3 Takeaways: Ryan Manuel shines, but SMU falls in pivotal AAC tilt with Cincinnati
EJ Holland Email ej.holland@highfieldmarketing.com
Published: January 3, 2015 12:54 pm

Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News


SMU head coach Larry Brown watches a player shoot free throws in the second half during an NCAA basketball game between Arkansas and SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas Tuesday November 25, 2014. Arkansas beat SMU 78-72. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)

1. What it means — In a battle of arguably the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference, SMU just couldn’t find a way to get it done against a physical Cincinnati squad. The Mustangs struggled with turnovers and after a quick start from Yanick Moreira, didn’t get much production from their big guys down low in a 56-50 loss. SMU now drops to 1-1 in conference play — the Ponies pummeled South Florida earlier this week. This year, it appears the AAC will be a one-bid league, so SMU can’t afford to drop many more conference games if it wants to win the regular season title and lock up the No. 1 seed in conference tournament, which might make the regular season irrelevant. It might be a little to early to start thinking about all that, but a key date to circle is February 5 — that’s when Cincinnati comes over to Moody.

2. Bench Production — It’s been quite a disappointing year for transfers Justin Martin and Ben Emelogu. Both were expected to make major contributions this season, but that has yet to come into fruition. In this key game, getting production from bench players was key, but it just didn’t come for the Ponies. Martin and Emelogu combined for zero points, making no impact on the game. Markus Kennedy saw extended time in the paint, but he still doesn’t look quite like his old self after missing the first half of the season with academic issues. Kennedy went 3 of 10 for seven points and five rebounds. SMU can’t afford to be without “old Markus” for much longer. In total, the bench combined for just 11 points.

3. Ryan Manuel — Despite the loss, SMU combo guard Ryan Manuel put together a nice game. A freak athlete, Manuel was 7 of 8 from the floor and led the team with 14 points — 12 of those points came in the second half. Without Manuel, SMU might not have been able to keep pace with the Bearcats down the stretch. Manuel also played solid defense and forced a couple of crucial turnovers. Sure, he also turned the ball over a few times himself, but this was one of the best performances ever. And that bodes well for the Mustangs. Manuel has always had potential and if continues to live up to it, SMU could be pretty darn scary in the rest of conference play.

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/...nati.html/

(01-03-2015 03:57 PM)ctipton Wrote:  3 Takeaways: Ryan Manuel shines, but SMU falls in pivotal AAC tilt with Cincinnati
EJ Holland Email ej.holland@highfieldmarketing.com
Published: January 3, 2015 12:54 pm

Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News


SMU head coach Larry Brown watches a player shoot free throws in the second half during an NCAA basketball game between Arkansas and SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas Tuesday November 25, 2014. Arkansas beat SMU 78-72. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)

1. What it means — In a battle of arguably the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference, SMU just couldn’t find a way to get it done against a physical Cincinnati squad. The Mustangs struggled with turnovers and after a quick start from Yanick Moreira, didn’t get much production from their big guys down low in a 56-50 loss. SMU now drops to 1-1 in conference play — the Ponies pummeled South Florida earlier this week. This year, it appears the AAC will be a one-bid league, so SMU can’t afford to drop many more conference games if it wants to win the regular season title and lock up the No. 1 seed in conference tournament, which might make the regular season irrelevant. It might be a little to early to start thinking about all that, but a key date to circle is February 5 — that’s when Cincinnati comes over to Moody.

2. Bench Production — It’s been quite a disappointing year for transfers Justin Martin and Ben Emelogu. Both were expected to make major contributions this season, but that has yet to come into fruition. In this key game, getting production from bench players was key, but it just didn’t come for the Ponies. Martin and Emelogu combined for zero points, making no impact on the game. Markus Kennedy saw extended time in the paint, but he still doesn’t look quite like his old self after missing the first half of the season with academic issues. Kennedy went 3 of 10 for seven points and five rebounds. SMU can’t afford to be without “old Markus” for much longer. In total, the bench combined for just 11 points.

3. Ryan Manuel — Despite the loss, SMU combo guard Ryan Manuel put together a nice game. A freak athlete, Manuel was 7 of 8 from the floor and led the team with 14 points — 12 of those points came in the second half. Without Manuel, SMU might not have been able to keep pace with the Bearcats down the stretch. Manuel also played solid defense and forced a couple of crucial turnovers. Sure, he also turned the ball over a few times himself, but this was one of the best performances ever. And that bodes well for the Mustangs. Manuel has always had potential and if continues to live up to it, SMU could be pretty darn scary in the rest of conference play.

