Cincinnati 69 Louisville 66

F

How can you not love that picture? Lance Stephenson and Bearcat celebrating after a hard fought victory over Louisville in the second round of the Big East tournament is the stuff March is made of. It was a great, great win for the Bearcats, and one of the reasons that basketball is so much fun. Not only is it so much fun, but it's March, and the fun is taken to a higher level. A higher level is exactly what the Bearcats played at in the second half against Louisville Wednesday night. Let's get right into the recap.

Things didn't start so well for the Bearcats. Edgar Sosa scored the first 5 on a lay up and NBA 3, before Deonta Vaughn scored an NBA 3 of his own. Sosa hit a long 2 that Yancy Gates would follow with a put back. It was the first of many, many UC offensive rebounds. Terrence Jennings made a tough shot in the lane for Louisville, to be followed by an Ibrahima Thomas follow for UC. Sosa once again got to the rim, giving Louisville a 11-7 at the under 16. Darnell Wilks entered the game and knocked down a triple for the Bearcats, only to be countered when Reginald Delk scored 5 of his own off a pair of free throws and three. The 16-10 lead held to the under 12. Out of the break, Peyton Siva got a steal, raced up the floor and dropped a pass back for a Jennings jam. Cincinnati kept jacking up jump shots, namely 3s, but Wilks hit another one to cut the lead to 5. Lance Stephenson followed by getting fouled and making a pair of free throws. Preston Knowles made his only shot of the game, a 3 pointer, to push the lead back up. Stephenson was able to score on a beautiful reverse lay up, but Louisville came back with a Siva pass to Delk on the baseline for a lay up. Siva stripped Stephenson on the next trip, found Knowles who found Delk wide open for a 3 and a 26-17 Cards lead. UC was forced to call timeout. Out of the break, Larry Davis found Gates under the basket for 2, but Louisville got it back on a Rock Buckles follow of a Knowles miss. Wilks scored on a UC put back, but UC gave up more points when Buckles found Delk open for 3. At 6:53, Louisville lead 31-21. Gates drew a foul before the timeout, and after made both foul shots. He was immediately taken off the dribble by Samardo Samuels though. Jaquon Parker followed that action, with a good play and a freshman play. The good, a lay up high off the glass over Samuels on UC's third shot. The bad, he blew a 3 on 2 break by driving right in the middle of the 2 defenders, getting stripped by Knowles and losing the ball out of bounds. Sosa got the lead back to 10 by driving and dishing off to Samuels for a dunk. The lead went to 12 after the under 4 timeout, as Sosa made 2 free throws. Cincinnati missed about 3 tip ins on their next trip, but were able to score with a Thomas bucket after holding Louisville. Cashmere Wright drew a foul, but made 1 of 2. UC blew more easy points when Ibby couldn't convert a bunny off a behind the back pass from Stephenson. Louisville followed that with a Sosa 3 off an offensive rebound. UC got a Thomas dunk from Wilks as the last field goal of the half. The remaining points were scored by 1 Sosa free throw, and 2 Vaughn free throws for a 41-32 Louisville advantage.

The Bearcats were 11-41, 3-11 from deep, but 7-8 at the free throw line, with 20 rebounds, 11 offensive. Darnell Wilks led the way again in the first half with 8, Ibrahima Thomas 6-5, Yancy Gates 6, Deonta Vaughn 5, Lance Stephenson 4, Jaquon Parker 2, Cashmere Wright 1. For Louisville, the Cards shot 15-29, 6-9, 5-6 at the stripe, with 16 rebounds, 5 offensive. Louisville had 9 assists. Edgar Sosa powered the Cardinals with 15, Reginald Delk 13, Terrence Jennings 4-4, Samardo Samuels 4-3, Preston Knowles 3, Rock Buckles 2, and Peyton Siva had 4 assists.

