03-09-2013, 03:42 AM
UC Bearcats seek momentum, better seed for Big East tourney
Team has plenty of incentive to beat South Florida
Mar 8, 2013
![[Image: bilde?Site=AB&Date=20130308&...st-tourney]](http://cmsimg.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=AB&Date=20130308&Category=SPT0101&ArtNo=303080146&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&UC-Bearcats-seek-momentum-better-seed-Big-East-tourney)
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Three of the five players shown here (Mbodj, left, Wright, second from left, and Parker, second from right) will be playing their final home game on Saturday. / The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II
Written by
Bill Koch
The University of Cincinnati’s four seniors are hoping their final regular-season home game Saturday will be a springboard to a deep postseason run.
“We all believe,” said senior guard JaQuon Parker. “It’s a new day. We’re not going to let the recent losses bring us down.”
UC (20-10, 8-9 Big East) will say goodbye to Parker, Cashmere Wright, Cheikh Mbodj and Alex Eppensteiner in a ceremony 20 minutes before the Bearcats take on South Florida at 4 p.m. Saturday at Fifth Third Arena.
“It’s going to be a sad day to see those guys go,” said UC coach Mick Cronin.
But the day will be more than an emotional farewell to the seniors for UC, which needs a win over the Bulls (12-17, 3-14) to head into next week’s Big East tournament on a high note after having lost six of its last eight games. If the Bearcats beat USF, and if St. John’s loses to Marquette, UC will be the No. 9 seed and will face either Providence or Villanova at noon Wednesday in New York.
A look at the four seniors:
Eppensteiner is a walk-on guard from Elder High School who has spent the last four years primarily as a practice player. He has played in 26 games.
Mbodj, from Dakar, Senegal, is a junior college transfer who was limited during his junior year by a foot injury. The 6-foot-10 center has averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds this season and ranks second in the Big East in blocked shots with 2.6 per game.
Parker, a guard from Suffolk, Va., has been a mainstay in the starting lineup the last two years. He has scored 758 career points with 422 rebounds.
And Wright, a point guard from Savannah, Ga., ranks 24th on the school’s career scoring list with 1,267 points. He’s first in career steals with 193, third in assists with 468 and second in games with 135.
“It’s going to be hard,” Wright said. “You’re so used to being at a place, seeing the same people, playing your heart out for them. For it to be the last time, it might be emotional. I hope not, though. I can’t cry in front of all those people.”
During the past four years, Wright, Parker and Eppensteiner have won 38 Big East games, posted three 20-win seasons, made two NCAA tournament appearances (and are in line for a third), with one appearance in the Sweet 16 and one appearance in the Big East tournament championship game.
“You can’t say enough about JaQuon Parker and Cashmere Wright,” Cronin said, “what they’ve done for our program, the warrior mentality that both of those guys have brought. Cash battled through an unbelievable amount of injuries. JaQuon has played four positions throughout his career for us and played them well.”
USF has won its last two games over DePaul and Connecticut.
“The last couple of games they’ve played with their best players and they’ve been healthy and you see the results,” Cronin said. “Not only have they won, they’ve won by double digits in their last two games. It’s not good for us that they’re playing so well and they’re healthy but that’s just part of it.”
The Bearcats, who were picked to finish fourth in the Big East, have not lived up to those expectations but still believe they have the wherewithal to make some noise in the postseason.
“I keep telling people it’s all about us getting there,” Wright said. “We’ve got an older team so you know, it’s like the Celtics. As long as we get there, we feel like we can make a run once we get there.”
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...urney-seed
Team has plenty of incentive to beat South Florida
Mar 8, 2013
Three of the five players shown here (Mbodj, left, Wright, second from left, and Parker, second from right) will be playing their final home game on Saturday. / The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II
Written by
Bill Koch
The University of Cincinnati’s four seniors are hoping their final regular-season home game Saturday will be a springboard to a deep postseason run.
“We all believe,” said senior guard JaQuon Parker. “It’s a new day. We’re not going to let the recent losses bring us down.”
UC (20-10, 8-9 Big East) will say goodbye to Parker, Cashmere Wright, Cheikh Mbodj and Alex Eppensteiner in a ceremony 20 minutes before the Bearcats take on South Florida at 4 p.m. Saturday at Fifth Third Arena.
“It’s going to be a sad day to see those guys go,” said UC coach Mick Cronin.
But the day will be more than an emotional farewell to the seniors for UC, which needs a win over the Bulls (12-17, 3-14) to head into next week’s Big East tournament on a high note after having lost six of its last eight games. If the Bearcats beat USF, and if St. John’s loses to Marquette, UC will be the No. 9 seed and will face either Providence or Villanova at noon Wednesday in New York.
A look at the four seniors:
Eppensteiner is a walk-on guard from Elder High School who has spent the last four years primarily as a practice player. He has played in 26 games.
Mbodj, from Dakar, Senegal, is a junior college transfer who was limited during his junior year by a foot injury. The 6-foot-10 center has averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds this season and ranks second in the Big East in blocked shots with 2.6 per game.
Parker, a guard from Suffolk, Va., has been a mainstay in the starting lineup the last two years. He has scored 758 career points with 422 rebounds.
And Wright, a point guard from Savannah, Ga., ranks 24th on the school’s career scoring list with 1,267 points. He’s first in career steals with 193, third in assists with 468 and second in games with 135.
“It’s going to be hard,” Wright said. “You’re so used to being at a place, seeing the same people, playing your heart out for them. For it to be the last time, it might be emotional. I hope not, though. I can’t cry in front of all those people.”
During the past four years, Wright, Parker and Eppensteiner have won 38 Big East games, posted three 20-win seasons, made two NCAA tournament appearances (and are in line for a third), with one appearance in the Sweet 16 and one appearance in the Big East tournament championship game.
“You can’t say enough about JaQuon Parker and Cashmere Wright,” Cronin said, “what they’ve done for our program, the warrior mentality that both of those guys have brought. Cash battled through an unbelievable amount of injuries. JaQuon has played four positions throughout his career for us and played them well.”
USF has won its last two games over DePaul and Connecticut.
“The last couple of games they’ve played with their best players and they’ve been healthy and you see the results,” Cronin said. “Not only have they won, they’ve won by double digits in their last two games. It’s not good for us that they’re playing so well and they’re healthy but that’s just part of it.”
The Bearcats, who were picked to finish fourth in the Big East, have not lived up to those expectations but still believe they have the wherewithal to make some noise in the postseason.
“I keep telling people it’s all about us getting there,” Wright said. “We’ve got an older team so you know, it’s like the Celtics. As long as we get there, we feel like we can make a run once we get there.”
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...urney-seed