(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:52 PM)marcuscan Wrote:  I'll never understand the voodoo that Mick has placed on fans of his. 1 SS berth in a DECADE, yet this is hunky dory for so many.

How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

The difference is (as many have pointed out) is most of those teams were still capable of winning it all or making a final 4 run. There was some pretty bad luck for a multitude of reasons between 97 and 02, but at least we knew those teams stood a chance. Has there been a single Mick team that anyone really thought had a chance of making a final 4 (including this one)?

I think knowing that ahead of time takes the wind out of the sails for the fan base and the city. I have never had the mindset going into a season that I would be happy with a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd round exit. I want to win it all every year, and if I know that's not happening it kind of makes it feel pointless to even watch the games

(12-14-2015 03:04 PM)jarr Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:52 PM)marcuscan Wrote:  I'll never understand the voodoo that Mick has placed on fans of his. 1 SS berth in a DECADE, yet this is hunky dory for so many.

How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

The difference is (as many have pointed out) is most of those teams were still capable of winning it all or making a final 4 run. There was some pretty bad luck for a multitude of reasons between 97 and 02, but at least we knew those teams stood a chance. Has there been a single Mick team that anyone really thought had a chance of making a final 4 (including this one)?

I think knowing that ahead of time takes the wind out of the sails for the fan base and the city. I have never had the mindset going into a season that I would be happy with a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd round exit. I want to win it all every year, and if I know that's not happening it kind of makes it feel pointless to even watch the games

I don't know. In looking back I think we were paper tigers a lot of those years. Case in point: we could never beat the big boys in the 7up shootout, 2nd round flame outs to teams that were from power conferences. I think we had some good teams, don't get me wrong but I think a lot of those in Huggs last 10 years were more bark than bite.

(12-14-2015 07:47 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 03:04 PM)jarr Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:52 PM)marcuscan Wrote:  I'll never understand the voodoo that Mick has placed on fans of his. 1 SS berth in a DECADE, yet this is hunky dory for so many.

How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

The difference is (as many have pointed out) is most of those teams were still capable of winning it all or making a final 4 run. There was some pretty bad luck for a multitude of reasons between 97 and 02, but at least we knew those teams stood a chance. Has there been a single Mick team that anyone really thought had a chance of making a final 4 (including this one)?

I think knowing that ahead of time takes the wind out of the sails for the fan base and the city. I have never had the mindset going into a season that I would be happy with a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd round exit. I want to win it all every year, and if I know that's not happening it kind of makes it feel pointless to even watch the games

I don't know. In looking back I think we were paper tigers a lot of those years. Case in point: we could never beat the big boys in the 7up shootout, 2nd round flame outs to teams that were from power conferences. I think we had some good teams, don't get me wrong but I think a lot of those in Huggs last 10 years were more bark than bite.

Man, remember those four years-in-a-row second round flameouts? 1997 Iowa St., 1998 W. Virginia, 1999 Temple, 2000 Tulsa. Fluk...

(12-14-2015 03:04 PM)jarr Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:52 PM)marcuscan Wrote:  I'll never understand the voodoo that Mick has placed on fans of his. 1 SS berth in a DECADE, yet this is hunky dory for so many.

How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

The difference is (as many have pointed out) is most of those teams were still capable of winning it all or making a final 4 run. There was some pretty bad luck for a multitude of reasons between 97 and 02, but at least we knew those teams stood a chance. Has there been a single Mick team that anyone really thought had a chance of making a final 4 (including this one)?

I think knowing that ahead of time takes the wind out of the sails for the fan base and the city. I have never had the mindset going into a season that I would be happy with a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd round exit. I want to win it all every year, and if I know that's not happening it kind of makes it feel pointless to even watch the games

This team has a chance at a final four run. We need to get better guard play. We cannot beat the number 12 team in the nation if we have sixteen turnovers. We need to protect the ball better. Someone else mentioned that the key will be when we begin to play less players. When Mick cuts the rotation to seven or eight, the players will learn to play together. This is typical of every basketball team. Mick is a very good coach and I am convinced that he gets it. There will be growing pains along the way, but we will be very happy with this team at tournament time. I wish that I could be as optimistic with the football team.

(12-14-2015 08:05 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 07:47 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 03:04 PM)jarr Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:52 PM)marcuscan Wrote:  I'll never understand the voodoo that Mick has placed on fans of his. 1 SS berth in a DECADE, yet this is hunky dory for so many.

How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

The difference is (as many have pointed out) is most of those teams were still capable of winning it all or making a final 4 run. There was some pretty bad luck for a multitude of reasons between 97 and 02, but at least we knew those teams stood a chance. Has there been a single Mick team that anyone really thought had a chance of making a final 4 (including this one)?

