Bearcats Breakdown: Yancy Gates

Today's Bearcats Breakdown is about Yancy Gates. Yancy is going to be a gigantic part of this upcoming season, as he's going to have to be the man. UC needs him to be what all the hype said he was, and more. Yancy is going to finally have some company up front, with Ibby Thomas, and the new guys, and we are finally going to see if he is everything we hoped he would be when he decided to stay home and play for Mick Cronin.

Scoring

Yancy Gates averaged 10.3 points per game. That was slightly down from his freshman effort of 10.5. Gates averaged 2 more minutes a game, making his output look a little worse. Keep in mind that UC played 3 more games this past season. Gates had his possessions cut down, getting 21% of UC shots. His offensive rating was 107.3, up 4 points from his freshman year, and 54th in the Big East. Gates effective fg % was 52, and his true shooting % was 53, both up 4% from his freshman season. Gates was 155/297 for 52% shooting. He took a handful less shots this season. He was 53/90 at the foul line for a horrible 59%. That was consistent with his free throw rate from his first season. It's safe to say that next season, Yancy Gates has to step up his offensive production. He also needs to stop shooting 15 footers from the wing, because he can't shoot and it drives me insane.

Yancy Gates posted his career high this season in the 74-69 win over DePaul. Gates scored 23 points on 11-15 shooting. Gates scored 18 in the Crosstown Shootout. He dominated Maryland with 17 points in 29 minutes on 7-11 shooting. Gates scored 16 points four times, and UC was 3-1 in those games. He did it against Vandy in Maui on 7-13 in 25 minutes, against Winthrop on 6-10 in 25 minutes, Louisville in the Big East Tournament, and the loss to Pitt where he had his best game of the season. Gates was having a big game against Marquette, 14 on 6-9, but for some reason didn't crack the bench down the stretch and in overtime as UC lost. Gates had a couple of plays called for him to win games. UC went for a lob to Gates against Gonzaga, where Gates was clearly fouled but there was no call. More successfully, UC called another lob inside to Gates against Notre Dame. The picture up top is of Gates putting the ball in the basket for that UC victory.

Gates also had games where he vanished. Lipscomb and Cal St Bakersfield shouldn't really count against him, but they do. He played 14 minutes in those games and had 2 points. Gates had no cause to be invisible against Dayton (2), at South Florida where no one showed up (5), UAB, where no one showed up either (7), and Georgetown (7). Gates sucked hard against UConn, where he had 14 points in the two meetings.

Rebounding

Rebounding is where I had the biggest issue with Mr Gates. Gates averaged 5.9 rebounds a game, which is absolutely terrible for your big man. Gates pulled in 2.5 offensive rebounds, 11% of UC's total o boards. That was down from 13.5%. Gates pulled in 3.4 defensive rebounds, 15.2%, which was down from 16%. Rebounds are about wanting the ball, and all too often, it appeared that Yancy Gates did not want the ball. The motor for Yancy Gates can fire, but it also can go stagnant, which it seemed to all too often.

Gates had his best rebounding game against Pitt, where he pulled down 14 to go with his 16 points. Gates had 4 other double digit rebounding games. He had 13 big ones, 6 offensive, in the win over the Irish to go with 11 points. He had 13 to go with his 17 points against Maryland. He had 10, 5 offensive, with his 16 points against Vandy. The other 10 rebound game was against Prairie View in the season opener. Clearly Yancy Gates had the desire to rebound in November. Once the calender turned, his fire burnt out.

Gates had his worst rebounding day against West Virginia, where in 20 minutes he had as many rebounds as you or I, 0. Gates had 2 in the South Florida win, and 3 in the South Florida loss, as he was dominated by Jarrid Famous. Gates had 3 boards in the Toledo, and first UConn victories, as well as the Marquette loss. He had 4 against Miami and Dayton. Gates shockingly had 5 games where he didn't gather a defensive rebound. UC won just 1 of those games, the South Florida game, where Gates played 10 minutes. The others were against WVU, Syracuse, Marquette, and again against South Florida. He had 0 defensive rebounds against the Bulls. Unreal.

Blocks

No one is going to get Gates confused with Kenyon Martin or Eric Hicks, but Gates picked up a few blocks. Most of them early in the season. He blocked 4 against Miami, and 4 more against Pitt. Gates blocked 30 shots this season. But he only blocked 13 in 2010. To get deeper into the numbers, he blocked 6 after January, 2 against Marquette and 2 against Weber State being the highs.