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/...nati.html/

I would bet my life savings that the AAC will get more than one bid this year. When it's all said and done, I believe SMU, Temple, and Cincinnati will all be in the tournament.

Second half rally lifts Bearcats past SMU
Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 3:56 p.m. EST January 3, 2015


Cincinnati Bearcats forward Octavius Ellis (2) reacts during the second half. (Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

Mick Cronin again was under doctor's orders not to attend the game, but the recuperating University of Cincinnati basketball coach sent an encouraging text to his replacement as UC trailed SMU 22-19 at halftime Saturday.

"He texted me at halftime and said, 'Stay positive. You've only got to win by one,' " UC associate head coach Larry Davis said, smiling. "I think he knew, because we had turned it over so much, if we just settled down and didn't do that we'd have a great chance to win."


Cincinnati Bearcats forward Shaquille Thomas (3) drives to the basket against Southern Methodist Mustangs forward Markus Kennedy (5). (Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

UC did win 56-50, as sharpshooting junior guard Farad Cobb came off the bench to score 15 of his 18 points in the second half.

As for turnovers, UC had 12 in the first half but only six after halftime. UC also tightened its interior defense, out-shot SMU 59 percent to 44 percent after the break and out-rebounded the Mustangs 30-25 overall. SMU had 17 turnovers overall.

A season-high 10,013 fans turned out at UC's Fifth Third Arena to see the two AAC contenders, with SMU voted second and UC fourth in the coaches' preseason league poll.

Forward Octavius Ellis had 12 points and six rebounds for UC. Forward Gary Clark had eight points and seven rebounds and point guard Troy Caupain had seven points, including four free throws in the final 26.4 seconds to keep SMU at bay.

UC (10-3, 1-0 American Athletic Conference) is 3-1 since Davis replaced an ailing Cronin.


Cincinnati Bearcats associate coach Larry Davis reacts from the bench. (Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

UC announced Friday that Cronin will not coach any more games or practices for the rest of the season, while dealing with, "A non-life threatening vascular condition known as arterial dissection."

Cronin recently had persistent headaches and was advised by doctors to stop coaching. Rest and medication are in order for Cronin, who continues to work in an advisory role that includes game planning and recruiting. Cronin watched Saturday's game on TV at his home.

"Without (Cronin) it's difficult, but the same goal is to win that conference championship," Caupain said. "We've still got to win as a program, as a unit."

SMU (10-4, 1-1 AAC) is led by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown. The Mustangs had an eight-game winning streak snapped.

The difference after halftime?

"Their energy was better than ours, we got careless a little bit and they made shots," Brown said. "We played on our heels most of the game."

The catalyst for UC was Cobb. Cobb's season high was 24 points, but Saturday marked only his third double-figure scoring game this season.

"A couple shots didn't fall early, but my coaches always tell me to play with confidence," Cobb said. "I just kept shooting and some fell in. Once I get one or two to go, I'm pretty much in a rhythm."

Cobb scored nine straight UC points to lift the Bearcats to a 35-30 lead. Ellis then scored to make it an 11-0 run, giving UC a 37-30 lead with 11:20 left.

UC led by as much as 10 points, 49-39. SMU chipped away and cut its deficit to 51-48 with 27.6 seconds left, but the Mustangs could get no closer.

Caupain made four free throws and Shaq Thomas made one in the final 27.6 seconds for UC. Caupain sealed it with two free throws to put UC up 56-50 with 6.2 seconds left.

For SMU, Manuel had 14 points and guard Nic Moore had 11 points. Moore was averaging a team high 14.8 points but also was under the weather, Brown said.

Several postgame questions naturally involved Cronin's prolonged absence.

"We've still got to go out and play," Ellis said. "If we let this stop us, there's no telling, we probably would have lost by 50 today."

Long way to go, but a great AAC start for UC.

"They're going to be one of the best teams in the league," Davis said of SMU. "The league championship will go through them at some point. To be able to start out 1-0 in the conference against one of the best teams in the conference is huge."