Yancy Gates scored the first 2 of the half for the Cats, but Edgar Sosa hit a 3 and a 2 for the Cardinals, putting them up 12. That seemed to wake Cincinnati up. Deonta Vaughn hit a 3, Gates got a cherry pick lay up from Parker after a wild Sosa lay up attempt, and Gates got a cherry pick dunk from Vaughn after a terrible Sosa pass intended for Jennings. It was 46-41 at 15:09. Gates added 2 more free throws to complete his 6-0 run, before Stephenson drove the lane, kicked back to Thomas for an open jumper to complete Cincinnati's 11-0 run to cut the lead to 1. Samardo Samuels made 1 of 2 free throws for the Cards to push the lead back to two. But Stephenson drove inside to tie the score. Louisville got their first basket in 6:15 on a Samuels dunk from Sosa to retake the lead. Stephenson had a lay up attempt blocked excellently by Delk, and the Cards took advantage as Jared Swopshire found Samuels for another dunk. The Cats answered back with Stephenson getting to the rim, and Stephenson finding Wilks for a dunk and a foul at 9:48. Out of the media break, Wilks missed the free throw. But Cincinnati would take the lead on a Jaquon Parker put back, 53-51. Samuels scored over Gates on a hook shot that rattled home to tie again. Cincinnati retook the lead as we went into the under 8 timeout as Cash drove to the basket, scored, and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but Parker stole away the rebound. UC ended up turning the ball over, but Parker's effort was great to see. And he wasn't finished. Peyton Siva was stripped by Parker, who threw ahead to Lance Stephenson for a dunk. Parker then stole an offensive rebound away from Kyle Kuric on a Wilks airball, scored and was fouled. It was all effort on Jaquon's part, and he drilled the free throw for a 7 point lead, 60-53. That capped a 25-7 Cincinnati run. Out of a Louisville timeout, Samuels drew a foul, and made both shots. Lance Stephenson was bumped a little as UC tried running their motion, and fell down. While he bitched at the official, Sosa canned an open 3. UC got some momentum back with a Wilks follow on a offensive rebound. Wilks forced Samuels into a tough shot while playing great man to man defense, and when Samuels fell, Gates raced up the floor for UC, letting the Cats take advantage of the numbers with a dunk. Edgar Sosa cut the lead to 64-61 with 3:19 left on a 3 pointer. UC's toughness on the night was apparent for the next minute, as they missed 2 shots, but got both of the rebounds. One was thanks to Jared Swopshire going up one handed and batting the ball, instead of using 2 hands, allowing Parker to take it down. Parker was tremendous. UC couldn't get a third shot up. Mick Cronin called a timeout and reinserted Deonta Vaughn, who did not play much during the UC run, it was all Parker, Wright, Stephenson, Wilks, Thomas and Gates. Vaughn had the ball near the time line, got double teamed, turned and tried throwing a pass. The bad thing was Preston Knowles hand was right there, and he forced a steal, got the ball to Sosa, who raced down, drew a foul, and scored a lay up with 1:45 left. Sosa missed though. Jaquon Parker drew a foul on Knowles, but only made the front end of a 1-1. Knowles came down for Louisville and missed a long 3 pointer, but Samuels was able to tip the ball back out, only for Cash to chase it down. A bullet dodged. For some reason, with 57 seconds left, Sosa fouled Cash. Cash missed the front end, causing a rash of f bombs in UC fans homes. The Cardinals shot was taken by Jared Swopshire, who short armed a 12 footer from the left wing, causing a rash of f bombs from UofL fans. Especially since Delk was wide open. Lance Stephenson wanted the ball, and with 29.7 left, he got it. Lance made both free throws for a 4 point lead. Sosa raced down and took a wild NBA 3 that missed. Stephenson grabbed the rebound and was fouled again. This time, he missed both. Delk hit a Louisville 3 with 9.7 seconds left. UC got the ball in to Deonta Vaughn. Vaughn wasn't immediately fouled, and almost traveled. The foul came with 5.9 seconds left. The senior calmly nailed both and iced the game on defense. Sosa took the pass and seemed like he was expecting to be fouled from halfcourt on. When he went up for a shot high off the left wing, Vaughn stripped him, and UC took the victory, 69-66.

Cincinnati shot 25-72 34.7%, 4-18, 15-22 from the stripe, with 46 rebounds, 21 offensive. Jaquon Parker had 8 points, 9 rebounds, 7 offensive. Yancy Gates 16-5, Lance Stephenson 12-4-3, Darnell Wilks 12-7,  Deonta Vaughn 10, Ibrahima Thomas 8-8, and Cashmere Wright 2-5. Louisville was 24-55 43.6%, 10-18, 8-14 at the stripe, with 29 rebounds, 8 offensive. They were led by Edgar Sosa, 28-6, but 3-8 at the stripe, Reginald Delk 16, Samardo Samuels 13, Terrence Jennings 4-5, Preston Knowles 3, and Rock Buckles 2.

It was a great game, probably the best of the Big East tournament. Cincinnati showed so much heart, so much determination, so much desire the second half. They weren't going to lose, and they forced Louisville into their game. It was the best half Cincinnati played this season. I was proud watching them play that second half. Some of you can bitch and ask where this was all season, and while that's your incentive, and fair, you should chill out and enjoy the ride. The team has played hard the last 2 days, and they've won. Darnell Wilks has been out of this world the past 2 games. I don't know where this came from, but I'm glad it's here. And I'm even more glad we get to play tomorrow.

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. 

Big East Breakdown

The Big East season is in full swing. Everyone has played 8 games, except Louisville, West Virginia and UConn who played 7, and Georgetown who played 9. I figure we look at who everyone beat, who beat them, who they have for the next 5 conference games, their chances on winning the regular season, conference tournament and making the NCAA. It'll be easier than it sounds.

1. Villanova Wildcats 8-0. 19-1
Key Players: Scottie Reynolds 18.7 pts 3.3 assts. Corey Fisher 13.3 pts 4.3 asst. Antonio Pena 10.8 pts 7.6 rbs
Who They Beat: Marquette (2), Louisville, DePaul, Georgetown, Rutgers, St John's, Notre Dame
Who Beat Them: No one
Who's Next: Seton Hall, @Georgetown, @West Virginia, Providence, UConn
Regular Season Champ %: 74. They travel to Pitt and Syracuse as well as the games above. They have tough sledding ahead.
B.E Tournament Champ%: 78.
NCAA %: 100. Only an injury or a severe fade keeps the Wildcats out

2. Syracuse Orange 7-1. 20-1
Key Players: Wesley Johnson 17.1 pts 9 rbs. Andy Rautins 10.6 pts 5.2 assts Kris Joseph 10.2 pts 5.1 rbs

Who They Beat: Seton Hall, South Florida, Rutgers, West Virginia, Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown

Who Beat Them: Pittsburgh

Who's Next: @DePaul, Providence, @Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville

Regular Season Champ %: 84. I really like this Orange team. They play together great, and they lock down defensively. I think Wes Johnson is the best player in the Big East. 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 83. I think right now they are the favorites to do what Louisville did last year. However, I don't think it will happen

NCAA %: 100. Same reason as above

3. Pittsburgh Panthers 6-2. 16-4

Key Players: Ashton Gibbs 17.1 pts 2.9 rbs. Brad Wanamaker 12.8 pts 6.6 rbs 4.3 assts Gilbert Brown 9.7 pts 3.6 rbs

Who They Beat: DePaul, Syracuse, Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville, St John's

Who Beat Them: Georgetown, Seton Hall

Who's Next: @South Florida, @WVU, Seton Hall, WVU, @Marquette

Regular Season Champ %: 72. Pitt might have played their best basketball of the season, but there is a chance they could get 8 more wins in conference. They have proved that were better than everyone thought coming into the season.

