Bearcats still learning how to deal with respect
02/12/12 at 7:52pm
Written by
bkoch
The UC Bearcats have made a lot of strides during the past few years as Mick Cronin and his staff have put the program back on solid footing, but apparently there are still lessons to be learned on the road to consistent success. Dealing with the fact that they now command the respect of their opponents is one of them.
“Even though we were really good last year, people didn’t respect us,” Cronin said. “I watch the way other teams are preparing for us. You can tell what other teams think. They know they’ve got to play really well to beat you. I don’t think our guys understand that. That’s absolutely a hump you have to get over and it’s nipped us at times. We want everything to be easy at times. We try to be too cool.”
For the first four-plus minutes of Saturday’s game 95-78 loss at Marquette, things were extremely cool and easy for UC, which jumped out to a 16-4 lead. But when the Golden Eagles turned up the heat, the UC players wilted. That’s a disturbing development for a team that doesn’t have the rebuilding excuse or a lack of experience to fall back on anymore.
Even Marquette coach Buzz Williams acknowledged after the game that UC has “10 high-major players.”
That’s precisely why Cronin was so disappointed by his team’s performance.
“I know what my guys are capable of,” Cronin said. “There’s a reason I get upset when Dion Dixon has no rebounds and Cashmere Wright has four turnovers because I know that Dion Dixon is the best athlete on our team. You’ve got to be able to battle every night, man. We weren’t ready to give that type of effort.”
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/uc/2012/02/1...h-respect/
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Bearcats still learning how to deal with respect