Other

Gates doubled his number of assists. He had 30, compared to 14. He dropped 4 against Toledo. Gates had 20 steals, with 3 of them coming against Weber State. Gates turned the ball over 48 times, which accounted for 15% of UC turnovers.

Overall

Yancy Gates' sophomore season has to be chalked up as a disappointment. He was supposed to be part of the big 3 for UC along with Vaughn and Stephenson, but he didn't perform up to that level. Anthony Bufford and Lance McAlister went on record wondering if you could win with Gates on your team. That has to be motivation for 34 this season to make the leap. Getting back to this past season, Gates would probably have been the biggest UC disappointment if Deonta Vaughn didn't fall off a cliff production wise. Gates was outshined down the stretch by Ibrahima Thomas, and with a couple of new bigs coming in, Yancy needs to do something big. Another season of 10-6 is going to be a gigantic let down. We know he can be a monster, we've seen it, but it takes hard work to maintain, and last year Yancy Gates didn't put in the effort to maintain his November pace. He's going to be a huge part of this team, it's time to nut up or shut up for Yancy Gates.

Memorable Bearcat Games: Xavier 83 Cincinnati 79

Yesterday's post about Lance Stephenson got me to thinking about this past season. While this wasn't the greatest year for Cincinnati basketball, there sure as hell were some entertaining contests. One in particular was exceptionally great. That game was the Crosstown Shootout. Now I know what some of you are thinking.Why that game happened in December, how you can you wax nostalgic about that? I thought this series was about football games? I thought this was about wins? No to all of those. It's about memorable games, and sometimes the most memorable are the losses. The old poker saying is that you can't remember the hands you win, but you remember with absolute clarity the hands you lost. This is kinda like that too. Plus, like 4 people read what I wrote in December, so this is new to you.

The Crosstown Shootout didn't have as much luster as normally, partially due to a Sunday night start time on a weird station, ESPNU. That didn't stop the teams from putting on an instant classic. I know it was an instant classic, because when it replayed on ESPNU, it said instant classic. Xavier got off to a solid start, jumping out to a 12-5 lead. The Muskies blocked 4 of the first 8 UC shots, 1 by Jamel McLean and Kenny Frease and 2 by Jason Love. As Charles and Kenny say on Inside the NBA, it was a block party and the Bearcats were invited. Xavier scored point 12 at the 14:35 mark, and that's when Cincinnati's defense shut down the Muskies. The Muskies didn't score until the 7 minute mark, 2 free throws by Dante Jackson, and didn't get a field goal until the 6:52 mark. Cincinnati went on a 14 point run during that span, getting buckets by Larry Davis, Deonta Vaughn, a pair of threes by Darnell Wilks, an assist by Wilks to Yancy Gates, and a Lance Stephenson lay up. Xavier closed the half on a 20-7 run of their own, and lead 31-26. Terrell Holloway scored 11 points in that span for the Muskies, getting to the line and drilling threes. The fireworks came in the middle of the half. At the 7 minute mark, Jordan Crawford and Rashad Bishop got into a war of words, both receiving technical fouls. The chippyness helped the Musketeers, as you can see from when they started scoring again. Things got even more high strung with 3:30 to go in the half. Lance Stephenson was driving in for a lay up, when Jason Love gave him a hard foul. It was called intentional. The benches cleared going into the media timeout. Terrell Holloway pushed Ibrahima Thomas away, leading to this

Cooler heads would prevail after, but the tension was underlying the rest of the game.

The second half started where the first half ended, with Xavier in charge. The teams traded buckets, but Xavier held on to their lead, with Cincinnati chipping the lead to 4 a couple of times. The Muskies got a Jason Love lay up, a Frease free throw and a Crawford triple to push the lead to 10. The Bearcats slowly chipped away at the disadvantage, at the under 12, the score was 45-39. A pair for Mark Lyon freebies pushed the lead to 7, 51-44, before Lance Stephenson took over. Stephenson scored a lay up, a three pointer from Vaughn, and pulled down a rebound, drove down court and calmly sank a jumper to tie. Cashmere Wright gave UC the lead on a lay up, followed by a Vaughn lay up for a 4 point lead with 5:44 to go. Cincinnati would go on a cold streak the next 3 minutes, allowing Xavier to go on a 6 point run to take the lead by 2. Rashad Bishop tied the score seconds before Holloway would drive for the Xavier lead. Yancy Gates hit 2 free throws with a minute left to tie. Holloway gave X the lead with 26 seconds left on a jumper. Stephenson hit a jumper for UC with 15 seconds left to tie. Holloway drained the clock, but missed a last second runner. Dante Jackson pulled down the rebound, threw up a shot that fell, and celebrated. But, it was after the buzzer and we went to overtime.