B.E Tournament Champ%: 62. I don't think this is the type of team that could make a run in MSG

NCAA %: 96. They have some good wins, and they should make it

4. West Virginia Mountaineers 5-2. 16-3

Key Players: Da'Sean Butler 15.9 pts 6.4 rbs 3.5 assts. Kevin Jones 14.1 pts 7.8 rbs. Devin Ebanks 11.5 pts 8 rbs

Who They Beat: Seton Hall, Marquette, Rutgers, South Florida, DePaul

Who Beat Them: Notre Dame, Syracuse

Who's Next: Louisville, Pittsburgh, @St Johns, Villanova, @Pittsburgh

Regular Season Champ %: 66. The schedule toughens up on Hugg's boys. The lack of a point guard has hurt them in all their losses, and I think it's going to hurt their chances of winning the regular season.

B.E Tournament Champ%: 70. This is the type of team that could be a nightmare in the BET

NCAA %: 95. They have a nice resume, and shouldn't drop that many BE games to make it an issue. How long they last in the tournament is another story.

5. Georgetown Hoyas 6-3. 15-4

Key Players: Andy Freeman 16 pts 3.9 rbs. Greg Monroe 14.8 pts 10.1 rbs. Chris Wright 14.6 pts 4.2 assts

Who They Beat: St John's, DePaul, UConn, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, Rutgers 

Who Beat Them: Marquette, Villanova, Syracuse

Who's Next: South Florida, Villanova, @Providence, @Rutgers, Syracuse

Regular Season Champ %: 69. There's a chance they could run the table. They play @Louisville, and @WVU though. There's also a chance they could not score, and they could lose to anyone. 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 60. I don't like this squad to pull off a run like that.

NCAA %: 93. They beat Temple and Butler non conference, and they'll finish above .500 in the BE, which should be enough. 

6. Louisville Cardinals 4-3. 13-7

Key Players: Samardo Samuels 15.9 pts 7.6 rbs. Edgar Sosa 13.9 pts 3.8 assts. Preston Knowles 8.8 pts 3.8 rbs

Who They Beat: South Florida, Providence, St John's, Cincinnati

Who Beat Them: Villanova, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall

Who's Next: @WVU, UConn, Rutgers, @St John's, @Syracuse

Regular Season Champ %: 9. The odds fall off the charts after Georgetown. The middle of the conference is good, do not get me wrong. But they can't afford to slip up the rest of the way to catch Nova and Syracuse. 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 20. Louisville jumped out to big leads on Nova and Pitt, and with their pressure they could pull off the 4 day sweep. However, they lost to Nova and Pitt, so they could lose day 1. 

NCAA %: 64. Louisville doesn't really have much in the resume, but I think they are a little better than the rest of the Big East, and will find a way to make it in the Big Dance.

7. Cincinnati Bearcats 4-4. 13-7

Key Players: We know who they are, we can skip this part

Who They Beat: UConn, Rutgers, Notre Dame, South Florida

Who Beat Them: Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, St John's, Louisville

Who's Next: Providence, @Notre Dame, Syracuse, @UConn, @South Florida

Regular Season Champ %: 5. 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 11. I don't think there is much chance UC could run the gauntlet of the BET. I think that they need to win some games in it though. They need the first round bye. 

NCAA %: 60. The wins over Maryland and Vandy look good, so do wins over fellow bubblers ND and UConn. The Bearcats have to get some wins now.

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-4. 15-6

Key Players: Luke Harangody 24.5 pts 9.9 rbs. Tim Abromaitis 16.7 pts 4.5 rbs. Ben Hansbrough 11.5 pts 5 assts

Who They Beat: Providence, South Florida, West Virginia, DePaul

Who Beat Them: UConn, Cincinnati, Syracuse, Villanova

Who's Next: @Rutgers, Cincinnati, South Florida, @Seton Hall, St John's

Regular Season Champ %: 5. It could be higher, but they play no defense

B.E Tournament Champ%: 15. It's not out of the realm of possibility this team shoots lights out for 4 days. 

NCAA %: 61. ND doesn't have much in their resume, but they can get over 20 wins and that might be enough. The next 5 games are crucial. If they lose any, their chances go down a lot. 

7. Providence Friars 4-4. 12-8

Key Players: Jamine Peterson 17.9 pts 10.3 rbs. Sharaud Curry 15 pts 3.8 assts. Marshon Brooks 15 pts 4.6 rbs

Who They Beat: St John's, Rutgers, DePaul, UConn

Who Beat Them: Notre Dame, Louisville, Marquette, South Florida

Who's Next: @Cincinnati, @Syracuse, Marquette, Georgetown, @Villanova

Regular Season Champ %: 5. They also don't play much defense, and have a brutal stretch as you can see.

B.E Tournament Champ%: 10

NCAA %: 20. I just don't see it for the Friars. They lost to Iona, which is their only bad loss, and also lost to every other good team they've played. 

10. Connecticut Huskies 3-4. 13-7

Key Players: Jerome Dyson 19.1 pts 4.9 assts 4.7 rbs. Stanley Robinson 16.8 pts 7.4 rbs. Kemba Walker 13.4 pts 6.2 assts 4.1 rbs

Who They Beat: Notre Dame, Seton Hall, St John's 

Who Beat Them: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Providence 

Who's Next: @Louisville, DePaul, @Syracuse, Cincinnati, @Villanova

Regular Season Champ %: 8. Just because of the talent level. I doubt they win any of the road games though. Maybe Louisville, since they match up well with them it seems. But without Calhoun, who knows? 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 10. Talent level respect, even though they would have to win 5 games in 5 days at this point. 

NCAA %: 60. I don't know what to make of UConn. They are wildly inconsistent. The win over Texas could help, but that out be an outlier. The beat down against Providence was surprising. 

