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.”

Bearcats Top #10 UConn; Stephenson Continues to Shine

Last night, the Cincinnati Bearcats beat the Connecticut Huskies in a thriller that was closer than it should have been. The ‘Cats led by 10 or more points on multiple occasions only to leave a lane open to the hoop allowing UConn to make a comeback each time. Lance Stephenson continued his rookie domination scoring 21 points with two of those points coming via free throws with 0.7 seconds left to put the Cats up. Stephenson also had four rebounds and three assists.

Senior guard Deonta Vaughn came out of his shell and ended his 3-for-23 behind the arc skid as he was 3-5 from the three point line and finished with 17 points before fouling out towards the end of the game. Sophomore forward Yancy Gates didn’t show up in this game, as he scored just six points to go with three rebounds while struggling with four fouls on the night.

The Cats will need more consistent play from the team to compete against the likes of Syracuse, West Virginia and Georgetown in the Big East. Vaughn and Stephenson will need to play this way every game while red shirt freshman guard Cashmere Wright will need to step up his game, shoot smart shots and make them. Same goes for Yancy Gates and Ibrahima Thomas, as Gates is very inconsistent throughout his young career. This game was Thomas’ fifth game of the year, and besides the Lipscomb and Winthrop games, has missed way too many shots that include a 1-6 performance in the overtime loss to Xavier and 1-7 from the field in last night’s win.

The win puts the Bearcats in the right direction after two very disappointing losses to Xavier and UAB. A win against a top 10 conference opponent to start conference play definitely helps build confidence for the younger players on the team, as the Big East Conference is loaded with nine, ten and eleven plus win teams. At the current moment, the Big East has four teams in the top 10, and five in the overall top 25. Georgetown is currently #13. Besides Providence and DePaul, each team in the Big East has at least nine wins and other than Providence and DePaul, Marquette is the only school in the conference with more than three losses.

If the Bearcats plan on making a late run in March, the conference games ahead need to end up like this one; long, hard fought battles that end in our favor. Strong showings against teams like Syracuse, West Virginia, Villanova and UConn could lead to strong showings against the likes of Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Duke and UNC. But before looking two months ahead, the Cats need to focus on now, and that’s playing well and playing smart and not beating yourself, but beating the other team.