Cincinnati took the early overtime lead by 4. Gates hit a shot, and Lance Stephenson crossed Holloway over badly and hit a step back j. Here's proof.


Nasty wasn't it? Lyons got Xavier back into the game with a jumper and a pair of free throws. Gates and Frease exchanged scores before UC took a 3 point lead on a free throw by Bishop and another silly move by Stephenson. Lance shook the defender, spun, and hit an up and under lay up. Watch.



The video kinda sucks, but the move is still sweet. Deonta Vaughn pulled down a rebound and drove for a lay up, giving UC a 5 point lead with 55 seconds left. Holloway took over. He drew a foul on Vaughn and made both shots. Rashad Bishop had the ball stolen by Love, leading to Holloway getting fouled by Gates going to the rim. Holloway hit both again. Xavier had to foul, and they fouled my best friend Dion Dixon. Dixon calmly nailed both to push the lead back to 3. For some reason unknown to anyone, and completely illogical, Mick Cronin tapped Jaquan Parker off the bench. Parker didn't play any of the second half, or any of the overtime. He had Holloway blow by him earlier in the game and was benched. 19 seconds to go, Holloway has the ball. Of course he drives to the rim. Of course he makes a lay up. Of course he's fouled by Parker. Of course he ties the score. Of course he does. UC had a chance to win. Stephenson missed a step back three, and Dixon missed on a put back. That sent us to double overtime.

Cincinnati jumped out to another lead to start overtime. Cash hit a free throw, followed by a Vaughn lay up. Holloway scored for Xavier, but Gates scored on a lay up to push the lead back to 3. Xavier would tie the score thanks to sloppy play by UC. Crawford hit a free throw, followed by a Gates travel. On the Xavier possession, Love made a lay up for the tie. Stephenson would get called for a charge, but X couldn't take the lead. UC held the ball the next minute, but were unable to score. Vaughn missed a lay up, foreshadow, and Steve Toyloy bricked a couple of huge free throws. Holloway drove down the lane and dropped off a pass that Love converted for the Xavier lead. Lance Stephenson played really hard and smart in this game, but he made a silly move with about 25 seconds left. Instead of circling back out and making a strong move with the ball, he passed to Dixon. Dixon threw up a horribly ill advised three that was a brick leaving his hand. He fouled Dante Jackson, who made 1 of 2. Vaughn took the inbound pass and decided to go for the lay up to cut the Muskie lead to 1. Great plan, but terrible execution, as he blew a wide open lay up. Love got the rebound, his 19th of the game, and iced things with a free throw. Desperate threes by UC missed, and that lead to this vomit inducing photo.

Ok, I couldn't find the real picture, but Mick looking like he's taking a dump will do. This was a wild game. Stephenson and Yancy Gates dominated for UC. Stephenson had 22 on 9-19 shooting, with 6 rebounds. Gates had 18 and 6. Vaughn was the other Bearcat in double digits with 13, but he was 6-19. He did have 9 rebounds. Holloway had a career high 26 for Xavier, while Crawford put up 16 on 5-16 shooting.

This wasn't the prettiest Crosstown Shootout, despite the pretty moves by Stephenson. X shot 41%, and UC 37%, but this was the game that brought the intensity back out. This was a blood and guts Crosstown Shootout. We had pull aparts, hard fouls, trash talking, big shots, clutch moments, and breakout performances. Unfortunately, it was a UC loss. But, it was one hell of a game, and that's why it's a Memorable Bearcat game.

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 76 Weber State 62

(AP/Al Behrman)

Since you didn't go to the game, you missed out on history. Deonta Vaughn powered UC in their first round NIT game with a win over Weber State. Vaughn got assist 505 to become the all time leader in assists. In the second half, Vaughn drilled a 3 to pass Darnell Burton and take the title of most 3 pointers made in a career. It was a special night for #5. Vaughn needs 26 pass to pass Danny Fortson for 3rd place all time in scoring. Congratulations to Deonta. Monday night, Cincinnati plays host to Dayton at 9 pm. Will Bearcats Blog be there? Maybe. It won't be hard to get a ticket apparently. Let's get on to the recap.