11. South Florida Bulls 3-5. 13-7

Key Players: Dominique Jones 21.4 pts 6 rbs 4.3 assts. Jarrid Famous 11.7 pts 8.1 rbs. Chris Howard 9.7 pts 3.9 rbs

Who They Beat: Rutgers, Providence, Seton Hall

Who Beat Them: Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse, West Virginia, Cincinnati

Who's Next: Pittsburgh, @Georgetown, @Notre Dame, @Marquette, Cincinnati

Regular Season Champ %: 3. What a ridiculous schedule

B.E Tournament Champ%: 6. No way a team runs all 5 games, but Dom. Jones gives them a fighters chance every night.

NCAA %: 11. Stranger things have happened. They have won 2 in a row, and get Augustus Gilchrist back soon

11. Seton Hall Pirates 3-5. 12-7

Key Players: Jeremy Hazell 22.5 pts 3.6 rbs. Herb Pope 12.3 pts 11.4 rbs. Jeff Robinson 9.7 pts 5.5 rbs

Who They Beat: Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh

Who Beat Them: West Virginia, Syracuse, UConn, Georgetown, South Florida

Who's Next: @Villanova, @Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, DePaul, @St John's

Regular Season Champ %: 4. 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 6. Maybe Hazell shoots out of his mind for a week. 

NCAA %: 35. The Pirates looked like they were making a move, and then lost to South Florida. They don't have the most brutal schedule, but they play 6 road games and I don't trust them.

11. Marquette Golden Eagles 3-5. 12-8

Key Players: Lazar Hayward 18.1 pts 7.7 rbs. Jimmy Butler 14.8 pts 6.6 rbs. Darius Johnson-Odom 12.4 pts 2.4 assts

Who They Beat: Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers

Who Beat Them: West Virginia, Villanova (2), DePaul, Syarcuse

Who's Next: @UConn, DePaul, @Providence, South Florida, Pittsburgh

Regular Season Champ %: 5. Their schedule eases up some, and I think the Eagles can make a run to the middle of the pack. 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 6. They have a nice team, but a propensity for losing close games. I don't think there's enough there to go on that big a run.

NCAA %: 29. They have 2 good wins against Xavier and Georgetown, but not much else. Their  close game losses are really hurting their portfolio. 

14. St John's Red Storm 2-6. 12-8

Key Players: DJ Kennedy 15 pts 6.4 rbs 3.2 assts. Dwight Hardy 11.9 pts 2.3 rbs. Paris Horne 8.3 pts 2.3 rbs

Who They Beat: Cincinnati, DePaul

Who Beat Them: Georgetown, Providence, Louisville, UConn, Villanova, Pittsburgh

Who's Next: @Rutgers, WVU, Louisville, @Notre Dame, Seton Hall

Regular Season Champ %: 3. 

B.E Tournament Champ%: 3. They would have to go on a crazy run to get a bye. Maybe they could win a game though.

NCAA %: 15. 

15. DePaul Blue Demons 1-7. 8-12

Key Players: Will Walker 16.1 pts 3.2 rbs. Mack Koswahl 14 pts 10.5 rbs Mike Stoval 7.1 pts 2.7 rbs

Who They Beat: Marquette

Who Beat Them: Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, St John's, Notre Dame, West Virginia

Who's Next: Syracuse, @Marquette, @UConn, @Seton Hall, Rutgers

Regular Season Champ %: 2. At least they won a conference game

B.E Tournament Champ%: 2. They were 1/5 of the way there last year. 

NCAA %: 2. 

16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 0-8. 9-11

Key Players: Mike Rosario 15.3 pts 4.2 rbs. Jonathan Mitchell 10.1 pts 5.1 rbs. Hamady Ndiaye 9.1 pts 6.5 rbs. 

Who They Beat: No one

Who Beat Them: Cincinnati, West Virginia, Providence, Syracuse, South Florida, Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette

Who's Next: Notre Dame, St John's, @Louisville, Georgetown, @DePaul

Regular Season Champ %: 1

B.E Tournament Champ%: 1. The 16 seed won a game last year

NCAA %: 1. Everyone has a chance, no matter how small.

Oh Say Did UC?

With so much football news, and a little basketball news, it's time to hit the links for some Bearcats news. First some site news. Tomorrow is going to be a breakdown of the Big East. Friday will probably just be the Providence breakdown, but maybe a national look at things for the NCAA tournament. If you are nice, you will get both. Let us look at the news shall we?

It's Senior Bowl week, so let's hit those links first. Watch the game Saturday to check out the Cats.

• NFL.Com did a stock report from Day 1. They had Tony Pike as a Stock up, and Mardy Gilyard as a stock down. 
• The man Josh Katzowitz wrote about how the UC trio of players, Pike, Gilyard and long snapper Mike Windt, are trying to impress NFL scouts and coaches at the bowl. 
• Wrapping up the Senior Bowl stuff, an interview with Mardy Gilyard. It retells Mardy's story of he was off the team, came back and was awesome. 
• Mardy is also on twitter, @MardyGilyard. You can follow Bearcats Blog on twitter as well. 
• One other JK item, we linked to part I of his interview with Bearcats coach Butch Jones last week, and here is part II.
• Some recruiting news as we head towards Signing Day. First, the bad. Defensive end from Wyoming High Jibreel Black switched his commitment to Michigan. First he committed to Indiana, then UC, now Michigan.
• Winton Woods standout Dominique Brown lead his team to the State championship and was the division 2 player of the year, but he might not stay in Cincinnati. He's due to visit Louisville this week. He's also visited Ohio State as well as UC.
• Good news, QB Cody Kater is coming to UC. He was a Central Michigan recruit who decided to follow Butch Jones. Kater was the QB for 2 Michigan state champs, and is the first D-1 scholarship player from his high school. There is video on the site if you want to check him out.
• The great Brian Bennett has a Big East recruiting scoreboard. UC has only 16 recruits, 8 of which are 3 star and above.
• Dennis Dodd of CBS ranked the coaching hires. Dodd ranked Butch Jones at #7. The top 6 were USF's Skip Holtz, Texas Tech's Tommy Tuberville, that new coach in South Bend, Mike London of Virginia and Charlie Strong at Louisville. 

