Cincinnati Bearcats move on in Big East Tournament
UC knocks off Providence 61-44 in first round
Mar 13, 2013


Bearcats guard JaQuon Parker (left) and center Cheikh Mbodj react during the second half of UC's 61-44 win Wednesday at the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Written by
Bill Koch

NEW YORK – The University of Cincinnati Bearcats were determined not to let Providence forward Kadeem Batts stage a repeat of his Feb. 6 performance.

Batts, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward, dominated UC with 25 points and nine rebounds in the Friars’ 54-50 victory during the regular season but it was a different story Wednesday in the Big East tournament. UC center Cheikh Mbodj, who fouled out trying to subdue Batts in the first game, limited him to 14 points in the rematch and the Bearcats prevailed, 61-44, at Madison Square Garden.

“I felt in the first game that I didn’t do the things necessary to help our team win,” Mbodj said, “so the least thing I could have done today was play defense and look out for my teammates and protect the rim. (Batts) is a real good player down low and lately he’s been playing tremendously good so we had some help coming from the middle.”

No. 9 seed UC (22-10) will play No. 1 seed Georgetown (24-5) at noon Thursday in the quarterfinals. No. 8 seed Providence (17-14) will wait for a possible National Invitation Tournament berth.

Sean Kilpatrick led UC with 17 points. JaQuon Parker scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his second career double-double. Mbodj scored eight points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots. And Shaquille Thomas came off the bench to contribute a season-high eight rebounds in 19 minutes.

The Bearcats, who have won three of their last four games since getting blown out at Notre Dame, designed their defense to do two things – stop Batts and speed up the game so they didn’t get bogged down trying to grind out points in their half-court offense.


Bearcats forward Jermaine Sanders dribbles the ball past Providence forward LaDontae Henton during the first half. / Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

“We tried to take them out of their rhythm so they couldn’t get Kadeem Batts the ball wherever they wanted,” said UC coach Mick Cronin. “We committed to not letting him get comfortable to where they could just pick us apart getting Batts the ball deep in the low post. We were trying to get us in the full-court mode, an attack mode. We’re just a better team when we play that way.”

UC sprinted to a 13-2 lead and increased it to 26-8 with 6:24 left in the first half behind 10 points from Parker, who made his first four shots, two from 3-point range.

“It kind of got me going on the defensive end,” Parker said. “When you’re making shots, you just want to play harder.”

That’s usually not an issue for the gritty Parker, who was there when the Bearcats needed him in the second half, too. With Providence still in the game, trailing by seven with 4:24 left, he grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a 3-point play that gave UC a 49-39 lead and essentially put the game away.

“Cincinnati did a really good job,” said Providence coach Ed Cooley. “I thought their early pressure bothered us, put us back on our heels. When we did get back into the game, we’re just not ready for that moment. When you’ve got guys like Kilpatrick and Parker and (Cashmere) Wright that have been through the wars, and Mbodj, they know what they’re doing and they embraced the moment.”

Cronin was especially pleased with the work turned in by Thomas, an athletic redshirt freshman who played 19 minutes after logging a total of 14 minutes in UC’s last three games. Cronin used Justin Jackson, who returned after missing the last three games with a sprained left ankle, at the five position to create more playing time for Thomas.

“We’re trying to be a faster team, a more athletic team,” Cronin said, “to try to make it more of a full-court game. If you slug it out, it’s going to be 50-48 and we’ve lost six games in the last minute. We’re not built to play that way. We’re just not as big and strong as Cincinnati teams of the past. We’re faster, quicker, more athletic.”

The new approach worked against Providence. It will be much tougher to get the same results against the fifth-ranked Hoyas, who beat the Bearcats, 62-55, at Fifth Third Arena on Feb. 21.

“We know they’re a great team but we’re a great team as well,” Kilpatrick said, “especially when we’re playing defense the way we are. We’re a team that’s hungry. We’re a team that’s not going to back down from anyone.”