The game started off slowly, as we only had 2 baskets made the first 4 minutes. They were 3s from Ibrahima Thomas, and Lance Stephenson. Damian Lillard hit a 3 for the first points for the Wildcats, followed by a Steve Panos lay up. Darnell Wilks hit another UC 3, answered by a Nick Hansen triple. The Wildcats took a 10-9 lead on a Trevor Morris lay up. Cincinnati took the lead after the under 12, as Dion Dixon hit a couple of free throws. The half started off incredibly sloppy. Lots of missed shots and turnovers. The free throws started a 7-0 UC run, with a Thomas dunk, and a Jaquan Parker steal, lay up, foul and free throw. The Wildcats went on a 9-4 advantage to cut the lead to 20-19. Morris hit a jumper, Ibby made a pair for free throws for UC, Lindsey Hughey scored a lay up, Thomas was stripped for a Morris layup, Stephenson hit a pair of free throws and Hughey drilled a 3. UC would respond with a monster run, thanks to their press the last 6:30. Lance hit another 3, Vaughn got a steal, passed to Cashmere Wright for a jam. Another turnover on the inbound pass led to Vaughn hitting Stephenson for a lay up and the assist record. On another turnover, Vaughn hit Cash for 3. Things slowed down for the next minute, until Cash picked Lillard and threw ahead to Wilks, who threw down a reverse pump jam. 

Weber State turned the ball over yet again into the under 4, leading to a Stephenson jumper. A minute later, a Gates steal turned into a Wilks miss, a Cash rebound and assist to Vaughn for 3. The 17-0 run ended on a Lillard 3. He made another trey to cut the lead to 12, but at the end of the half, Vaughn hit Larry Davis for 3. The 20-6 run gave UC a 40-25 halftime lead. Weber St had 15 turnovers.

Steve Panos got the second half scoring started with a 15 footer. UC's first points came on Vaughn's record breaking 3. Weber St took a timeout after the make, allowing the crowd to acknowledge Vaughn's assist and 3 point record. Wilks showed off his athleticism in the next sequence. He blocked a shot from behind, and followed that by slamming down an alley oop from Lance, with a foul. Lillard and Gates traded lay ups, then Lillard and Vaughn traded 3s, and we went to the under 16 with UC up 50-32. The lead went to 20 on a pair of Vaughn free throws. Panos and Gates traded a layup and a wide open dunk respectively. Hughey drew a foul, and missed the first 2 free throws for Weber State of the game. They came at the 13 minute mark. Morris scored a basket with a foul, making the free throw to cut the lead to 17. Lance Stephenson made a lay up, and that kicked Weber State into a run. Mahoney made a layup, Lillard a scoop layup, Mahoney 2 free throws, Hughey a lay up, foul, free throw, and Bullinger was fouled, making 1 of 2. Cincinnati settled for jump shots, going 0 for 8, highlighted by an airballed Lance Stephenson 3, in which he was wide open. The 11-0 run ended when Vaughn found Jaquan Parker for 3. Hansen answered right back though. Cash scored a lay up at the 7 minute mark to push the lead to 10, but ended up hurting his hip. Weber kept the lead close. After Larry Davis made a pair of free throws, Lillard scored a lay up and 2 free throws to cut the lead to 8. UC would put the smack down to close things out though. Ibrahima Thomas hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 10. Yancy Gates blocked Panos, who was falling away. Coach Rahe of the Wildcats thought it was a foul. He argued his case poorly and received a technical foul. Vaughn stepped up and made both. Gates got another block, leading to Larry Davis hitting a jumper to make it 69-55 at the under 4. Gates pushed the lead to 16 after he pulled down an offensive rebound, looked to pass out, but turned around and scored. Deonta Vaughn drilled a 4th triple, making the UC total 11, a season high. Lillard and Gates traded layups, before Hansen made a pair of free throws. Eddie Tyree and Alex Eppensteiner got some run the last minute. Eppensteiner got a trillion without touching the ball, but Tyree was stripped, leading to an alley oop to Tyree, who was fouled and made the free throw to end the scoring. 

