Syracuse Loss May Keep Team from Finishing Out

On Sunday, after being ahead by a score of 49-43 with 12:26 seconds left to play, the Cincinnati Bearcats last lead of the night ended at the 9:42 mark when the Syracuse Orange went on an 8-0 run to take the lead by a score of 51-49 and never relinquishing that. In the final 8:16 seconds of the game, the Bearcats failed to make a basket, and in the final 12:26, the Bearcats scored just five points, while the Syracuse Orange scored 28 to secure the win and continue their dominating season on their way to a number one seed come March.

Head Coach Mick Cronin put the performance into perfect words, saying that the Bearcats missed 14 shots and had but just three rebounds in the second half. What was somewhat of a coming out party for forward/center Ibrahima Thomas, the rest of the team didn’t favor as well. Thomas, who scored a UC career-high 13 points, also made away with seven rebounds. Freshman guard Lance Stephenson and sophomore forward Yancy Gates were both in double digits in scoring, with 10 and 11 respectively.

The loss brings the Cats to an overall record of 14-9 with five wins and six losses in Big East play. The Orange, ranked third and fourth in the country depending on which poll you read, are now 23-1 overall and 10-1 in Big East play.

The Cats have seven games left, with their next game on Saturday, February 13th in Connecticut against the UConn Huskies. If they Cats are going to make the NCAA tournament in March, they are going to need to play much better and find at least four, maybe even five wins and with the remaining opponents being all Big East, including UConn, West Virginia, Villanova and Georgetown, the Cats may find themselves out of the tournament come March, or just as worse, playing in the NIT, or as I call it, the “Not Invited Tournament.”

If the Cats fail to make the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year, the fans screaming for Mick Cronin’s head on a platter may begin. I would like to think that it is just growing pains, since Lance Stephenson is a freshman, as is Cashmere Wright and Jaquon Parker, but Deonta Vaughn has had an off year and for the second straight year, sophomore Yancy Gates has failed to bring the intensity needed all game, every game.

At what point does it become clear that Mick Cronin is not, and will not get the job done? I do understand that this program is in much better shape than when he inherited it, but with this year’s recruiting class being the most highly touted since his arrival, the Cats are not making the progress that the fans, myself included, thought they would. At the same time, the Cats are also in the Big East Conference, home to some of the most dominating teams and powerhouses (see UConn, Syracuse, Villanova, and Georgetown).

The only thing I know for certain, is that UC lost it’s most prized player in Devan Downey when Andy Kennedy was not given the head coaching position, only to lose out to current coach Mick Cronin. At least Cronin doesn’t have to reach out to the football team to help fill voids and holes left in his roster due to injuries as he had earlier in his career. That is a good thing, because Connor Barwin’s job description does not read “help off the bench,” but rather, “back up for Mario Williams; sack the quarterback or the ball carrier.”

Note to David Stern: Cincinnati Wants an NBA Team

Send the notice out to the NBA and the owners, Cincinnati wants a team in the National Basketball Association, and I will be the first to stand up, speak out and lead this charge. I am tired of hearing about Kenyon Martin as a Denver Nugget. It is about time he came back to his college home and played in the Queen City again. Trust me when I say this, he is not the only one. I would love to see the likes of former Xavier basketball players David West and James Posey tearing it up on the home court downtown at U.S. Bank Arena. Being a bigger U.C. fan, I’d love to be seeing the likes of Jason Maxiell slamming the ball home, or James White taking Flight only the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James know of.

Think of how it would help the economy here in Cincinnati. The National Basketball Association is as successful as they come. Being in Cincinnati, we as fans or NBA outsiders do not notice just how well the NBA flourishes. Take a trip up to Cleveland and you will understand what I am talking about. Sure, it helps that the Cavaliers have LeBron James, but with the way the Cleveland Browns play and the way the Indians have ended the last few years, Cleveland has quickly turned itself into a basketball town, going deep into the playoffs and competing for the NBA Championship year in and year out.

Bringing an NBA franchise to Cincinnati would add jobs, get fans spending their money to watch a basketball game and bring tourists from all around the region. Instead of saying in November or December, “Hey, I am going to take a weekend vacation to Indianapolis to watch the Pacers and Colts, or Cleveland to see the Browns and Cavs,” fans all around the area could be saying, “Hey, load up the car, we going to Cincinnati for the weekend. Not only are they going to have a casino, but Saturday night we will see their NBA team and on Sunday, we will see the Cincinnati Bengals.”

The last professional franchise to start in Cincinnati was the Cincinnati Jungle Kats of Arena Football League 2, and we all know how well that ended. One season with a record of 1-15 and lack of support lead to their downfall. Their owners consisted of an overweight and overrated defensive tackle in Sam Adams, a disappointment and underachieving Ken Griffey Jr. and the Cincinnati Reds Medical Team Doctor in Timothy Kremcheck.

I know I am not the only one that would love to see the likes of Deonta Vaughn putting up a game winner as an NBA baller, or Steve Logan pulling up behind the three point line and nailing a three so far back that only a modified video game version of Kobe Bryant could match. Hell, I’d like to see Jordan Crawford slam dunking over the likes of Dwight Howard and Dwayne Wade. He did it against LeBron, so who’s to say he couldn’t do it over these two.

In all honesty, if Cincinnati were to receive an NBA team, fans would have to live through a few years of dismal and disheartening seasons full of talented youngsters learning to grow their game and seasons of more than 40 losses. In this case, we could go to Charlotte for comfort, as for their first five seasons in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats have made slow, but steady progress, culminating in a season in which their record, 24-24, is currently sixth best in the Eastern Conference and is good enough for a playoff birth.

I do not know about you, but I can live through four or five seasons of growing pains. All it takes are good role players, a few high ceiling players, one star, and good coach (Oscar Robertson anyone?) and ownership (Bob Castellini, Carl Lindner, Mike Brown or Richard T. Farmer?) to make a great team, and just like the Bengals and Reds do now, players from all three teams will be attending the other games to help cheer and root for the hometown team. Side note, if you are unaware of whom Richard T. Farmer is, he took Cintas from nothing, and created it into a Fortune 500 company.

All I have to say is this, David Stern, get the paperwork ready, because the city of Cincinnati is in need of an NBA team again, and we will not accept a letter stating, “At this time, I, David Stern, the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, can not grant the city of Cincinnati a franchise for play in the NBA.” We will not accept no, and until we get our team, expect columns and stories like this, filling up your mailbox day in, and day out.

The Easy