West Virginia 54 Cincinnati 51 (With Video)

(Craig Ruttle)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati v. West Virginia Big East Tournament Preview

Fresh off back to back wins, the Bearcats move on to day 3 of the Big East tournament. Awaiting them? The 3 seed West Virginia Mountaineers. The teams will do battle in yet another late game, look for the tip at around 9:25 pm. And, Cincinnati is playing yet another team that they played on the road this season. Will the third time be the charm? Let's hit the preview.

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. Da'Sean Butler 35.8
2. Devin Ebanks 33.9
3. Kevin Jones 32.8
4. Darryl "Truck" Bryant 25.2
5. Wellington Smith 22.9

Points

1. Da'Sean Butler 17.2
2. Kevin Jones 13.5
3. Devin Ebanks 12.4
4. Truck Bryant 10.6
5. Wellington Smith 6.8

Rebounds

1. Devin Ebanks 8.3
2. Kevin Jones 7.4
3. Da'Sean Butler 6.3
4. Wellington Smith 3.7
5. John Flowers 2.4

Assists

• Da'Sean Butler 3.3
• Truck Bryant 3.3
• Devin Ebanks 2.5

Steals

• Devin Ebanks 1.1

Blocks

• Wellington Smith 1

Notables

• Da'Sean Butler was first team all Big East.
• West Virginia outrebounded UC by 11 in the first meeting. 
• Kevin Jones had 15, Truck Bryant 14, Devin Ebanks 12-10 for West Virginia. For UC, Deonta Vaughn had 15-5-5 assists, and Lance Stephenson had 14-9.
• If you recall, UC was hosed by the refs in that game pretty hardcore.
• Darnell Wilks has made me pee my pants happy the last 2 games. 
• West Virginia has made the semi-finals the last 2 seasons.
• Oh and they have some coach you might have heard of.

While I would love to be a homer and pick UC, I'm sticking to the prediction I made Monday. This has been a great ride, and I've enjoyed the hell out of it and don't want it to end, but I think it will. 

Prediction: West Virginia 79 Cincinnati 72

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. 

Mountaineers too much for Bearcats

(AP)

Cincinnati shot 28% in the second half, blowing a 10 point lead in the half. West Virginia didn't play great, but they played well enough to score 74 points to Cincinnati's 68. Devin Ebanks had a 12-10 double double, Kevin Jones had 15, and Truck Bryant had 14, nearly all at the free throw line. Cincinnati was lead by Deonta Vaughn's 15. Lance Stephenson had 14-9, and Yancy Gates had 10 points, but 0 rebounds. The officials were pretty awful, especially in Gates' case. His 3rd and 4th fouls were bullshit calls. The foul disparity was 12-3 in the first half, and 26-13 the whole game. About 4 of those fouls can be accounted for end of the game fouling. This was a brutal loss. The season rests on beating Villanova and Georgetown and not flaking out in the Big East tournament. More on this one Monday.

Know Your Opponent: West Virginia Mountaineers edition

Saturday at 2 pm the Cincinnati Bearcats start the 3 game gauntlet to end the regular season, by heading to Morgantown to play West Virginia. West Virginia is a really good team, and they have a coach that we are familiar with. The Mountaineers have been good at home, 11-2, while Cincinnati has struggled on the road, 2-7. Cincinnati hasn't beaten a team ahead of them in the standings this season. The Bearcats haven't lost to WVU the last 2 seasons, and hopefully that will give them the confidence that they need to prevail. The Bearcats have been mighty inconsistent this season, and it's going to be crucial for Lance Stephenson and Yancy Gates, coming off career best performances, to match their play from Wednesday. West Virginia is coming off a tough loss against UConn that Da'Sean Butler said they played 8 on 5. The Mountaineers have dropped 3 of 5, and it would be big for the Bearcats, who have dropped 4 of 6, to add to that. This game has the chance to define a season. It could be the win that gets West Virginia back on track. It could be the win that starts a UC run through the last 3 games. It's going to be a confidence builder for one of the two teams. Before we see how they match up, take a look at The Smoking Musket. It's a good West Virginia blog. Yes, I'm surprised that they can use computers in West Virginia just as much as you are. Let's number it up.