Just Keep Winning

What will happen to the UC basketball team next weekend when the committee members go behind closed doors?    The team knows they have no control over that, except to win as many games as possible between now and then....and that starts today.  The players say they are just concentrating on Seton Hall.  What about Coach Cronin?  Does he look at the scenarios and look at what could happen?

With a win today the Bearcats wrap up the #9 seed in the Big East Tournament and will play DePaul on Tuesday at noon.

A Walk On, A Transfer, and A Football Guy

Saturday the basketball team bids farewell to a rather, different group of seniors.  One, a walk on that came in during the Andy Kennedy "year" and stayed through thick and thin paying his own way.   One, a McDonald's All American that left Texas only to get hurt and loose a year at UC.  One, a football player that stepped in when needed, but then stepped aside when the coach recruited some basketball players.  Today two of the seniors and the coach "reminisced".

First, Brandon Miller.  A Player who's importance to the program may not get the attention it deserves.

Mike Williams came to UC as ready to help as much as he was needed to help, then he tore his achilles tendon and lost another year.  At seasons end the proper paperwork will be filed with the NCAA to see if he can get a 6th year.  Remember Ben Mauck?  Mike will be recognized Saturday with hopes he will see it again next year.

Connor Barwin was not included in the press conference but he will be involved Saturday.  Like Brandon Miller, Coach Cronin said that Connor was more important to the survival of the program that most will ever realize.  He is also happy that his "football player" will be there Saturday, with his parents.

Tickets are on sale for the game Saturday for $10.

These seniors deserve a full house. Game time:  Noon.  TV  ESPN 360 

The Day After, Still a Big Win

UC assistant athletic director Mike Harris summed it up best Friday when he said, "it's a great day to be a Bearcat fan".  It's the day after a big win against West Virginia and the players are not caught up in the celebration, instead they are looking back at it with appreciation.

It was a sign this team is maturing.  The youngsters are growing up.  Thursday night they went into a must win game without one of their senior leaders, Mike Williams was on the bench with a sore knee.

Deonta Vaughn said the teams recent confidence helped them, but so did following the game plan and playing defense.

What about the Game, It's a BIG one

Last year when UC beat West Virginia the Bearcats were able to hold Bob Huggins to o points, but Mick Cronin was also scoreless in his teams win.

Enough with the coaches, neither of them will hit the winning shot Thursday night.    The Mountaineers come into the game in a much better position for the NCAA Tournament than UC is, that's why this is a must win game for the home team.

Coach Cronin knows that West Virginia is a very good basketball team, here is his view of the Mountaineers.

On Tuesday when we spoke with the team they were just about to look at film of their up coming opponent, but they already know what WVU is all about.

That's a look at the opponent in this very important game.    As for the degree of "importance", it must be big.  ESPN is sending the team of Brent Musburger and Bob Knight. Which leaves one very big question.  UC has only played Ohio State once in the past 50 years, how will Brent work the Buckeyes into the conversation?

Game Time:  7:30   TV:  ESPN   Radio:  WLW

Coach Cronin Talks About Coach Huggins

Before the Louisville game last week Mick Cronin said he is looking forward to the day that UC can play the Cardinals and West Virginia with the focus being on the game and not the coaches. Maybe next year, because that certainly won't be the case Thursday night.  When he met with the media Tuesday afternoon Coach Cronin addressed a number of topics about Bob Huggins return to Cincinnati.  One of which is the difficulty of following a man a popular as Huggins.

Coach Cronin left Cincinnati to take a job with Rick Pitino at Louisville.  Since then a question that always comes up is,  what kind of relationship does he have with his former head coach. 

Like most Bearcat fans Mick Cronin thought that Bob Huggins would always be the head coach at UC.  As a mater of fact he made a bet with Huggins on that subject and now it's time to pay up.

Notice how Coach Cronin said he made that bet with Huggins while he was the head coach at Murray State.  That was years after he left Cincinnati for Louisville.  That should help end the "relationship" question, that tells me that they do talk and keep up with each other.  Later today we will bring you more from our interview with former Bearcat John Meeker.   As a former player he sheds a pretty good light on the return of Coach Huggins as well as looking at this years team.