Slow week for basketball news, as evidenced by

• The top UC basketball story being that Kahla Roudebush was named to the Big East weekly honor roll. Roudey as her friends call her, put up 20.5, 5 boards and 2.5 assists. She had 25 against Georgetown, a season high. The ladies are 9-9 (2-4) and play tonight at DePaul. 
• Former Bearcat guard Devan Downey helped South Carolina knock off top ranked Kentucky 68-62 last night by scoring 30. The Bearcats Blog curse is in full effect. Downey has stamped his name into South Carolina history according to Ron Morris. It was the first time in the 102 year history of USC basketball that they beat #1. 
• Former Cat great, and #2 best Cat of the decade, Steve Logan has backed out of the Bearcats Hall of Fame Inductions for next month. That has nothing to do with his non-existent NBA career, and more to do with the rape charges. Going into the Hall, Brad Jackson former football player. Also, a bunch of other nerds. Just kidding, they are Andrew Keen (soccer, really for soccer) and Mary Danner Wineberg (track and field mainly the track part). 

Since that last bit was depressing, here is a hilarious celebration video from Syracuse blogger HoyaSuxa after their win over Georgetown Monday. Until tomorrow, thanks for reading. Especially the person in Luxembourg.

Louisville 68 Cincinnati 60

I'm going to be honest. I don't know what sad UC picture to use up top. I don't know wether to go with team sad

Ibrahima Thomas sad

Or Lance Stephenson sad

(All photos courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer)

So I went with all 3. Any way you slice it, this was a disappointing loss for the Bearcats (13-7 4-4). They had plenty of chances to change the game down the stretch, but they let them go. This wasn't a choke job like the loss against St John's, but it stung nearly as bad. The Cardinals, 13-7 4-3, deserve all credit and played well in getting the win. The Cardinal that came out of seemingly nowhere and was the game changer was Reginald Delk. Delk went for 13-11 and made the back breaking 3 with 6 minutes left after UC cut the lead to 2. Edgar Sosa and Samardo Samuels both went for 14, but Delk was the man who changed this one. The game changer for the Cats was Cashmere Wright. Cash had 10 straight points to bring UC back into the game in the second half after trailing by 12. But, with 2 minutes left, apparently Cash asked out of the game. I don't know how true this is, but if it is, you have to dig deep Cash. The team needed you late, and you can't ask out of the game in that scenario. That's a no-no. Despite that, Cash had 12, along with Lance Stephenson 12-6-3, Deonta Vaughn 12-5 assists, and Yancy Gates 12-5-3. Ibby Thomas pulled down 7 rebounds to go with 5 points, and Jaquan Parker had 5 boards with just 3 points.

With the lineup of Paker, Vaughn, Stephenson Thomas and Gates, the Bearcats came out on fire. Ibrahima Thomas hit a 3, and when he took another the next trip, Lance Stephenson followed with a put back. Lance would nail a 3 of his own and UC was up 8-0. Stephenson would slam home an offensive rebound, and net a jumper to give UC a 12-4 lead at the under 16 time out. Stephenson scored his last points on a 3 with 13:45 to go in the half with UC up 15-4. Yancy Gates scored a couple of baskets and UC dominated the glass 10-1 and had 9 second chance points. Louisville would cut the lead to 5 on back to back 3s by Delk and Peyton Siva (10-3 assists-3 steals). Rashad Bishop scored his only 4 on a lay up when UC broke the UofL press, and on free throws. UC lead 23-14, but the Cardinal zone/man to man hybrid defense really started bogging the Cats down. UC couldn't get the ball inside, and seemed to not know what to do. Louisville cut the lead to 1 off a Delk put back, a Jerry Smith lay up (7-2 steals) and a Terrence Jennings hook. Deonta Vaughn answered back with a 3. UC was 4-9 from deep at this point. UC would miss 3 triples in a row and commit a shot clock violation as Louisville tightened up the defense. After Vaughn assisted Yancy Gates on a lay up to put UC up 28-25, Edgar Sosa hit one of his 2 threes to tie the score. Louisville would get made free throws from Jennings, 2, and Samardo Samuels, 1, to take a 3 point lead they would never relinquish. UC was able to get a quick break and Yancy Gates dunked the ball home off a Vaughn miss to give us the last score of the half and go into the locker room down 31-30. Louisville ended the half on a 17-7 run. Stephenson had 12, and Gates 8 to lead UC who shot 41% for the half, but only shot 2 free throws. Louisville shot 37.9% and were lead by Samuels 8, Delk's 7, and Siva and Sosa's 5. Lance Stephenson had 5 rebounds, and Ibrahima Thomas had 4 for UC, while Delk had 5, and Jennings and Samuels 3 for Louisville.

