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RE: Future Basketball Schedule
(03-13-2015 07:50 PM)Cat-Man Wrote: Better keep the non-conf schedule strong. I didn't realize this league rated even below the A-10! Good gawd!!
Davis: UC recruiting strong, regardless of league
Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 4:43 p.m. EDT March 13, 2015
HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Cincinnati is closing in on its fifth consecutive NCAA men's basketball tournament bid, but UC associate head coach Larry Davis was asked this week if the Bearcats can maintain that level while playing in the American Athletic Conference.
Meaning, Davis was asked on a pre-AAC tournament coaches teleconference this week if recruiting is more of a challenge for UC in the AAC, a so-called "non-power" league, as opposed to the Bearcats' days in the "power" Big East.
UC found itself out of the Big East and relegated to the AAC last year, after the most recent conference realignments.
Davis' response?
"The way we sell it is that we're Cincinnati. We've always been a national program. It didn't matter what league we were in. We were always either in or near the Top 20 most years. We sell the fact that we're a high-level program, we're going to be on TV and be relevant at NCAA time and be relevant in the Top 25."
UC entered Friday night's AAC quarterfinal against UConn (at Hartford's XL Center) with a 22-9 record. The Bearcats have six wins over Top-50 RPI teams and are assured an NCAA bid regardless, according to national analysts Joe Lunardi (ESPN) and Jerry Palm (CBS Sports).
Palm rates the AAC only No. 8 in his CBSSports.com Conference RPI, behind the Big 12, Big East, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Southeastern, Pacific 12 and Atlantic 10.
Such reality is also one reason why UC head coach Mick Cronin deliberately upgraded the Bearcats' non-league schedule this season.
UC's non-league games have included Ole Miss, Nebraska, San Diego State, VCU and North Carolina State. Noteworthy wins included a road victory at NC State, a win over then-No. 19 San Diego State, and two wins over fellow AAC team SMU – including on the road when SMU was ranked No. 23.
Next year's schedule is not out yet, but Cronin has said he again plans to load up with tough non-league games. With the AAC power ranking being what it is, Cronin knows UC needs some good wins outside the league. Cronin remains sidelined from games for medical reasons but is expected back on the bench in the 2015-16 season.
As for recruiting, UC's 2015 class was rated No. 5 in the AAC and No. 46 nationally by 247Sports.com.
UC in November announced the signings of Jacob Evans, Justin Jenifer and Tre Scott.
A glance:
- Evans, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward from Baton Rouge, La., a consensus four-star prospect and was listed as a Top 100 prospect according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.
- Jenifer, a 5-10, 160-pound point guard from Baltimore, was a Top 100 selection by 247Sports and a three-star talent and Top 150 player by Rivals.
- Scott, a 6-7, 203-pound forward from Darien, Ga., is listed as a three-star prospect by 247 Sports, Scout, Rivals and ESPN.
UC behind the scenes has been working to leave the AAC, with the Big 12 the Bearcats' best hope. Such negotiations take place with great secrecy, but with nothing apparently imminent, UC will continue to compete in the AAC.
"Obviously the Big East had some great selling points," Davis said. "But as our league progresses, with good coaches and good teams and guys that can recruit, our league is going to get better and better."
RALLYCATS UPDATE: The UC RallyCats may not be in Hartford en masse, but there will be pockets of the student booster group cheering the Bearcats at the AAC tournament this weekend.
A crowd of 100-plus RallyCats caused quite a stir in New Orleans on Feb. 28, essentially taking over Tulane's arena with their cheering during a 63-47 Bearcats win. UC players went over and thanked the RallyCats after the game, and Cronin was so pleased that he rewarded the RallyCats with free pizza when they returned to Cincinnati.
"Unfortunately, RallyCats won't be going to Hartford this weekend as a group due to a variety of reasons (finances, spring break)," Spencer Gates, President-elect of the RallyCats, told The Enquirer via email. "I do know some will be making the journey in smaller groups."
Gates said the RallyCats are in talks with the UC athletics office to possibly take a trip to the first/second round of the NCAA tournament, depending on where the Bearcats play.
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../70240468/
The conference doesn't affect recruiting too much in BB. Huggins and Catlett recruited better to the Metro/GM/CUSA than Cronin did to the BE. And Huggins recruited better to Cincinnati than to WVU.
(This post was last modified: 03-22-2015 11:16 AM by Former Lurker.)
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