John Meeker, Loosing the Locker Room Works

This isn't the first time a UC tam has been locked out of their locker room and lost their "gear". Bob Huggins was known for using a similar motivational tactic with his teams when he was the head coach.  We caught up with former Bearcat, and fan favorite, John Meeker.  John remembers going through the same thing and said that it's not just a coaches trick, it works.

We will have more with this former Bearcat through out the week, including his thoughts on his old coach coming back to town.  John is currently working for Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions as a Senior Account  Manager here in town.

Locker Room Lock Out

In Saturdays loss to Louisville Coach Mick Cronin didn't like what he saw out of his team. Following the game he sat them down to watch film and Monday when they went to practice they were locked out of the players locker room.

What was the players reaction to loosing their "creature comforts"?

Not only did they loose their locker room privileges, they lost their Bearcat gear too.

The purpose of such a measure is to make a point with the team.  Apparently they got the message.  For one Larry Davis said this is the maddest he's seen his coach.

Coach Mick Cronin spoke after the Louisville game about how it's much more difficult to go from sixth in the conference to the top, as opposed from going to the basement to sixth.  In his eyes now that UC is sixth, it's time to take it to the next level, and in that next level there are no moral victories.

Coach Cronin speaks of taking the program to the next level.  One problem is not having anyone in the locker room that has been there.  Part of the "banishment" is a message to the teams leaders, and that includes a guy that has been very instrumental in taking UC from the basement to the middle of the pack.

There was a fair share of discussion about the return of Bob Huggins on Thursday night.  The evening news may have a few short clips, but Bearcat Sports Page.com will bring you the "entire comment".  Unfortunately, the evening news is limited by the amount they can use, we are not.   Several of Coach Cronin's thoughts were well over a minute.   We will have them all over the next couple of days.

Another Game, Another Top 10 Team

 After a week off the Bearcats find themselves in the middle of a log in the Big East standings.  With a 7-6 record the Cats are even with Syracuse and West Virginia.  Saturday they kickoff a two game home stand with Louisville.  So is this a "must win" game?

Last year the Bearcats stunned a packed house in Freedom Hall on New Years day as they stole a rare road victory from the Cardinals.  Deonta Vaughn remembers that game.

Years ago a top ten team coming into Fifth Third Arena would have been a big deal.  Anymore that's just another day in the Big East.

With Louisville coming to town the focus quickly goes to the coaches.  The players don't care who coached with who, they worry about the players on the court, not the guys in the ties.

Coach Cronin could not agree more.  He knows with Louisville and then West Virginia the coaches will be put n the spotlight, a place he would prefer the players be.

Saturdays game tips off at Fifth Third Arena at 2:oo and will be televised locally on Fox Sports Ohio Ch #43 on most Time Warner Cable Systems.

Bubble, What Bubble?

With a week off this past week the Bearcats had a chance to catch their breath and take a look at where they are.  Going into this weekend they find themselves tied for 7th in the Big East with Syracuse and West Virginia, and just a game behind Providence.  Right now all sights are set on Louisville, despite all of the talk of UC being a bubble team.  Here is Deonta Vaughn and then Yancy Gates to talk about being a bubble team.

With the "bubble situation" at UC extra emphasis is being put on each game, including this Saturdays home game against Louisville.  Coach Cronin certainly understands the importance but tries to keep the team from getting to high after wins and too low after losses.  The old cliche keeps coming up, take 'em one at a time.

We will have more on the Louisville game Saturday morning here at the home of your best "complete" Bearcats coverage.  

Pitt was Pitt, Now it's Back to Work

Each weekend the "experts" weigh in on who they think will make the NCAA tournament. Based on last weeks body of work, the Bearcats shouldn't have lost or gained any ground.   They beat a team they were supposed to beat, then lost to a team they were supposed to loose to. The team they lost to might be the best team in the country, and now they know it's time to put the Pitt loss behind them and move on.