Cincinnati shot 25-64 39%, 11-28 39%, 15-16 at the stripe, with 33 rebounds, 11 offensive. UC had a whooping 21 assists on the night, probably a season high. Deonta Vaughn had a great game with 16-5-7 assists-2 steals, Lance Stephenson 14, Ibrahima Thomas 9-5, Yancy Gates 8-6-3 steals-2 blocks, Larry Davis 7, Cashmere Wright 7-5 assists, Darnell Wilks 7, Jaquan Parker 6-5, and Dion Dixon 2-4. Weber State was 21-47 44.7%, 7-18, 13-17 at the line, with 30 rebounds, 4 offensive. They turned the ball over 22 times. Damian Lillard went for 26, Trevor Morris 9-4, Lindsey Hughey 8-6-4 assists, Steve Panos 6-4, Darin Mahoney 4, and Kyle Bullinger 1. 

Cincinnati was pretty energetic considering they had no one show up to watch them play. 2,200 was the attendance according to the Enquirer. The Cincinnati Enquirer, not the tabloid paper. It's all about winning, and that's something that the Bearcats did tonight. That's the good thing. Up next, it's the Dayton Flyers. Dayton hasn't won a game in Cincinnati since 1834. Let's see that streak continue. It's March people, get up for this. 

Quick NIT results: 2 Rhode Island 76 7 Northwestern 64, 1 Virginia Tech 81 8 Quinnipiac 61, 3 Dayton 63 6 Illinois St 42, 4 Kent State 75 5 Tulsa 74, 2 Mississippi 84 7 Troy 65, 3 Memphis 73 6 St John's 71, 6 Nevada 73 3 Wichita State 70, and 1 Illinois 76 8 Stony Brook 66. 

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

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

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. 

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. 

What happened to Yancy Gates?

As we head to the finish line of a disappointing end of the season, I thought it would be prudent to look at one of the most disappointing things of the season: Yancy Gates' lack of defensive rebounding. I'm not going to highlight every disappointing thing that has been the Bearcats season, because that might take too long. But the Gates defensive rebounding issue has been called out by Dan Hoard, UC beat writers, twitter, Facebook, and myself. I decided to go so far deep into the numbers, that by the end of this, you are going to need a flashlight, a map, and a prayer to find your way out.

Let's hit it where it hurts,Yancy averages 6.034 rebounds, down from 6.094 last season. Out of those 6.034, 2.517 are offensive, and 3.517 defensive. That's actually up from 3.2 last season. Let's highlight the positive bits. Gates has had 5 games with double digit rebounds, up from 2 last year. He's had 1 game with double digit defensive rebounds, against Pittsburgh, and a game of 9 against Maryland. The big man has had 5 games, not counting Lipscomb where he played 4 minutes, where he's had 0 defensive rebounds. Last season, he had 1. In his 7 games with 1 defensive rebound or less, he's only grabbed 19 rebounds .Last season, despite a lower rate, when Gates wouldn't defensive rebound much, he would at least hit the offensive glass harder. In the 1 d board or less, he had 4 games with 13 rebounds. Gates has had 10 games of over 5 defensive boards, as opposed to 9 last season.

In the past 7 games, Gates has grabbed 6 defensive rebounds. In the 0 rebound games, he's been out rebounded defensively by Deonta Vaughn, Cashmere Wright, Jaquan Parker, Dion Dixon, Larry Davis and your grandma. It's baffling seeing a 6'9 man who dominated at the high school level to the point where he was a Rivals 5 star recruit not try harder on the glass. Maybe high school ruined his rebounding effort. Maybe it was too easy for him to grab rebounds then, and he has packed it in. He plays down on the box, yet he is not one of the ones who swarms to the ball. Lance Stephenson lately has swarmed to the ball. Ibrahima Thomas swarms. Rashad Bishop swarms. In fact, there are 5 Bearcats averaging at least 3 defensive rebounds per game. They are Gates at 3.517, Stephenson 3.5, Thomas 3.2, Vaughn 3.1, Bishop 3. Let's conference stats that up. Pretend that made sense. In conference play Ibrahima Thomas averages 3.7, Stephenson 3.43, and Gates 3.41.