The Cats and Cards started the second half where they ended the first, with Louisville locking up UC. Samardo Samuels and Reginald Delk blocked various UC shots, highlighted by Delk blocking a Deonta Vaughn lay up. The teams traded buckets by Edgar Sosa, Vaughn, Yancy Gates, Jerry Smith, and Jaquan Parker, with Terrence Jennings free throws mixed in, as we hit the under 16 timeout. The Cardinals would then go on a run. Jerry Smith made a lay up, and Delk made a 3 to push the lead to 45-38. Cincinnati turned the ball over and on the ensuing break, Vaughn intentionally fouled Peyton Siva, as the speedy guard was going for a lay up. Siva made 1 of 2 and the lead was 8 with 12:48 left. Siva would get to the rim again and the Cards lead by 10 at the under 12 timeout. Out of the timeout, Gates would score over Samuels, but Jennings and Samuels had back to back baskets, and the Louisville lead was 12. The Cardinals were on a 12-2 run. Cincinnati would make a run of their own. Cashmere Wright had a lay up goaltended by Samuels, Thomas scored over Samuels, and Vaughn hit a 3 to make it 52-47. Louisville scored to put the lead at 54-47 with 7:28 to go. Cash would get fouled and make 2 free throws to start his 10 straight UC points. The Cardinals would travel, and Wright would nail a 3 to cut the lead to 2. Reginald Delk made the shot of the game, hitting a back breaking 3 off the right wing to put the lead back to 5. As some of you might know, Dion Dixon is my best friend. But, Dion didn't act too best friend like as he brought the UC momentum to a screeching halt. He would take a terrible 3 pointer which he missed. Samuels would score for UofL on the other end. Dixon came back with a charge, and then fouled Edgar Sosa, who made both free throws and the Card lead was 61-52 at 4:37. Cash would get UC back into it with a lay up and a 3 pointer with 2:30 on the clock. The Cats locked up on the Cardinals, but for only 33 seconds and Edgar Sosa nailed a 3 to pretty much seal it for Louisville. Louisville free throws by Sosa made the lead 9. UC would get their last points on a Vaughn NBA range 3 with 45 seconds left. Siva would make a pair of free throws to end the scoring.

This was a game that UC let slip through their fingers. They had offensive explosions, and then offensive lapses. They played great defense, and they would give up lay ups. They made 10 three pointers, but settled for too many jump shots. They would control the offensive glass, 10 boards in the first half, and get all of 2 in the second half. The team turns the ball over too much, 15 yesterday, and they don't get to the free throw line. UC took 4. 4! The lack of a penetrating point guard showed up full force. Jaquan Parker was decent, and Cash played well, but both would get confused by the press and zone/man of Louisville. Lance Stephenson was unstoppable, and then couldn't get a shot the second half. Deonta Vaughn only made 3s. Yancy Gates couldn't get touches. This team is frustrating to watch, and games like this are a huge reason why. All credit to Louisville. After getting beat down early, they ratcheted up the pressure and held UC down. This was a really disappointing performance by UC. With road games against Connecticut, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Georgetown on the docket, they need to play better than this.

Cardinals soar over Bearcats

(Enquirer/Cara Owsley)

The Cincinnati Bearcats tasted defeat for the 7th time this season, falling 68-60 to the Louisville Cardinals. Cincinnati is now 13-7, 4-4 in the Big East. Louisville improves to 13-7, 4-3. The Bearcats got off to a hot start, but were unable to keep it going. Lance Stephenson scored 12 in the first 6 minutes, but would not score again. Powered by Edgar Sosa, Samardo Samuels and an inspired Reginald Delk, Louisville would take the lead going into intermission and not give it up. Louisville would build a 12 point advantage. Cincinnati scratched back into the game, and cut the lead to 54-52 thanks to Cashmere Wright being on fire. Dion Dixon helped kill the rally with an ill advised 3, a charge and a foul. The lead was suddenly 9, and UC wouldn't really challenge again. Delk lead Louisville with 13-9 rebounds. Samuels had 14-5-2 blocks-2 steals, and Sosa had 14-3 steals. For UC, Stephenson had 12-7-4 assists. Deonta Vaughn had 12-5 assists. Gates 12-6, and Cashmere Wright had 12, including 10 in a row. This was a tough loss, because it was a winnable game. More tomorrow.

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.

Oh Say Did UC?

Time to hit up the Cincinnati news on this Friday afternoon. Just a quick site bit, the Louisville preview for the game Sunday afternoon will probably go up tomorrow. If it somehow doesn't, it will be up Sunday morning well before noon. Quick fact that will be be in the preview. The Bearcats have played the most, and won the most at Freedom Hall more than any Louisville opponent. Plus, the Cats won the 1962 National Title in Freedom Hall. Let's hit some news.

• I can't find anything on the status of Lance Stephenson. Since Born Ready was labeled day to day, I expect him in the lineup Sunday at noon.
• Speaking of Lance, here is an SI article that (coughhackcough) Paul Daugherty wrote. This is like a week old, but I'm pretty sure I didn't post a link and I know you get all your UC news here. Right? Say yes for my fragile ego. 
• This article from CNati questions if Jaquon Parker is the missing piece. I hope that he can step in and play the point, and that would be huge. I'm not totally against giving Cashmere Wright another look in spurts. I'm all for Parker starting Sunday.
• Louisville was taken down by Seton Hall last night in a nightmare scenario. There was some controversy at the end. Jerry Smith made a 3 with .7 remaining. As Seton Hall was set to inbound, there was a whistle and the player with the ball took 2 steps on the court. All the players turned towards their benches, so that could be chalked up to confusion. However, Seton Hall's inbounds pass was tipped back out of bounds. The inbounder would run the line, an absolute clear violation, and Seton Hall would inbound and make free throws. Youtube: here. 
• The Wall Street Journal decided to have their yearly piece about how awesome the Big East is. Worth a read, or otherwise I wouldn't have linked to it. 
• Luke Winn writes a great Power Rankings on SI every Thursday. UC isn't mentioned, but it's one of my favorite reads of the week. Good job Luke.

That about does it on the basketball news. Let's hit the gridiron.

