Cronin to match wits, defense with mentor Pitino
Mar 3, 2013


Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin, who was the associate head coach at Louisville in 2002 and 2003, is 4-4 against Louisville coach Rick Pitino since he's been the head coach at UC. / The Cincinnati Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

Written by
Bill Koch

Quote:UC at Louisville

Today

Tipoff: 7 p.m., KFC Yum! Center
Records: UC 20-9 (8-8 Big East); Louisville 24-5 (12-4)
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLW-AM (700)

A third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament became a little more likely for the University of Cincinnati after its victory over Connecticut on Saturday, but after what they’ve been through the past few weeks, the Bearcats know that’s not the signal to relax.

“We’ll still be hungry for every game that we play next,” said UC guard Sean Kilpatrick. “That’s all we really worry about.”

There will be plenty for the Bearcats to worry about at 7 Monday when they play at No. 10 Louisville in a Big Monday confrontation on ESPN. UC will be making its first appearance in the KFC Yum! Center since the building opened three years ago.

The Cardinals, who won at Syracuse on Saturday, have won eight of their last nine games. Their only loss during that time was the five-overtime marathon at Notre Dame. Since then, they have won five straight.

“Now we have one day to prepare for a team that’s very difficult, that has come into our building and won before,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said after the Syracuse game, “so we’ve got to make sure we take care of business and not get too happy with ourselves. We’d better be honed in on Cincinnati.”

Louisville (24-5, 12-4 in the Big East) leads the conference in scoring offense (73.8 ppg), steals (10.7) and turnover margin (plus-5.97). Those last two statistics are the most troubling for a UC team that has demonstrated its most effective formula for winning is to score off its opponents’ miscues, as it did Saturday.

If that path to victory is blocked, the Bearcats, who ended a three-game losing streak with their win over the Huskies, will have to rely more than they would like to on a half-court offense that continues to be largely ineffective.

UC (20-9, 8-8) has won three of its last four games against the Cardinals, who beat the Bearcats last year in the Big East championship game. UC’s last win at Louisville was on Jan. 1, 2008 at Freedom Hall.

“You’ve got to take care of the basketball,” UC coach Mick Cronin said Sunday, “especially on the road in their building. If you turn the ball over, it’s like throwing gas on the fire against them. That’s how they practice every day. If you start turning the ball over it turns into a shark feeding party for 22,000 people.”

A third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament became a little more likely for the University of Cincinnati after its victory over Connecticut on Saturday, but after what they’ve been through the past few weeks, the Bearcats know that’s not the signal to relax.

“We’ll still be hungry for every game that we play next,” said UC guard Sean Kilpatrick. “That’s all we really worry about.”

There will be plenty for the Bearcats to worry about at 7 Monday when they play at No. 10 Louisville in a Big Monday confrontation on ESPN. UC will be making its first appearance in the KFC Yum! Center since the building opened three years ago.

The Cardinals, who won at Syracuse on Saturday, have won eight of their last nine games. Their only loss during that time was the five-overtime marathon at Notre Dame. Since then, they have won five straight.

“Now we have one day to prepare for a team that’s very difficult, that has come into our building and won before,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said after the Syracuse game, “so we’ve got to make sure we take care of business and not get too happy with ourselves. We’d better be honed in on Cincinnati.”

Louisville (24-5, 12-4 in the Big East) leads the conference in scoring offense (73.8 ppg), steals (10.7) and turnover margin (plus-5.97). Those last two statistics are the most troubling for a UC team that has demonstrated its most effective formula for winning is to score off its opponents’ miscues, as it did Saturday.

If that path to victory is blocked, the Bearcats, who ended a three-game losing streak with their win over the Huskies, will have to rely more than they would like to on a half-court offense that continues to be largely ineffective.

UC (20-9, 8-8) has won three of its last four games against the Cardinals, who beat the Bearcats last year in the Big East championship game. UC’s last win at Louisville was on Jan. 1, 2008 at Freedom Hall.

“You’ve got to take care of the basketball,” UC coach Mick Cronin said Sunday, “especially on the road in their building. If you turn the ball over, it’s like throwing gas on the fire against them. That’s how they practice every day. If you start turning the ball over it turns into a shark feeding party for 22,000 people.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...tor-Pitino

how'd that "matching wits" thing work for Mick tonight?

I think the grasshopper got his wings clipped again.

Cronin = owned by Slick Rick

S C H O O L E D