We asked Coach Cronin what he took away from the game against the Pitt Panthers

A good team learns from it's losses.   Especially when they come at the hands of such a talented opponent.

This week the Bearcats are given the luxury of some time away from Big East competition.  Notice how we didn't say "time off".  For the past several weeks the team has been playing at least two games a week.  This six day break won't be used for rest and relaxation, instead it's a chance to get back to basics.

Bearcat Sports Page.com will have continued coverage of the Bearcats this week as they prepare for their next game, Saturday Jan 21 against the Louisville Cardinals at Fifth Third Arena.  Among some of the topics we will bring you is the teams view of "being on the bubble".

Everybody Wants to Know

A month ago Mick Cronin was talking about how hard it is on family and friends when the negativity starts to surround the program.  It's difficult when everyone is asking " what's wrong with you guys?"   As of Thursday afternoon the "opposite problem" has popped up.  Now everyone wants to talk about how many games they need to win to get into the tournament.

Given the choice Coach Cronin and his team would much rather be talking about what it takes to make the tournament as opposed to what their plans are for spring break.

Where's Tanya Harding When You Need Her?

Wednesday night Notre Dame pays a visit to US Bank Arena downtown to take on UC. Surprisingly the Irish come in riding a 5 games loosing streak. The last three being to top ten teams, Pitt, UConn and Marquette. Coach Cronin talks about Notre Dame and how tough they are, especially with the position they are in conference wise.

The Irish score a bunch of points and slowing them down means slowing down All American candidate Luke Harangody. Last year UC held him to 1 point in the first half, but they he exploded for 24 in the second half. If the snow can't slow him down, Coach Cronin has come up with "plan B".

This is a home game for UC. Coach Cronin said that part of the negotiations were that UC students would be on the floor in the bleachers behind each basket. During the "Cronin Era" the Bearcats are 3-0 at US Bank Arena, including a victory earlier this season against Mississippi State. Wednesdays game against Notre Dame is not on local cable. ESPN 360 is the only way to see the game. Tickets are still available. Tip Time: 7:30 at US Bank Arena downtown.

Young Team, Making Progress and Playing With Passion

In their last 6 conference games the Bearcats are 4 and two with a couple of road wins.  This is not an easy conference for a teams "mentality".   That was one of the topics covered Tuesday afternoon before practice.   Games are going to be won, but games are also going to be lost.  With such a young team it's important for them to remain "even keel" and not get too high or too low.

Last year this team was in the second year of the reconstruction process, looking back how far has this program come?

Monday afternoon the team looked back at some film from the team last year.  One thing Deonta Vaughn noticed is that last years team played with tremendous passion.  Passion this years team is having trouble matching.

Wednesday morning we will post some of the comments made today about the game against the Fighting Irish at US Bank Arena.

Super Sunday: At Villanova

In our weekly poll, the Bearcat fans that visit this site said that they have gained some confidence in the team following the win Wednesday against Georgetown.  The team itself also shares in that confidence, it was a good win for this young team.

This team is learning how to win, and just in time.  Winning four of the first 8 games is an accomplishment in this league.  Why is the team playing better now compared to in late December and early January?  Did "the light" finally come on for some of the younger players? Coach Cronin has been preaching the importance of defense all season.  He may not tell his team this, but is it a case of " I told you so" as far as if they play defense they will will games?

Playing in the Big East in late January is a difficult situation to prepare any player for.  In the past couple of weeks UC has been on as big of a "run" as you can be on in this tough conference. Winning 3 of the last 4 had taught this team how to win.  In this conference a victory is something to cherish, not expect.

They have learned how to win, they have even learned how to win on the road.  However, the next test is a doosey, at Villanova.   A team that is coming of a win against Pittsburgh and never looses at home.   UC played some tough games in December and early January,  and hopefully has grown to better handle big games in big atmospheres.

Up Next: At Villanova Sunday  Tip Time Noon.

