Hello There, Guest! (LoginRegister)

      
Post Reply 
UC Bearcats looking for closer
Author Message
Bookmark and Share
ctipton Offline
Jersey Retired
Jersey Retired

Posts: 32,482
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation: 140
I Root For: UC and the Reds
Location: Cincinnati West Side

DonatorsDonators
Post: #1
UC Bearcats looking for closer
UC Bearcats looking for closer
Feb 22, 2013

[Image: bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=AB&D...p;amp;q=60]
The UC Bearcats' bench reacts during the final moments of overtime of Thursday's 73-66 loss to Connecticut.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports


Written by
Bill Koch

One of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats’ most promising attributes as the season began in November was the presence of three battle-tested guards in their starting lineup.

With seniors Cashmere Wight and JaQuon Parker along with fourth-year junior Sean Kilpatrick, the Bearcats figured to have an advantage down the stretch in all those Big East Conference games that are decided in the final few minutes.

But that advantage has yet to materialize. Time and again, UC has either squandered a lead in the closing minutes or failed to execute with the outcome on the line. As a result, the Bearcats have lost four of their last five games, their record falling from 18-4 to 19-8.

“That’s what makes it worse,” Parker said of UC’s experience at the guard position. “We’ve all been here at least four years.”

The latest example occurred Thursday night in UC’s 73-66 overtime loss at Connecticut in a game the Bearcats led by six with 4:21 to play in regulation.

The inability to close out games has dogged the Bearcats since they lost a one-point decision to St. John’s on Jan. 5 at Fifth Third Arena, setting the tone for what has been a very frustrating season to date. UC led that game by a point with 53 seconds left.

Perhaps the most painful loss of the season took place on Jan. 21 when the Bearcats squandered a seven-point lead with just over five minutes to play and were beaten at Syracuse on a tip-in with seconds remaining. The Orange were ranked third nationally at the time and although the Bearcats were stung by the way they lost, they exited the Carrier Dome feeling confident that they could play with anybody in the country.

They’re not so confident now.

UC won its next two games at home vs. Rutgers and at Seton Hall and seemed destined for a high NCAA Tournament seed. Now they’re grappling for a way to end this unnerving slide, having fallen to a No. 9 seed Friday in Joe Lunardi’s projected bracket. They’re in 10th place in the Big East with a 7-7 conference record.

“It challenges your psyche when you continue to struggle in close games,” said UC coach Mick Cronin.

In each of its four most recent losses, UC let victory slip away in the closing minutes:

The Bearcats led at Providence, 47-46, with 3:25 remaining only to be outscored, 8-3, the rest of the way in a 54-50 loss. They led Pitt by one with 4:55 left but were outscored, 15-4, and lost, 62-52. And they held a 51-50 lead over Georgetown with 6:33 left only to be outscored, 12-4, in a 62-55 loss.

UC found a way to lose to the Huskies on Thursday despite outrebounding UConn, 44-28. They outscored the Huskies, 34-14, in the paint and 17-4 on second-chance points. They held UConn without a point for nearly nine minutes in the second half and had an edge in depth with 10 players on the floor for 10 minutes or more compared with six for UConn.

But they did not have anyone who was able to take over the game the way UConn’s Shabazz Napier did when he scored 11 points in overtime and made three 3-point shots. Largely because of Napier, the Huskies scored 18 points in the five-minute overtime, matching their total for the entire second half.

“We’re trying to figure out how and why at the end of the games it’s happening like this,” said befuddled point guard Cashmere Wright.

The Bearcats, who usually charter back to Cincinnati immediately after a road game, stayed in Hartford on Thursday night and flew Friday to South Bend, Ind., where on Sunday they’ll face Notre Dame, a team they lost to, 66-60, at Fifth Third Arena on Jan. 7.

Looking for solace where he can find it, Cronin pointed out that Louisville endured a similar slump at this time last year. The Cardinals lost four of their last six heading into the Big East tournament then rallied to win the Big East Championship and advanced all the way to the Final Four.

“You just have to stay the course,” Cronin said. “We’ve got to continue to learn how to play smarter. We play really hard. We’re trying to play smarter. Our shot selection was excellent in the first half. We’ve just got to continue to improve. I’ve got to continue to do my job. We’ve got to eliminate mistakes.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...ing-closer
 
02-23-2013 01:32 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


Post Reply 




User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


Copyright © 2002-2024 Collegiate Sports Nation Bulletin Board System (CSNbbs), All Rights Reserved.
CSNbbs is an independent fan site and is in no way affiliated to the NCAA or any of the schools and conferences it represents.
This site monetizes links. FTC Disclosure.
We allow third-party companies to serve ads and/or collect certain anonymous information when you visit our web site. These companies may use non-personally identifiable information (e.g., click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over) during your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use a cookie or third party web beacon to collect this information. To learn more about this behavioral advertising practice or to opt-out of this type of advertising, you can visit http://www.networkadvertising.org.
Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2024 MyBB Group.