vaughn throwing away the inbound pass after the timeout at 17:51
4. An offensive foul by Ibrahima
5. A Stephenson turnover
6. A Vaughn airball

Cash came out of the break with a lay up off a Gates steal for the Cats first basket of the half at 15:30. UC hadn't scored a field goal in 6:30 of game time, and had just 1 point in that frame. Jones hit 1 of 2 at the line at 15:25 and more ugliness set in. Stephenson and Jones threw away passes. Cash took a wild lay up that hit the top of the backboard. USF would travel. Dixon and Gates would miss. Jones would miss. Deonta Vaughn missed a lay up that started a USF breakout for Crater to put USF up 11, 36-25 at 12:50. Cash would bank home a runner for UC's second basket of the half, but the zone defense was broken for a wide open dunk for Gilchrist off a Howard pass. Dion Dixon came down and threw a pass right to Alex Rivas. Fitzpatrick would draw a foul for USF, and it was a 38-27 game with 11:27 left. The teams combined for 24 turnovers at this point. Fitzpatrick made both the free throws off the timeout for a 13 point lead. Dixon hit a jumper from the elbow for UC, but USF got the points back off free throws. Mercer hit only 1 of 2, but Gates dropped the rebound out of bounds. Jones,fouled on the inbound play, made 1 of 2. He got hot with that. He hit a jumper, 2 free throws, and a press breaking lay up around a made free throw by Dixon and Wright. The lead was 18. UC had a mini-run, with a Bishop dunk, Wright put back, Bishop jumper, and a Dixon steal where he went to the floor to flip the ball to Wright for a lay up. USF had a Gilchrist free throw after the Bishop dunk. UC blew a couple of chances to make things interesting quickly. Wright got a steal, but threw the ball away. Wright got a rebound off a subsequent Jones missed 3, sent an outlet to a cherry picking Ibrahima Thomas, but Thomas lost the ball while waiting for a flying USF player to go by before he went for his lay up. That sequence was fitting of the blown opportunities. At 3:44, it was 50-39. Crater fired a pass to Howard, who hit a reverse lay up, out of the break. Vaughn, who finally woke up, hit 2 free throws, then Gilchrist hit 2 fts, then Vaughn made a lay up and drew a foul for a 54-44 score with 2:44 left. USF broke the UC press easily with a Crater to Mercer lay up. Vaughn was fouled and hit 1 of 2. Dominique Jones dribbled out nearly the whole shot clock, and managed to shake Dixon for an open 3 that sent up a big "USF" chant from the crowd. The game ended with a Gilchrist dunk from a Jones pass off a press break, 2 Vaughn free throws, 1 Crater free throw, 2 Wright fts, 2 Jones fts, a Darnell Wilks 3, 1 Jones ft, and a Wilks put back.

UC shot 19-49, 3-11, 16-26, grabbing 28 rebounds, 14 offensive, with FOUR assists against 15 turnovers. USF was 21-43, 4-10, 19-26, with 23 boards, 8 offensive, 13 assists, 15 turnovers. 

All in all, a truly awful UC performance. At no point in the second half did anyone but the most homeriffic UC fan think they had a chance to win. There was no fire. There was no determination. No one stepped up when the going was tough and made things happen. Deonta scored 9 straight at the end, but come on man, you need to do that in the middle of the game. Where was that at the 12 minute mark? UC got nothing from the front court, nothing from Lance. Cash played well off the bench, which was the only positive. Thomas rebounded well in the first half, which is half a positive. I want to talk about what Mick said after the game, but that might come later today or Thursday. 

2 final thoughts. 

1. I don't know what kind of offense this team runs. A new assistant needs to be hired in the offseason to install an offense. Guys standing around dribbling doesn't work. No one looks inside. No one looks for anyone off the wing. Everyone looks out for themselves. 4 fucking assists is pathetic. This team can't shoot, so maybe that had something to do with it, but share the ball.

2. I don't know what kind of mental toughness this team has. They pretty much folded, besides an 8-1 run when USF took the foot off the pedal. They don't show up on the road for 40 minutes. UAB, Notre Dame, and last night were no shows. Seton Hall, St John's, and Louisville were partial efforts. But, all 6 of those games were losses. The only road game they played tough in the whole way though was Xavier. And in that game, like St John's, they couldn't close out a late lead and blew it. I really don't know what this team is.