UC routs Tulane, 92-56, moves to 12-2
Tom Groeschen , tgroeschen@enquirer.com 9:17 p.m. EST January 1, 2017


The University of Cincinnati manhandled a team led by a former elite NBA head coach Sunday night, to the surprise of virtually no one.

The No. 23 Bearcats beat Tulane 92-56 before 10,328 fans at Fifth Third Arena. It was the second largest UC home crowd of the season.

UC (12-2, 2-0 AAC) won its fifth straight game, with freshman guard Jarron Cumberland (Wilmington High School) coming off the bench for a career-high 19 points.

Veteran spectators may have recognized the Tulane head coach. Mike Dunleavy Sr., who won 613 games as an NBA head coach and took the 1990-91 Los Angeles Lakers to the league finals, took over the Green Wave this season.

It is the first time the 62-year-old Dunleavy has coached since 2010, and this is his first college coaching job. Dunleavy took over a Tulane program that last reached the NCAA Tournament in 1995.

How bad is Tulane? The Green Wave (3-11, 0-2 American Athletic Conference) were a unanimous choice by league coaches to finish last in the conference this season. The Green Wave lack shooters, depth and were badly outmanned by the quicker, more athletic Bearcats.

Senior guard Kevin Johnson (Summit Country Day) backed Cumberland with 15 points for UC. Sophomore wing Jacob Evans had 13 points.

UC made a season-high 13 three-point shots, in 24 attempts. The Bearcats overall shot 57 percent from the field and held Tulane to 27 percent.

Tulane was led by junior swingman Cameron Reynolds with 17 points. The 36-point deficit marked the worst loss of the season for the Green Wave.

UC was a 24 ½-point favorite entering the game, according to Las Vegas lines.

UC entered Sunday at No. 21 in the NCAA RPI (Ratings Percentage Index). Tulane was No. 321, out of 351 Division I teams.

FIRST HALF: UC led 39-27 at halftime. The Bearcats led by as much as 16 points in the first half, at 24-8.

Cumberland led UC with 13 points in the first half, followed by Johnson with 7.

UC was dominant early. Active on the defensive end, UC in the first 10 minutes forced eight turnovers and had five steals.

Then, Tulane started to hit some outside shots. Combined with some defensive lapses by UC, the Green Wave cut the Bearcats lead to 34-27 late in the half. A late 5-0 run, via a dunk by Kyle Washington and a 3-pointer by Johnson, put UC ahead 39-27 at the break.

With a big lead, UC may have started to let up in the final stages of the first half. Tulane held an 11-5 edge in offensive rebounding in the first half.

The Bearcats did outmuscle Tulane on the offensive end in the first half, with UC holding a 24-10 edge on points in the paint.

MOORE OUT: UC junior forward Quadri Moore dressed but did not play, because of a back ailment.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../96068612/