I think knowing that ahead of time takes the wind out of the sails for the fan base and the city. I have never had the mindset going into a season that I would be happy with a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd round exit. I want to win it all every year, and if I know that's not happening it kind of makes it feel pointless to even watch the games

I don't know. In looking back I think we were paper tigers a lot of those years. Case in point: we could never beat the big boys in the 7up shootout, 2nd round flame outs to teams that were from power conferences. I think we had some good teams, don't get me wrong but I think a lot of those in Huggs last 10 years were more bark than bite.

Man, remember those four years-in-a-row second round flameouts? 1997 Iowa St., 1998 W. Virginia, 1999 Temple, 2000 Tulsa. Fluk...

I will give the 2000 tream a pass since they lost Kenyon. They still should have beaten a Tulsa but our psyche was shot so I get it.

1997 Iowa State was unacceptable. They were a good team and yes, we got hosed on the Burton travel but still...a game like that shouldn't have been that close.

1998 WVA: same thing. The shot that kid for WVA hit was unreal but what gets lost in all that is, the game shouldn't have been close enough for that to even matter.

1999 Temple: no clue what happened with that one.

(12-14-2015 10:04 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 08:05 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 07:47 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  I don't know. In looking back I think we were paper tigers a lot of those years. Case in point: we could never beat the big boys in the 7up shootout, 2nd round flame outs to teams that were from power conferences. I think we had some good teams, don't get me wrong but I think a lot of those in Huggs last 10 years were more bark than bite.

Man, remember those four years-in-a-row second round flameouts? 1997 Iowa St., 1998 W. Virginia, 1999 Temple, 2000 Tulsa. Fluk...

I will give the 2000 tream a pass since they lost Kenyon. They still should have beaten a Tulsa but our psyche was shot so I get it.

1997 Iowa State was unacceptable. They were a good team and yes, we got hosed on the Burton travel but still...a game like that shouldn't have been that close.

1998 WVA: same thing. The shot that kid for WVA hit was unreal but what gets lost in all that is, the game shouldn't have been close enough for that to even matter.

1999 Temple: no clue what happened with that one.

John Chaney Matchup Zone.

The problem with Tulsa was the timing of Kenyon's injury. Had they been able to play a few games without Kenyon to adjust they still had enough talent for a good run.

(12-14-2015 12:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 11:39 AM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 08:31 AM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

Cincinnati wins the National Championship if Kenyon Martin doesn't land awkwardly because of a freakin Billiken, so there's that.

I never believed that would've happened.

I mean UC was the best team that year and it wasn't that close. In a one and done type tournament the best team doesn't always win..in fact I don't think the odds are even 50% that the best team will win most years. So literally speaking you may be right, but UC certainly would have been the favorite and had the best odds.

Michigan State was really solid that year and won it. The team that gave them the most trouble was an Iowa State team that UC wipped the floor with. At full strength I have no doubt Cincinnati had the best team that year. Still the most devastating injury I can remember.

Michigan St lost to Wright St that year.

(12-14-2015 08:06 PM)rosewater Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 03:04 PM)jarr Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:52 PM)marcuscan Wrote:  I'll never understand the voodoo that Mick has placed on fans of his. 1 SS berth in a DECADE, yet this is hunky dory for so many.

How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

The difference is (as many have pointed out) is most of those teams were still capable of winning it all or making a final 4 run. There was some pretty bad luck for a multitude of reasons between 97 and 02, but at least we knew those teams stood a chance. Has there been a single Mick team that anyone really thought had a chance of making a final 4 (including this one)?

I think knowing that ahead of time takes the wind out of the sails for the fan base and the city. I have never had the mindset going into a season that I would be happy with a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd round exit. I want to win it all every year, and if I know that's not happening it kind of makes it feel pointless to even watch the games

This team has a chance at a final four run. We need to get better guard play. We cannot beat the number 12 team in the nation if we have sixteen turnovers. We need to protect the ball better. Someone else mentioned that the key will be when we begin to play less players. When Mick cuts the rotation to seven or eight, the players will learn to play together. This is typical of every basketball team. Mick is a very good coach and I am convinced that he gets it. There will be growing pains along the way, but we will be very happy with this team at tournament time. I wish that I could be as optimistic with the football team.

I agree. This team has the potential to be great. In addition to reducing turnovers, we need to learn how to play defense. So far, I have not been impressed with our defense at all. I believe that we have enough athletes on this team to play the same kind of suffocating defense that our teams from the early 90s played.

(12-14-2015 08:06 PM)rosewater Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 03:04 PM)jarr Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:42 AM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:52 PM)marcuscan Wrote:  I'll never understand the voodoo that Mick has placed on fans of his. 1 SS berth in a DECADE, yet this is hunky dory for so many.