• Another SI bit. Stewart Mandel, from Cincinnati, did a report card of the coaching hires. Spoiler alert: Butch Jones got an A-. Louisville's Charlie Strong got the best grade, A+, and South Florida's Skip Holtz received an A-. Big East AD's are hitting it out of the park this year on paper.
• Dyjuan Lewis, a 4 star receiver from Indianapolis, recommited to Cincinnati. Nice job getting him back Butch Jones. Great decision Dyjuan.
• Here is a slightly dated Big East recruiting breakdown. Lewis answers a question asked in the piece, and is UC's best recruit. 
• QB recruit Luke Massa is being wooed by Notre Dame. The St. X star said "Then (on Thursday) Notre Dame offered (a scholarship). I was definitely pretty excited. Who wouldn't be excited about an offer from Notre Dame? I'll be visiting there Jan. 30, and then make my decision after that." Great. Sounds like he might be going.
• Alex Daniels and Aaron Webster were named to the Texas vs. The Nation all star game. Good for them. 
• Mel Kiper has his rankings up. They are insider so no link. Tony Pike fell out of his top 5 QBs. Mardy Gilyard is his 4th best WR. Armon Binns is 2 on the list for next year.
• Our main man Josh Katzowitz has an interview with Butch Jones up on GoBearcats. 

Finally, Brian Bennett at ESPN's Big East blog has a shit load of UC related things. You should read his blog, but then forget about it when I link to stuff about it. The following bullets are all his.

• Big East games of the Decade: UC v. Pitt #3. UC vs South Florida from October 2007 #9.
• Coaches of the Decade: #1 Brian Kelly. Don't boo or get angry, just let the last BK mention be a good one.
• Programs of the Decade: UC #5. Top 4: Miami, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
• Half Decade Team: WR Mardy Gilyard, OG Trevor Canfield, CB Mike Mickens and P Kevin Huber.
• Big East Game of the Year: 

1. #7 Cincinnati vs West Virginia. 
2. #5 Cincinnati vs Connecticut
3. #1. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

That didn't end confusingly at all. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read the blog. Shout out to whoever read this in Belgium. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the Louisville preview. It won't be up in the morning, probably the afternoon. There will be the normal quick result post and the full reaction Monday. As for the rest of the week, I'm not sure. The Cats don't play until the next Saturday, so if you have any ideas for what you want me to write about, leave a comment. 

Top 25 worst UC losses I remember. 14-1

I had to cut this into 2 parts because it was starting to get long. Part I is right here.

14. 72-69 vs Canisius December 9, 1994
One of the most inexplicable losses in the history of Cincinnati basketball came on this night. In the Bearcat Invitational, or whatever it was called, the Bearcats overlooked a large thing called playing the game in route to winning that title. The Bearcats built up a 20 point lead and went on coast mode as the Golden Griffins made a dramatic comeback. Michael Meeks hit a 3 and Darrell Barley hit 2 free throws to ice it. UC played 8 players this game, and that's still no excuse for blowing a 20 point lead to Canisius. This was in the era where Scott didn't think UC could lose to shitty teams like this. Canisius is undefeated against Cincinnati. Big ups to the Seattle Times for having this info in their archives.

13. 69-66 vs Louisville January 15, 2005
I remember this game quite clearly for a game that happened so long ago. Cincinnati had bounced back from the Illinois loss mentioned in part 1, and was 3-0 in Conference USA. Louisville rolled into the Shoe, and proceeded to roll over early. The Bearcats raced out to a huge lead, highlighted by James White throwing down a nasty dunk on Taquan Dean's head. The Cards chipped at the lead and tied it up with 6 minutes left and took the lead. With 1:32 left, Juan Palacios got a tip in to give Louisville a 67-65 lead. Jason Maxiell drew a foul, but only made 1 of 2. Larry O'Bannon got a lay up for the Cardinals, and Jihad Muhammad raced down court and put up a 3 that nearly broke the glass on the right side of the backboard. Virtual 04-05 Louisville also beat Cincinnati at the buzzer as Francisco Garcia hit a 3 to give the Cards the win. I remember being quite pissed during both the real, and video game losses.

12. 79-76 vs Arizona February 11, 1996
I remember watching this game and working on a project for school with one of my best friends at the time. We kept taking breaks, or we were done when this game started. I remember this game for the Damon Flint self alley oop where he had the ball in his right hand and threw it over his crossed left arm for the dunk. I would replicate that dunk many a time on any rim that I had. This game is more remembered for the Miles Simon ending, you know where he threw up a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. I was deflated. My friend said something like "at least they lost in a cool way" and I wanted to punch him in the face. If you read this Matt Post, I want to punch you in the face now thinking about it.

11. 76-72 vs Michigan April 4, 1992 NCAA Tournament Final 4
The only time the Bearcats made the Final Four in my lifetime, and the reason this one isn't higher is because I can't remember the whole thing. My family watched the game at some place out in public and I was proudly wearing my Final Four shirt. I remember hating Michigan because raised in Ohio, we are taught to hate Michigan. Being at a public place with other people hazes the memory of the actual game. I remember watching the end and everyone being sad that UC lost. But not terribly sad because they were drunk.

10. 52-50 at St John's January 13, 2010
You are damn right that this game is in the top 10. Out of all the games mentioned so far, how many of them ended in true gut punch fashion like this? How many ripped out your soul? How many did you say "I will quit watching basketball if UC loses?" I know one person who did. The context of this one is the only question of where it will ultimately end up. What an epic choke job by UC. Throwing away 2 inbounds passes, and having a possession end in a blocked shot and foul with 25 seconds left is still insane.

9. 66-64 at Xavier December 18, 1999
The Bearcats rolled into this one ranked #1. It was the final Crosstown Shootout at the Cincinnati Gardens, and Xavier closed the building in style. This was the second time that Xavier beat Cincinnati when the Bearcats were ranked #1. I remember watching this game with my parents, lame is right, and being more and more aggravated by this game. Cincinnati fouled Xavier shooting 3s twice, and I believe it was the second time I ever cussed in front of my parents. The first I remember distinctly. My mom, brother and I were watching Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, and I said 'what the hell was that' and my mom shot me a death stare. Xavier won a tough one and once again ruined everything that was good with the world. The fans storming the court like idiots while Dick Vitale yelled "Upset city, ohhhhhhhhhh baby!!!!!" made me hate him. The Bearcats had a chance to get the ball back with 3 seconds left, but Lloyd Price got the rebound of his bricked free throw and evil won that day.

