Mick Cronin: Bearcats need to get tougher
Bill Koch, bkoch@enquirer.com 5:45 p.m. EST November 24, 2014
UC head coach Mick Cronin's biggest concern with his team through the first three games is an apparent lack of physical and mental toughness.(Photo: The Enquirer/Gary Landers)
The best that can be said about the University of Cincinnati's lackluster performance Sunday was that the Bearcats found a way to win, which means they won't have to fret about having Eastern Illinois pop up in March as a bad loss on their NCAA Tournament resume.
In addition, there were a career-high 17 points from Troy Caupain and a 9-point, 5-rebound effort from Shaq Thomas, who had been unproductive in UC's first two games.
Beyond that, there was much for UC coach Mick Cronin to be concerned about as the Bearcats prepare to face North Central Carolina (1-2) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena in the second game of the Emerald Coast Classic.
At the top of the list of Cronin's concerns is the lack of mental and physical toughness he has observed in the Bearcats' first three games, all of which UC has won in unimpressive fashion.
"We've got to develop some toughness and that has to be the message from our returning players," Cronin said after UC's 54-49 win over Eastern Illinois. "Right now we're full of excuses instead of answers and that's just the truth."
Cronin has made a point of urging everyone inside and outside the program not to dwell on the three seniors from last year who are no longer at UC. The message was that they're gone, they're not coming back, and it's time for a new group to forge its own winning identity.
But even Cronin talked longingly about last year's big three after the Eastern Illinois game as he lamented the Bearcats' shortcomings.
"What I told them is our season will be based on whether we're tough enough to get the job done," Cronin said. "Everybody's got talent. Last year I had the three toughest guys in America and I told everybody that's why we won. They were tough enough to get the grass cut."
That hasn't been the case so far with this team, which includes seven newcomers trying to find their way at a higher level of competition. But it's still very early in the season.
"When I say we're not tough enough, this isn't a boxing match," Cronin said. "You've got to be tough enough to play well. You've got to be tough enough to put the ball in the basket. You've got to be tough enough to take care of the ball. You've got to be tough enough to get fouled vs. pressure. You've got to be tough enough to go up in a one-and-one situation and not almost shoot an airball."
The Bearcats, who received four votes this week in the Associated Press Top 25 media poll, won't begin playing more recognizable schools until this weekend when they travel to Niceville, Florida, for the final two games of the Emerald Coast Classic. They'll face Middle Tennessee on Friday and either Creighton or Ole Miss on Saturday.
But the North Carolina Central team that UC plays Tuesday has solid credentials. The Eagles were 28-6 last year, won both the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and made the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. The Bearcats beat them last year, 74-61, in their season opener.
NCCU is coached by LeVelle Moton, whom Cronin calls "the best coach that's unknown in the country."
The Eagles were picked to win the league again this year and feature senior forward Jordan Parks, a first-team pre-season all-conference selection, and senior guard Anthony McDonald, who averages 18.3 points and shoots 46.7 percent from 3-point range. But they've lost both of their games against Division I competition - 65-45 to Creighton and 76-60 to North Carolina.
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