What this all boils down to is simple. Defense rebounding is all about wanting the ball. Yancy Gates has wanted the ball in some games, Maryland, Pitt, Notre Dame, Prairie View, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, St John's and Depaul. In other games, he looks like he doesn't give a shit, West Virginia (0 TOTAL rebounds), South Florida, UConn the first time, South Florida again, Toledo, Miami, UConn the second time, Marquette. Sure he scored in some of those games, like Marquette, and Toledo, but basketball is more than just offense. Yancy Gates can score 10 points in his sleep, and to make that joke for you, he already does. Rebounding is something where you actually have to try, and Gates seems to be nonchalant every other game. The thing is, we know he can be a monster. Watch the Maui Invitational. Gates dominated that event. Maryland and Vanderbilt are 2 top notch teams, and Yancy Gates bulldozed them. They didn't stand a chance when he was in the game. He put up double doubles in 29 and 25 minutes. 17-13 in 29 minutes against Maryland and 16-10 in 25 minutes against Vandy. I mean that's fucking talent. I don't know about you all, but I was ecstatic that Yancy Gates was owning top 25 teams. When Yancy Gates plays like one of the best big men in the Big East, Cincinnati has a chance against anyone. He disappeared, along with everyone else, against Syracuse, loss. He disappeared against South Florida, loss. Only played one end against WVU, loss. Benched against Marquette, loss. He's incredibly important to the chances of a Cincinnati victory. We need Yancy Gates to be a monster on the blocks. We know he can do it, because we've seen it. We also know that he apparently has no desire to play in the NBA, because despite the tools, no one is going to draft him with the effort he gives. This might sound like, and kinda is, a rip job on Yancy Gates, but I really like him. I think he can do great things, and it's incredibly frustrating watching him not. He should be giving a shit we are playing Villanova on Senior Night from the get go, not just when Antonio Pena elbows him. The fall of Yancy Gates the last 10 games as coincided with the fall of UC the last 10 games. It's sure as hell not a coincidence.

Villanova 77 Cincinnati 73

(Enquirer/Jeff Swinger)

The Cincinnati Bearcats showed heart Tuesday night, but it wasn't enough to overcome Villanova and loss #13. Cincinnati is now 16-13, 7-10. Villanova pretty much wrapped up the second spot in the Big East tournament I believe, as they are now 24-5, 13-4. The game was pretty weird to watch, because the first half was relatively normal, and the second was plagued by horrible officiating. Not just on UC, but on both ends. Both teams were at 6 fouls before the first media timeout. The second half took 77 minutes. That kind of disjointed effort by the whistle blowers matched the disjointed effort on the court. Before we dive too deep into the game action, I want to say thanks to the fans that showed up and gave a great ovation to the seniors, especially Deonta Vaughn, and got loud when we needed it. There was a 'Thank You Vaughn' chant near the end, and I, and Mick, and Deonta appreciate it. Maybe we'll see Deonta in one last home game in whatever post season tournament UC is playing in a couple weeks. 

Deonta Vaughn started Senior Night the best way that he knew how, starting the scoring action off with a 3 to a nice ovation. Antonio Pena responded with 4 straight points on a basket and free throws. Lance Stephenson put UC back in the lead on a tip off his own shot, but Corey Stokes got hot. After Mouphtaou Yarou made one free throw, and Steve Toyloy scored on a pump fake, Stokes nailed a pair of 3s to give Villanova the advantage. Pena scored on a putback, and 6:25 in, it was 13-7. Mick Cronin changed the line up around some, and we had a Biggie McClain sighting. I don't know why either. Reggie Reddding iced a step back j to push the Nova run to 10-0, before Deonta scored on a spin move runner off the glass. Vaughn followed with a 3 of his own, and forced a steal that Rashad Bishop couldn't convert from in close. But, Nova would miss and Cashmere Wright would 'cash' in on a jumper on the women's 3 point line to bring the crowd to it's feet and Jay Wright to call a timeout. The 7 point run made it 15-14. Out of the timeout, Stokes hit another 3. On the way up the floor, Cronin was hit with a technical. He objected to a couple of non called push offs and I think a non call travel before the 3. Stokes made 1 of 2 at the line for a 5 point lead. Yancy Gates got involved by getting to the line, and made 2. The teams were settling for jumpers, and there were stretches where there was no scoring. At the 10 minute mark up 3, the Wildcats went on another run. Yarou hit a jumpshot, Pena tipped a telegraphed pass by Vaughn intended for Gates to Scottie Reynolds, who would hit the big man for a lay up, and Corey Fisher would ice a 3. That would be the last Nova field goal for a while, and UC would take advantage. A put back by Ibrahima Thomas, and a step up jumper by Bishop cut the lead to 26-20 at the 6:52 timeout. Pena would make 1 of 2 free throws, before Bishop hit a runner off a rebound. Reynolds would turn the ball over, leading to a Larry Davis to Gates lay up and a foul, which Gates converted to make it 27-25. The teams clanked jumpers, exchanged offensive fouls, and turned the ball over for the next few minutes until Dominic Cheek was fouled by Thomas and made one. After a wild 3 attempt by Vaughn, Taylor King threw a pass right to Ibby, who fed Vaughn racing up the court. The senior would score with a foul. He drilled the free throw and tied the score. Corey Fisher hit a 3 for Nova's first field goal in 7:38. The half ended when Deonta Vaughn got a friendly bounce from the rim (foreshadowing alert) to send us in the locker room tied at 31. 

