When comparing Cincinnati to some of the other top-10 teams in the country, it's easy to see why the Bearcats aren't exactly thought of as a Final Four contender. On paper, at least.

In reality, Cincinnati is going to be a team that no one wants to see on their side of the bracket come March. The Bearcats proved that Monday, when they went into Petersen Events Center and knocked off Pittsburgh, 70-61.


http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketba...yle-points

He pretty much nailed it.

agree...fair assessment

A fugly W is still a W. Style points don't matter.

Rather have an ugly win than a pretty loss.

I'm just fine with this. Some of our best Huggs teams won ugly. They defended to the hilt and it kept them in games. This team does the same AND has depth at guard.

Our offense is ugly, but our defense sure isn't. Our defense is tough and, I daresay, possibly the best in the nation. I'll take good D over good O any day.

I said it at the beginning of the year: if this team can become even halfway competent on shot selection, we're a top-5 team.

Best part of the article

Quote:Wright had 18 points against Pittsburgh, and he knows how to make big shots. He has proven that we probably made a mistake when leaving him out of our top-50 point guard rankings in the preseason.

I think the offense has more potential than it's given credit for. We really need Rubles to start playing better to give us the inside/outside combo player. Shaq Thomas will continue to get better as the year progresses. I think our centers are what they are, good defenders who will make layups sometimes and miss them from time to time. Having a 5th year senior PG with no fear is a big asset coming down the stretch.

Our defense is as stifling and oppressive as a humid day in the midwest....it's a thing to see really

I think fans need to realize that UC uses a strategy of attrition, and often you're not gonna see the fruits of it until the last 10 minutes or so of a game after the other team starts getting worn out.
The thing that killed UC against New Mexico was the huge number of fouls they had to give in the last possession killed any decent chance to run a good game ending play.

(01-01-2013 12:03 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  I think the offense has more potential than it's given credit for. We really need Rubles to start playing better to give us the inside/outside combo player. Shaq Thomas will continue to get better as the year progresses. I think our centers are what they are, good defenders who will make layups sometimes and miss them from time to time. Having a 5th year senior PG with no fear is a big asset coming down the stretch.

I know that I am an amature bball talent evaluator, but rubles looks like a creator. His contributions do not show up in the box score, but he passes, rebounds, defends and scores.

Quote:They have an outstanding, veteran backcourt with Kilpatrick and point guard Cashmere Wright. Wright had 18 points against Pittsburgh, and he knows how to make big shots. He has proven that we probably made a mistake when leaving him out of our top-50 point guard rankings in the preseason. He and Kilpatrick are enough to carry the Bearcats offensively, limiting prolonged droughts. When those guys are off, Cincinnati makes a killing on second-chance points. The Bearcats rank among the top-10 teams in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, and they were able to grab 12 of them Monday.

I had alot of thoughts during the the last 3 games where UC has struggled offensively. Here are two of them......

1. Wright is a really good shooting guard that is okay at being a PG. He flat out needs to shoot more.

2. Our inability to throw it into the low post for a bucket, momentarily made me miss Yancy. I still prefer our current style of play, but fear not having anyone down low who can score will be this team's undoing come March Madness.