Cincinnati has senior moment in win over Louisville

Mike DeCourcy Sporting News


LOUISVILLE, Ky. — How quickly can mastery turn to misery? How about 83 seconds? Seem possible that Cincinnati’s dance through the KFC Yum! Center could turn into a dirge in such a small amount of time?

The Louisville Cardinals took the entire first 20 minutes of Thursday night’s American Athletic Conference game to score their first 20 points against the 13th-ranked Bearcats, and before the first television timeout of the second half they were behind by 17-point margin. Nearly all of that was gone in less time than it generally takes to play the Minute Waltz.


Sean Kilpatrick (AP Photo)

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin did not call a timeout as this implosion occurred. He had but three left and figured he might need every one to combat Louisville’s pressure defense. In fact, as all of this transpired, he even sat for a second on the Bearcats bench, something he rarely will do even when his team is rolling. He did what seemed prudent: He trusted forwards Justin Jackson and Titus Rubles and star guard Sean Kilpatrick to carry the team through it.

“I’ll tell you what helps me: I’ve got Justin on my team, Titus, SK — I’ve got the best three senior leaders in the country. Period,” Cronin said. “They may not be the best players — Kansas, Kentucky got three lottery picks each — but I wouldn’t trade my guys for the world. Those guys play hard, they’re tough, they care about winning. I’m just enjoying the ride with those guys.”

There were a few bumps after the Bearcats escaped that siege, and they had to depend on the good fortune of Final Four hero Luke Hancock missing a wide-open 3-pointer that might have clinched it for Louisville. But ultimately Jackson (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Kilpatrick (28 points) provided the heroics to secure a 69-66 victory, the team’s 13th in a row. This became the fourth consecutive season the Bearcats reached the 20-win mark, but the first time they got there before February since 2001-02. They have won their first nine games in the American and own a 2½-game lead over the Cardinals (17-4, 6-2) and Memphis.

“We’ve got a chip on our shoulders every day we step on the court, even in practice, even in film,” Jackson said. “We just have to have the mindset to get better every day. That’s how our coach is. Our coach is a chip type of guy.”

Cronin came by that the old-fashioned way: by being criticized for much of his first five seasons on the job for the dual sins of not being Bob Huggins and inheriting a program that had been wrecked by a former president’s indecision regarding how to make a coaching change. Cronin had to rebuild after inheriting a single scholarship player while competing in a brutal Big East.

This is somewhat of an old story, though. The new narrative regarding the Bearcats is they are tremendous on defense — No. 5 in the nation according to KenPom.com — but dreadful when possessing the ball themselves. They reinforced this plenty through the first couple months of the season, scoring only 54 points in a loss at New Mexico and 47 in a debacle against Xavier. They haven’t lost since.

“At times, you lose a game — and we lost two in a row — the world’s falling in and everybody wants to paint you with a quick brush and say, ‘They’re SK and pray for rain.’ That is not this team,” Cronin said. “We’re very different from where we were offensively just a month ago.”

Cincinnati ran some great offense against the Cardinals. They shot 63.2 percent in the second half and 48.9 percent for the game, in part because they successfully attacked the Louisville press but also as the product of some pretty passing plays and even, perhaps, the first successful execution of the Dribble Drive Motion offense the state of Kentucky has seen this season. Over the past three games, they shot 50.3 percent from the field.

“A lot of people don’t understand,” Kilpatrick said. “We have a lot more weapons.”

Sophomore forward Shaq Thomas attacked eagerly on offense for a second straight game and scored 11 points. Freshman point guard Troy Caupain is the best passer the program has had at the position since — who? Puffy Kennedy in 1981? Steve Logan, Kenny Satterfield, Nick Van Exel — they were scoring points. Caupain had only one assist, but Cronin lauded him for successfully inbounding the ball “with all the holding and grabbing and no-calling going on” by the Louisville press.

“I don’t really have to do a lot, like get to the basket and score,” Caupain said. “I’ve just got to control the ball, don’t turn it over, run the plays, execute. That’s the biggest thing coach preaches to me: execute as the point guard, bring everybody together when things get rattled.”

There will be plenty of discussion now about how this will validate Cincinnati’s climb in the polls, convey some sort of national acceptance, but it’s not really about that. There are too many games remaining, too much left to accomplish.

“We’re not hanging any banners because we’re 9-0,” Cronin said. Instead they merely go back to work toward a game Sunday against struggling South Florida that should be comfortable, but who can afford to think that? And what true competitor would? And what senior leader would let them?

“You can’t understand the fortitude of Titus, Justin and SK. That’s why we have the record we have,” Cronin said. “You know what they say: In a fight, everybody’s tougher when they’ve got tough guys around them. And I’ve got three of the toughest guys in the country.”

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketb...louisville

I must have missed that wide open 3-pointer by Hancock.

Hancock had 2 non fouling derenders on him, and his feet weren't set,
Another well crafted article by a sportswriter.

Hancock got a really good look off an offensive rebound when I believe UC was still down 1.

Ville had few shots in the first half that were in and then out also.

(01-31-2014 07:51 AM)BearcatBeta Wrote:  Hancock had 2 non fouling derenders on him, and his feet weren't set,
Another well crafted article by a sportswriter.

When he recieved the ball I cheered before the shot because with where he got it how it was defended and how out of shooting position he was...no way that ball was going to have any chance.

(01-31-2014 01:41 AM)ctipton Wrote:  “I’ll tell you what helps me: I’ve got Justin on my team, Titus, SK — I’ve got the best three senior leaders in the country. Period,” Cronin said. “They may not be the best players — Kansas, Kentucky got three lottery picks each — but I wouldn’t trade my guys for the world. Those guys play hard, they’re tough, they care about winning. I’m just enjoying the ride with those guys.”

Cincinnati ran some great offense against the Cardinals. They shot 63.2 percent in the second half and 48.9 percent for the game, in part because they successfully attacked the Louisville press but also as the product of some pretty passing plays and even, perhaps, the first successful execution of the Dribble Drive Motion offense the state of Kentucky has seen this season. Over the past three games, they shot 50.3 percent from the field.

“We’re not hanging any banners because we’re 9-0,” Cronin said. Instead they merely go back to work toward a game Sunday against struggling South Florida that should be comfortable, but who can afford to think that? And what true competitor would? And what senior leader would let them?

“You can’t understand the fortitude of Titus, Justin and SK. That’s why we have the record we have,” Cronin said. “You know what they say: In a fight, everybody’s tougher when they’ve got tough guys around them. And I’ve got three of the toughest guys in the country.”

Another great national media article. Agree with all points. Loved seeing the team last night, especially SK, drive the lane and attack the basket. Great rebounding effort too.