Villanova shot 10-24, 5-11 from three, and 6-10 at the stripe. They gathered 16 rebounds, 6 offensive. The Wildcats scoring was done by Stokes 10-3, Pena 9-6, Fisher 6, Yarou 3, and Redding 2. Scottie Reynolds had 2 assists. For Cincinnati, they shot 12-31, 3-13 from deep, and 4-4 at the stripe. The Bearcats pulled home 14 rebounds, 6 offensive. They were powered by Deonta Vaughn's 14, but also Gates had 5, Bishop 4, Stephenson 2-4, Thomas 2-3, Toyloy 2, and Wright 2. UC had 5 assists on 12 shots, continuing the trend of solid first half passing.

Mike DeCourcy wrote something interesting in his column after the game. He said teams don't need to change line ups to start the second half and play the starters again. UC went on their run with Thomas, Davis, Gates, Vaughn and Stephenson, but started the half back with Toyloy. Toyloy couldn't hang with the Nova front line in the first half and didn't play much after the 15-7 lead, and half 2 started the same way. Yarou was wide open underneath for a lay up from Redding, who forced a steal from Gates, and found Reynolds for 3. It was the first basket by the senior. Fisher drove to the basket, got fouled, made both for a 7 point lead. Vaughn scored the first UC point of the half on a free throw, but it was on the miss that shit got real. On the rebound, Antonio Pena got reached in on, so he threw an elbow back at Yancy Gates. Gates got in his face before Larry Davis pulled them apart. Both got technicals, and Pena a personal. Pena scored the next point on a free throw, and on the next Nova possession, Yarou was fouled. As he walked to the line, he got a little shove by Gates, who was taken out of the game. Yarou made 1, but after a UC miss, Reynolds knocked down a 3. 43-32 would be the under 16 timeout score. UC settled for 3s nearly this whole time. Both teams went zone, but Nova's zone was sagging in on Gates letting the UC wing players fire up bricks as they are wont to do. Steve Toyloy of all people fired up a 15 footer that was nowhere near close. At the 14 minute mark, UC got their first basket of the half as Vaughn hit a cutting Bishop. Bishop followed with a 3 after Stephenson grabbed a rebound, raced up the court and dropped the ball off to him. On UC's next possession, Toyloy had the ball on the block, he turned, his defender flopped, allowing Toyloy to pass to Lance for 2 and a 7-0 UC run. Nova would run the lead right back though. Maalik Wayns broke the UC zone by finding Yarou. Deonta Vaughn dribbled the ball up court, and while dribbling off the right shoulder, simply lost the ball. Wayns picked it up, and foul Taylor King, who dunked with a foul on Vaughn. King missed the free throw, but Nova had a 45-37 advantage at the under 12. Yancy Gates would draw a foul before the timeout, and after he made both free throws. Stokes (over a double team) and Gates exchanged buckets, and after a Bishop put back, Nova would extend the 4 point lead. Scottie Reynolds fueled an 8-0 run with 3 free throws after Bishop hit his arm while he was shooting a 3, he fed Yarou for 2, and dropped another 3 for a 57-45 lead at 8:23 and a Cronin timeout. UC continued to brick 3s, with Larry Davis being one of the worst offenders. Larry was 0-5, and none of them looked close. He's lost a lot of confidence in his j this year. If the first doesn't fall, none of them do. Out the break, Rashad Bishop took the ball to the rim, GASP, for a traditional 3 point play. But Yarou found Stokes for a dunk, Stephenson bricked a pair of free throws, Redding hit a 3, and Stokes hit a pair from the charity stripe. With under 7 minutes to go, Nova lead 64-48. With their backs, and season, against the wall, UC fought back hard. Stephenson converted a traditional 3 point play. Reynolds made a pair of free throws for Nova here, 66-51. Jaquon Parker, who hadn't played since the USF game 2 weeks ago, scored 5 in a row on a spin move for a lay up, and an open 3. Rashad Bishop got a piece of a Taylor King 3 attempt, on the other end Vaughn nailed one. With 4:26 on the clock, Nova lead by 7. Nova would travel, and Stephenson took advantage by drawing a foul. He missed both, but Yancy Gates pulled down a huge rebound and scored. Lance stole the ball from Redding, made both, cutting the deficit to 3. Reynolds missed an open 3 for Nova. On the UC possession, Stephenson missed a chance to tie, but Bishop flew down the lane for a put back to make it 66-65. A 17-2 run with the season on the line. Redding was fouled, and made both. Parker missed a 3 to tie, but Redding got a 3 to bounce off the rim, off the backboard and down after it looked like Reynolds traveled with 1:31 left. It was Nova's first basket in 5:30 and a huge one. Gates cut the lead to 4 on free throws, and UC got a steal when Stokes slipped on the inbound and the ball was passed right to Stephenson. He passed to Vaughn open on the right wing, but it was shades of Marquette as Deonta missed. There was a jumpball on the rebound, and UC had the arrow. But, Bishop missed a 3, and Vaughn had a foot out of bounds while trying to tie up the long rebound. With 40.3 to go, Reynolds hit 2 free throws. Vaughn missed a runner, but Redding only made 1 ft for Nova. Stephenson got fouled, but missed both. Taylor King made both for an 8 point lead. UC's last second rally saw Stephenson score a traditional 3 point play, Nova travel, and Bishop hit a 3. But with 3.2 left, Reynolds hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 4, and the final score.