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../21203237/

(01-03-2015 04:11 PM)robertfoshizzle Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 03:57 PM)ctipton Wrote:  3 Takeaways: Ryan Manuel shines, but SMU falls in pivotal AAC tilt with Cincinnati
EJ Holland Email ej.holland@highfieldmarketing.com
Published: January 3, 2015 12:54 pm

Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News


SMU head coach Larry Brown watches a player shoot free throws in the second half during an NCAA basketball game between Arkansas and SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas Tuesday November 25, 2014. Arkansas beat SMU 78-72. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)

1. What it means — In a battle of arguably the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference, SMU just couldn’t find a way to get it done against a physical Cincinnati squad. The Mustangs struggled with turnovers and after a quick start from Yanick Moreira, didn’t get much production from their big guys down low in a 56-50 loss. SMU now drops to 1-1 in conference play — the Ponies pummeled South Florida earlier this week. This year, it appears the AAC will be a one-bid league, so SMU can’t afford to drop many more conference games if it wants to win the regular season title and lock up the No. 1 seed in conference tournament, which might make the regular season irrelevant. It might be a little to early to start thinking about all that, but a key date to circle is February 5 — that’s when Cincinnati comes over to Moody.

2. Bench Production — It’s been quite a disappointing year for transfers Justin Martin and Ben Emelogu. Both were expected to make major contributions this season, but that has yet to come into fruition. In this key game, getting production from bench players was key, but it just didn’t come for the Ponies. Martin and Emelogu combined for zero points, making no impact on the game. Markus Kennedy saw extended time in the paint, but he still doesn’t look quite like his old self after missing the first half of the season with academic issues. Kennedy went 3 of 10 for seven points and five rebounds. SMU can’t afford to be without “old Markus” for much longer. In total, the bench combined for just 11 points.

3. Ryan Manuel — Despite the loss, SMU combo guard Ryan Manuel put together a nice game. A freak athlete, Manuel was 7 of 8 from the floor and led the team with 14 points — 12 of those points came in the second half. Without Manuel, SMU might not have been able to keep pace with the Bearcats down the stretch. Manuel also played solid defense and forced a couple of crucial turnovers. Sure, he also turned the ball over a few times himself, but this was one of the best performances ever. And that bodes well for the Mustangs. Manuel has always had potential and if continues to live up to it, SMU could be pretty darn scary in the rest of conference play.

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/...nati.html/

I would bet my life savings that the AAC will get more than one bid this year. When it's all said and done, I believe SMU, Temple, and Cincinnati will all be in the tournament.

I read that too. Right now Cincinnati and Temple have resumes between a seven seed and nine seed. SMU and UConn will be in the mix by the end of the year. I expect Memphis and Tulsa to get a look from the NIT. The American is most likely a three to four bid league. The seeds won't be great but the league is the same ballpark with A-10 and Mountain West this season. Those league will get three to four bids as well. The WCC and Missouri Valley are multiple bid leagues this season too.

Sometimes I have no idea how sports writers get away with such a lack of knowledge of the sport they cover. Most of us on the forums have a better understanding of college basketball than the guys the get paid to write about the sport.

(01-03-2015 04:57 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 04:11 PM)robertfoshizzle Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 03:57 PM)ctipton Wrote:  3 Takeaways: Ryan Manuel shines, but SMU falls in pivotal AAC tilt with Cincinnati
EJ Holland Email ej.holland@highfieldmarketing.com
Published: January 3, 2015 12:54 pm

Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News


SMU head coach Larry Brown watches a player shoot free throws in the second half during an NCAA basketball game between Arkansas and SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas Tuesday November 25, 2014. Arkansas beat SMU 78-72. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)

1. What it means — In a battle of arguably the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference, SMU just couldn’t find a way to get it done against a physical Cincinnati squad. The Mustangs struggled with turnovers and after a quick start from Yanick Moreira, didn’t get much production from their big guys down low in a 56-50 loss. SMU now drops to 1-1 in conference play — the Ponies pummeled South Florida earlier this week. This year, it appears the AAC will be a one-bid league, so SMU can’t afford to drop many more conference games if it wants to win the regular season title and lock up the No. 1 seed in conference tournament, which might make the regular season irrelevant. It might be a little to early to start thinking about all that, but a key date to circle is February 5 — that’s when Cincinnati comes over to Moody.

2. Bench Production — It’s been quite a disappointing year for transfers Justin Martin and Ben Emelogu. Both were expected to make major contributions this season, but that has yet to come into fruition. In this key game, getting production from bench players was key, but it just didn’t come for the Ponies. Martin and Emelogu combined for zero points, making no impact on the game. Markus Kennedy saw extended time in the paint, but he still doesn’t look quite like his old self after missing the first half of the season with academic issues. Kennedy went 3 of 10 for seven points and five rebounds. SMU can’t afford to be without “old Markus” for much longer. In total, the bench combined for just 11 points.