Up Next: Georgetown

Mick Cronin always says that any team in this league is a week away from a three game loosing streak. Wednesday night a team riding a three game losing streak pays a visit to Fifth Third Arena, surprise...it's Georgetown.  UC on the other hand is coming off of a road trip that saw them win 2 out of 3 conference games.  Did coming back from 11 down at St John's to win by 11 help this team by more than just by improving its record?

The St John's win was a good confidence booster for this team.  The two freshmen, Dion Dixon and Yancy Gates both think that they, and the team are playing better right now. 

While UC is riding a bit of a winning streak, their next opponent has lost three in a row.  Georgetown remains a top 25 team despite the losses that include a set back at Seton Hall.  What is wrong with the Hoyas?

Life in the Big East isn't easy.  Who would have thought these two teams would be facing off against each other with identical conference records at 3-4?  Does the team know they are fighting for sole possession of 9th place in the conference?  

Georgetown is a young and talented team.  They heave one of the best freshmen in the country with their super start center, Greg Monroe.

Snow and ice could make the crowd Wednesday night a small one.  Even without the snow crowds have been far less than what fans were used to back in "the glory days".  A three and three record has brought it's fair share of criticism.    Does Coach Cronin pay attention to the negative flavor some sports talk radio callers have taken?

Georgetown at Fifth Third Arena Wednesday night 7:30.

Big Test at Depaul

Getting the first Big East win earlier this week was very important,  so is trying to get number two.   Advancing to the post season means defending your home turf and during the last home stand UC dropped a game to Providence.  That means they have to try and steal a win on the road. Saturday at DePaul is one of those rare opportunities to do so.  The Blue Demons are young but also talented.  The Cats also know at times this season they have been their own biggest opponent.

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Saturday January 17  @ Depaul  ESPNU  2:00 tip time.

Tall Task: UCONN

Saturday afternoon the Bearcats take on one of the best teams in the country when UCONN pays a visit to Fifth Third Arena, and that means going up against one of the best big men in the country. Hasheem Thabeet and his 7'3 frame will be clogging the lane at both ends of the court.

Along with a great team comes a great coach. Mick Cronin has the utmost in respect for this Hall of Fame counter part.

Stay In The Moment, Players Optimistic

It's been a rough few weeks for the men's basketball team.  Two big road losses to top 25 teams, then loosing to Providence at home earlier this week.   With the dry spell comes criticism. Criticism that unfortunately has more of an effect on those not directly involved, like family and friends.

Coach Cronin is able to overlook the "critics".  Does he try to insulate his young team from it?

With the loosing streak and some negativity surrounding the program what is the teams state of mind?  Young optimism flows eternal.

The effort of this team has been a topic of public discussion this week.  Coach Cronin looks at the lack of experience as part of the problem, effort is being in the right place.

Saturday afternoon the Bercats square off against one of the top teams in the country when UCONN pays a visit to Fifth Third Arena.  Bearcat Sports Page.com will take a look at the Huskies in tomorrows basketball report.

Providence Preview

The Bearcats view Wednesdays game against Providence as a way to bounce back from two tough road games and get a much needed win in conference play. Like all games in the Big East, it won't be easy. Providence comes in with an identical 10-4 record but, their 10 wins include two conference wins. The Friars are riding a three game winning streak with a 21 point win over St John's and an 8 point win over Depaul. Both games were at home where the Friars have been very comfortable, as opposed to being on the road. They have played on the road only 4 times and show a 1-3 record. It won't be easy but it's definitely a winnable game, if the Cats play hard....and smart.

Game time is at 7:00.

A New 6'11 Bearcat

Tuesday afternoon before practice an unfamiliar "tall" young man was taking jump shots in Bearcat practice gear. Turns out it was UC's newest student and Mick Cronins newest Bearcat, Ibrahima Thomas is transferring in from Oklahoma State. Last year as a freshman Thomas started 27 games for the Cowboys. At the end of the year he scored 19 points against Texas in the Big 12 Conference quarter finals. He enrolled in classes today and will be eligible to play at the beginning of Winter Quarter next year.

Wasn't there another African native that was supposed to be in Clifton by now? Maybe that's who Coach Cronin "can't talk about".