Villanova finished 21-44 47.7%, 10-21 47.6% from deep, and 25-35 at the stripe. They pulled home 28 rebounds, 6 offensive. Reynolds had 17, all in the second half, and 5 assists, Stokes 14-4, Redding 11, Pena 10-7, Yarou 10-2, Fisher 10, King 4-5, Cheek 1. Wayns had 3 assists, crucial in spreading the lead. Cincinnati was 26-66 39.4%, 7-30 23.3%, 14-21 66% at the line. They gathered 31 rebounds, 14 offensive. Rashad Bishop had 19, 15 in half two, Vaughn 18-3 assists, Gates 13-5, Stephenson 12-7, Parker 5, Thomas 2-3, Wright 2-3, and Toyloy 2. 

All congratulations to Villanova. They played hard, and executed when they had to. Reynolds was great in the second half, and Redding was key. Rashad Bishop really brought it in the second half for UC when we needed it. Vaughn had a great first half. Stephenson played overall solid. The things that hurt tonight were the same things that hurt all season. Big opponent run, check. Offensive ineptitude, check. Jacking up 3s, check. Missing big free throws, check. Getting torched on d at the wrong times, check. In many ways, this has been a lost season. Cincinnati has had chance, after chance, after chance to close out games and they haven't. The effort seems to vacillate between 'we really want to play hard' and 'we could be playing right now.' It's so frustrating to watch some of these things day in and day out. It was a hell of a comeback, but it ended the same way they all do. Missed open 3, check. Defensive breakdown, check. Missed chances, check. Missed tournament, check?

Know Your Opponent: Villanova Wildcats edition

Tonight at 7 on ESPN2 , the Cincinnati Bearcats host the mighty Villanova Wildcats in the final regular season home game. I beg you one last time to come early for the Senior Day activities, and to give a great showing of support to Deonta Vaughn. And also to Steve Toyloy. I thanked both in this post, and feel free to thank them there as well. It should be quite special. In the midst of all the thanking, there is a very important game to be played. The Bearcats are currently on the outside looking in for the Big Dance, while Nova has been struggling as of late, losing 3 of 4. Granted they were to UConn, Pitt and Syracuse, but Nova seems ripe for a beating. Then again, Mick Cronin has never, eeeeevvvvveeeerrrrr, as Chris Jericho used to say, won a game in March at Cincinnati. It's going to take quite the effort from the men in white to get over the hump. The Bearcats haven't beaten a team ahead of them in the standings this season, and last I checked, Nova is up in second. In times like this, all we can do is cheer for victory, and cheer for #5. That's exactly what our friends at the great Villanova site I Bleed Blue and White will be doing, except probably not. In lieu of a Bearcats logo, I'm going to use a picture of Deonta Vaughn. He deserves it. Let's hit the numbers.

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.