How many Sweet Sixteens did beloved Huggy Bear have in his final 10 yrs at UC?

The difference is (as many have pointed out) is most of those teams were still capable of winning it all or making a final 4 run. There was some pretty bad luck for a multitude of reasons between 97 and 02, but at least we knew those teams stood a chance. Has there been a single Mick team that anyone really thought had a chance of making a final 4 (including this one)?

I think knowing that ahead of time takes the wind out of the sails for the fan base and the city. I have never had the mindset going into a season that I would be happy with a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd round exit. I want to win it all every year, and if I know that's not happening it kind of makes it feel pointless to even watch the games

This team has a chance at a final four run. We need to get better guard play. We cannot beat the number 12 team in the nation if we have sixteen turnovers. We need to protect the ball better. Someone else mentioned that the key will be when we begin to play less players. When Mick cuts the rotation to seven or eight, the players will learn to play together. This is typical of every basketball team. Mick is a very good coach and I am convinced that he gets it. There will be growing pains along the way, but we will be very happy with this team at tournament time. I wish that I could be as optimistic with the football team.

That better guard play isn't going to come from any of the guards on the roster.

Troy is good and I'm fine with him overall, but Johnson and Cobb are not going to get better. They are what they are at this point. Jennifer will eventually get there but he's a freshman. Shaq is a power forward in a wings body and Evans is a freshman.

basically same team as last year....last we played elite defense

i dont understand what happened from then until now

(12-15-2015 01:16 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  basically same team as last year....last we played elite defense

i dont understand what happened from then until now

In fairness, we were ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D last year.

This year, we're currently ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D.

The schedule, overall, hasn't been as tough, and we still have a ways to go --- but we're on track to finish where we were last year.

(12-15-2015 01:19 PM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:16 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  basically same team as last year....last we played elite defense

i dont understand what happened from then until now

In fairness, we were ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D last year.

This year, we're currently ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D.

The schedule, overall, hasn't been as tough, and we still have a ways to go --- but we're on track to finish where we were last year.

interesting stats....so why is everyone thinking our defense is suspect now? or am i just reading into cronin's coach speak


ps i know i didnt cap anything...just being lazy in typing

(12-15-2015 01:27 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:19 PM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:16 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  basically same team as last year....last we played elite defense

i dont understand what happened from then until now

In fairness, we were ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D last year.

This year, we're currently ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D.

The schedule, overall, hasn't been as tough, and we still have a ways to go --- but we're on track to finish where we were last year.

interesting stats....so why is everyone thinking our defense is suspect now? or am i just reading into cronin's coach speak


ps i know i didnt cap anything...just being lazy in typing

1. I do think you're reading into Cronin's coach speak who expects this team to be better on defense than they are. The reality is that this team is still a really good defensive team. Defense is still their biggest strength.
2. Until the Butler game they were sitting top 5 in adjusted defense, so there has been a slip in the last 3 games (though they were at 14 before the X game so the real slip was in the first 2).
3. For this team to reach it's potential it probably has to be a top 5 type defense. I think Mick sees things they aren't doing that they could improve on that would likely get them there. I personally think their offensive ceiling is a top 30 type offense.... if they combine that with a top 5 defense that's a top 10 type team. If it's merely to 15 then they are more like a top 20 team.

(12-15-2015 01:27 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:19 PM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:16 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  basically same team as last year....last we played elite defense

i dont understand what happened from then until now

In fairness, we were ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D last year.

This year, we're currently ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D.

The schedule, overall, hasn't been as tough, and we still have a ways to go --- but we're on track to finish where we were last year.

interesting stats....so why is everyone thinking our defense is suspect now? or am i just reading into cronin's coach speak


ps i know i didnt cap anything...just being lazy in typing

UC might be essentially "the same team" as last year, but could it be that Xavier is just a better team this year than last year?

(12-15-2015 02:06 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:27 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:19 PM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 01:16 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  basically same team as last year....last we played elite defense

i dont understand what happened from then until now

In fairness, we were ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D last year.

This year, we're currently ranked #14 in Kenpom's adjusted D.

The schedule, overall, hasn't been as tough, and we still have a ways to go --- but we're on track to finish where we were last year.

interesting stats....so why is everyone thinking our defense is suspect now? or am i just reading into cronin's coach speak


ps i know i didnt cap anything...just being lazy in typing

UC might be essentially "the same team" as last year, but could it be that Xavier is just a better team this year than last year?

XU is really good. I watched the first 8 minutes of this UC/XU game, said "UC is bringing a knife to a gun fight" and turned it off.