8. 67-66 vs Iowa State March 15, 1997 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
The Bearcats were the pre-season favorites to win the NCAA title. Danny Fortson was on the cover of SI. Times were good. The Bearcats were a 3 seed in the Midwest region and went up against the 6 seeded Cyclones. Kenny Pratt and Dedric Willoughby lead the way for Iowa State putting up 21 and 19 respectively. Cincinnati trailed from the mid point of the first half to the last minute when Melvin Leavitt made 2 free throws to give UC the lead and make me ecstatic. That would turn into pure rage when Darnell Burton had a loose ball under the basket and was tackled by an Iowa State player, only to have it be called a travel. It was one of the worst calls in the history of the world if I remember correctly having not seen the play since. Klay Edwards made the shot to win with 32 seconds left. Damon Flint had 2 chances to give UC the win, but came up short on a lay up attempt. I was deflated.

7. 74-73 vs Syracuse March 8, 2006 Big East Tournament
The Bearcats and Orange were playing for a shot in the NCAA tournament in the eyes of everyone watching. The game was controlled by Syracuse until mid way through the second half when the Bearcats roared back. With 3:40 left, Devan Downey made a steal and a lay up to give UC the lead. It was nip tuck down the stretch, but UC took the lead with 10 seconds left on a James White jumper. UC would force a steal and Downey would make 1 of 2 free throws for a 2 point lead. The fun would be short lived as Gerry McNamara raced down the court and threw up a 3 pointer over Eric Hicks that ended the Bearcats NCAA hopes. It was a tough way to go out, and UC hasn't come close to making the big dance since.

6. 73-63 vs Mississippi State March 24, 1996 NCAA Tournament Elite 8
This was the last time Cincinnati made a run in the tournament. I remember being so fucking pumped because Mississippi State had beaten UConn and was a lowly 5 seed playing the 2 seed Cincinnati, who had been kicking ass. The Final Four was in the bag.  I had a little basketball that I took a sharpie to and UC pimped it out. 2 and a half hours later, that boy would not be so happy. The game was in Lexington, and was like a UC home game. Mississippi State got out to a double digit lead that carried over to the second half. UC made a run and the crowd was into it. But, the Cats wouldn't get over the hump. The Bulldogs would go on a run with Danny Fortson and Art Long in foul trouble and never look back. I remember CBS showing the Bearcats looking sad and everyone down on the bench and I was sad and down on my couch.

5. 75-68 (OT)  vs North Carolina March 28, 1993 NCAA Tournament Elite 8
I remember being so pumped for this game, that I busted out the Final Four shirt. I was excited about the possibility of UC going to back to back Final Fours. Alas, it was not meant to be. The Bearcats and Tar Heels were the 2 and 1 seeds and had an epic showdown here. The Bearcats got out to a 15 point lead in the first half that sent the party my family was having crazy. Carolina would cut the lead to 1 at the half, and it was close to the end. There was a controversial play with 0.8 left. North Carolina's Brian Reese drove to the basket and missed a dunk that took longer than a second, but the buzzer didn't sound and the ref said that if it went in, it would have counted. Crazy. In overtime, the Tar Heels would show they were better. Donald Williams made back to back 3s that would rip my heart out. Nick Van Exel had 21 for Cincinnati, but only 1 basket the second half after outscoring UNC at one point 15-14. I remember having to be picked up off the floor by my dad. Bad times for young me.

4. 75-74 vs West Virginia March 14, 1998 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
This loss followed the Iowa State loss and was the Bearcats 4th early exit in 5 years. The Bearcats were the 2 seed, WVU the 10 seed. UC struggled in round 1 against Northern Arizona, and struggled in this one. D'Juan Baker hit the game winning 3 to beat NAU, and hit 2 3s in the last minute to give UC the lead here. Baker's second 3 came with 7 seconds left. West Virginia didn't call their last time out. Jarrod West raced down the court in the madness, and banked home a 25 footer, that Reuben Patterson might have tipped, to topple the Bearcats. The West shot is one of the luckiest shots that I have ever seen hit against a team that I liked. Another example of pure joy to pure disappointment. I got mad just now remembering it.

3. 71-69 vs Xavier November 26, 1996
I don't even need to tell you this was the Lenny Brown game. You knew it from the score.

2. 105-101 (2 OT) vs UCLA March 17, 2002 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
I went to UC during this season, and this is the UC team I might have loved most. It's a tie really. Steve Logan, Lenny Stokes, Immanuel McElroy, Donald Little and the boys had a great, overachieving squad earning a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins were an underachieving 8 seed who were ranked 4th in the preseason. The teams played an epic contest leaving it all on the court. Stokes played out of his mind scoring 39. Steve Logan struggled with 18 on 6-18 shooting. Dan Gadzuric had 26, Jason Kapono 19, and Matt Barnes 17. The teams put up 66 3 pointers, which was a record at the time. The heart breaking play came in the 2nd OT when, down 1, UC couldn't get the rebound off a miss and Billy Knight got a 3 point play. This one really hurt because the Bearcats were up 10 at the half, and 11 with 9 minutes to go. Tides turned when UCLA made a 3, UC fouled as the ball was rattling home, and UCLA got another 3 to cut the lead to 5. The Bearcats had chances to win in regulation, and especially in overtime. Stokes gave UC a lead with a minute left, but Cedric Bozeman tied to score with 38 seconds left. UC missed at least 3 shots as overtime ended, and I started feeling a sense of dread. This second round defeat was the toughest to take for me, because I really loved this team.

1. 68-58 vs St Louis March 9, 2000 Conference USA Tournament 2nd Round