3. Ryan Manuel — Despite the loss, SMU combo guard Ryan Manuel put together a nice game. A freak athlete, Manuel was 7 of 8 from the floor and led the team with 14 points — 12 of those points came in the second half. Without Manuel, SMU might not have been able to keep pace with the Bearcats down the stretch. Manuel also played solid defense and forced a couple of crucial turnovers. Sure, he also turned the ball over a few times himself, but this was one of the best performances ever. And that bodes well for the Mustangs. Manuel has always had potential and if continues to live up to it, SMU could be pretty darn scary in the rest of conference play.

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/...nati.html/

I would bet my life savings that the AAC will get more than one bid this year. When it's all said and done, I believe SMU, Temple, and Cincinnati will all be in the tournament.

I read that too. Right now Cincinnati and Temple have resumes between a seven seed and nine seed. SMU and UConn will be in the mix by the end of the year. I expect Memphis and Tulsa to get a look from the NIT. The American is most likely a three to four bid league. The seeds won't be great but the league is the same ballpark with A-10 and Mountain West this season. Those league will get three to four bids as well. The WCC and Missouri Valley are multiple bid leagues this season too.

Sometimes I have no idea how sports writers get away with such a lack of knowledge of the sport they cover. Most of us on the forums have a better understanding of college basketball than the guys the get paid to write about the sport.

College sports coverage in major league cities may be part of the issue...there seems to be a lack of depth of understanding

(01-03-2015 04:57 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Sometimes I have no idea how sports writers get away with such a lack of knowledge of the sport they cover. Most of us on the forums have a better understanding of college basketball than the guys the get paid to write about the sport.

As a part time sports writing stringer who has dealt with many sports writers through the years, I can offer one explanation. Most are paid at or below the poverty line (I am referring mostly to the smaller papers. One would hope for better at major city papers). The good ones either get promoted or move on to better paying jobs.

Most people on this board would be quite unwilling to take the necessary cut in pay to take over the sports writers' jobs.

Is that an excuse for bad coverage?

(01-03-2015 05:31 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 04:57 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Sometimes I have no idea how sports writers get away with such a lack of knowledge of the sport they cover. Most of us on the forums have a better understanding of college basketball than the guys the get paid to write about the sport.

As a part time sports writing stringer who has dealt with many sports writers through the years, I can offer one explanation. Most are paid at or below the poverty line (I am referring mostly to the smaller papers. One would hope for better at major city papers). The good ones either get promoted or move on to better paying jobs.

Most people on this board would be quite unwilling to take the necessary cut in pay to take over the sports writers' jobs.

No, it is an explanation. If the person was especially good at the job, they would probably no longer be in it (with the exception of some who truly love the work).

(01-03-2015 05:31 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 04:57 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Sometimes I have no idea how sports writers get away with such a lack of knowledge of the sport they cover. Most of us on the forums have a better understanding of college basketball than the guys the get paid to write about the sport.

As a part time sports writing stringer who has dealt with many sports writers through the years, I can offer one explanation. Most are paid at or below the poverty line (I am referring mostly to the smaller papers. One would hope for better at major city papers). The good ones either get promoted or move on to better paying jobs.

Most people on this board would be quite unwilling to take the necessary cut in pay to take over the sports writers' jobs.

EJ is the writer who said SMU was going to the sec two years ago

(01-03-2015 11:37 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 05:31 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 04:57 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Sometimes I have no idea how sports writers get away with such a lack of knowledge of the sport they cover. Most of us on the forums have a better understanding of college basketball than the guys the get paid to write about the sport.

As a part time sports writing stringer who has dealt with many sports writers through the years, I can offer one explanation. Most are paid at or below the poverty line (I am referring mostly to the smaller papers. One would hope for better at major city papers). The good ones either get promoted or move on to better paying jobs.

Most people on this board would be quite unwilling to take the necessary cut in pay to take over the sports writers' jobs.

EJ is the writer who said SMU was going to the sec two years ago

Yep, pay not attention to EJ

(01-03-2015 05:31 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  

(01-03-2015 04:57 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Sometimes I have no idea how sports writers get away with such a lack of knowledge of the sport they cover. Most of us on the forums have a better understanding of college basketball than the guys the get paid to write about the sport.

As a part time sports writing stringer who has dealt with many sports writers through the years, I can offer one explanation. Most are paid at or below the poverty line (I am referring mostly to the smaller papers. One would hope for better at major city papers). The good ones either get promoted or move on to better paying jobs.

Most people on this board would be quite unwilling to take the necessary cut in pay to take over the sports writers' jobs.

Oscar Madison.