Bearcats visit Tulane seeking revenge, 20th win
Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 4:56 p.m. EST February 27, 2015
UC guard Farad Cobb and his teammates are out to avenge their recent upset loss to Tulane. (Photo: The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar)
NEW ORLEANS – Revenge. A fifth consecutive 20-win season. One step closer to the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-9, 10-5 American Athletic Conference) will play for all of the above when they visit Tulane (14-13, 5-10 AAC) here Saturday at 2 p.m. at Devlin Fieldhouse.
It starts with the revenge angle. Tulane upset UC 50-49 in excruciating fashion Feb. 14 at Fifth Third Arena, when Green Wave sophomore guard Jonathan Stark made a 30-foot shot at the buzzer. The shot was No. 2 on the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Day.
"If a team came on your home court, beat you on a last-second buzzer and you can't get up for the rematch, you've got some guys that might need heart monitors," UC associate head coach Larry Davis said. "I want to beat them. I know that."
Ditto UC players, who still cannot believe they lost that one.
"We are looking forward to that game," UC junior guard Farad Cobb said. "We know they will be ready, being at their home. We feel like they took a game from us that we really needed."
Breaking it down, some things of note:
THE BIG 2-0
A win would give UC at least 20 victories in a season for the fifth consecutive year. It would also push UC closer to a fifth straight NCAA tournament bid.
MUST HAVE IT
UC entered Friday with an NCAA RPI of No. 51, with Tulane at No. 182. Most forecasters see UC making the NCAA tournament, but another loss to low-RPI Tulane could make things uncomfortable.
Good UC wins include a two-game sweep of current No. 21 SMU, one over then-No. 18/current No. 24 San Diego State, and a road win at current No. 40 RPI North Carolina State. misfires include the previous Tulane game and road losses to Nebraska (129 RPI) and East Carolina (242 RPI).
The word from CBSSports.com forecaster Jerry Palm, who lists UC among those "In For Now" in his latest bubble watch:
"The Bearcats have five top 50 RPI wins, including a sweep of SMU, and a favorable schedule, so they should be OK, as long as they don't damage themselves any further."
SMALL VENUE
Tulane's Devlin Fieldhouse seats only 4,100. The building was known as Fogelman Arena before a recent renovation and name change.
Tulane is no basketball titan, but the intimate setting can be loud and tough on visitors.
"They're capable at home," Davis said. "They've got some good wins. They have three guards who can throw it in."
KEY PLAYERS
The three guards Davis mentioned are 6-3 junior Louis Dabney (13.7 ppg), 6-3 senior Jay Hook (11.0) and the aforementioned Stark (6-0 sophomore, 10.9). Tulane also starts 6-9 freshman center Dylan Osetkowski (6.7 ppg) and 6-6 senior forward Tre Drye (5.2).
For UC, 6-4 sophomore point guard Troy Caupain is top scorer at 9.8 ppg. Also starting will be 6-10 junior forward Octavius Ellis (9.6 ppg), 6-1 junior guard Cobb (8.0), 6-7 freshman forward Gary Clark (7.8) and 6-7 junior forward Shaq Thomas (6.5).
Ellis had a career high 20 points when UC beat UCF 83-60 this past Wednesday, the Bearcats' second straight win. UC shot 64.7 percent from the field, the fourth-best shooting game in Bearcats history.
AAC SEEDING
The Bearcats stand fourth in the AAC (10-5 league record). After Saturday, UC finishes the regular season at Tulsa (next Wednesday) then home against Memphis (March 8).
SMU (14-2) leads the AAC, followed by Tulsa (13-2), Temple (11-5) and UC (10-5). It's an 18-game league schedule, meaning UC cannot get the No. 1 AAC tournament seed but remains in play for a No. 2 or 3 seed. The AAC tournament is March 12-15 in Hartford, Conn.
ROAD WATCH
UC is 4-5 in true road games, including 3-4 in the AAC. Tulane is 9-7 at home but only 1-6 in AAC home games.
Tulane has lost eight of its past nine games, with the only win being over UC. The Green Wave are 0-3 since beating the Bearcats.
GET OUT AND GO
Look for UC to continue to pushing the ball offensively. Despite averaging only 62.4 points, the Bearcats are the most accurate shooting team of the nine-year Mick Cronin era at 45.1 percent from the field. Cronin remains sidelined for medical reasons, with Davis 12-7 since taking over Dec. 20.
"We've been trying to work on it," Davis said of the faster tempo. "We've done some drill work that makes us push the ball. We put 11 seconds on the clock and you've got to get it down the court and score it. We have to keep doing it without turning it over."
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Quote:UC at Tulane
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Devlin Fieldhouse (New Orleans, La.)
TV/Radio: ESPNews, 700 WLW
Records: UC 19-9 (10-5 AAC), Tulane 14-13 (5-10 AAC)
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../24087453/