Sean Kilpatrick led UC with 17 points Wednesday. / Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Kilpatrick led UC with 17 points. JaQuon Parker scored 15. Cheikh Mbodj scored eight points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots and did a good defensive job on Providence forward Kadeem Batts, holding him to 14 points after Batts scored 25 in the Friars’ win over UC on Feb. 6.

Providence trimmed a 31-23 UC halftime lead to four after a Cotton layup with 17:28 to go, but UC came back to score six straight points to increase the lead back to 10. Batts, who was held to four points in the first half, then started to get to work, scoring the Friars’ next eight points, but the Bearcats managed to maintain a 43-35 lead with 6:55 left.

UC led, 46-39, after a Ladontae Henton dunk when Parker grabbed an offensive rebound and turned it into a 3-point play when he was fouled as he went up for the follow shot to give UC a 49-39 lead with 4:14 left.

The Bearcats came out swarming on defense, challenging every Providence shot and dominating the glass. Mbodj sent a message with two quick blocked shots and UC sprinted out to a 13-2 lead before the Friars knew what hit them.

Offensively, UC was efficient from the start, making six of its first seven shots while Providence continued to struggle to score. The Friars missed 10 of their first 11 and 19 of their first 21 shots and fell behind, 18-4, midway through the half.

Led by Parker’s 10 first-half points, the Bearcats spread their lead to 26-8 with 6:24 to go, but then committed a flurry of fouls and started to turn the ball over. The Friars took advantage to outscore UC, 15-5, the rest of the half to get within eight points at halftime.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...Tournament

Rapid Reaction: Cincy 61, Providence 44
March, 13, 2013

By Kieran Darcy | ESPN.com

What it means: In the first of four games at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, No. 9 seed Cincinnati advanced to the Big East tournament quarterfinals, defeating No. 8 seed Providence, 61-44.

The Bearcats (22-10, 9-9) likely sealed an NCAA tournament at-large bid with the win. The Friars (17-14, 9-9) are almost certainly eliminated from NCAA tournament contention.

The turning point: Cincinnati came out with great energy at both ends of the floor, and Providence couldn't buy a bucket in the early going. The Bearcats led by as many as 18 in the first half, 26-8, after back-to-back treys by JaQuon Parker. But the Friars closed the half on a 12-3 run to get back in the game, trailing by just eight, 31-23, at intermission.

Providence scored the first four points of the second half to close within four -- but that's as close as it would get. The Friars hung around for most of the second half, but could never get within one possession. Cincinnati finally expanded its lead to double-digits again, 49-39, on Parker's conventional 3-point play with 4:15 remaining. Parker added two more free throws 20 seconds later to make it 51-39, and the Bearcats salted the game away from there.

Star watch: Sean Kilpatrick, the fourth-leading scorer in the Big East (17.3 PPG), hit his average, with 12 of his 17 points coming in the second half. Parker finished with 15 points and also had 10 rebounds. Kadeem Batts had 14 points to pace Providence.

Bryce Cotton, the leading scorer in the conference (19.6 PPG), scored just 12, shooting 5-for-17 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

Number crunch: Providence didn't shoot as badly as South Florida did in the opening round Tuesday night -- but it was close. The Friars were 18-for-64 from the field (28.1 percent), and 1-for-16 from beyond the arc (6.3 percent).

What's next: Cincinnati will play No. 1 seed Georgetown, Thursday at noon. The Bearcats lost at home to the Hoyas, 62-55, on Feb. 15. Providence likely will receive an invitation to the NIT.

(03-14-2013 04:32 AM)ctipton Wrote:  Cincinnati Bearcats move on in Big East Tournament
UC knocks off Providence 61-44 in first round
Mar 13, 2013


Bearcats guard JaQuon Parker (left) and center Cheikh Mbodj react during the second half of UC's 61-44 win Wednesday at the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Written by
Bill Koch

NEW YORK – The University of Cincinnati Bearcats were determined not to let Providence forward Kadeem Batts stage a repeat of his Feb. 6 performance.

Batts, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward, dominated UC with 25 points and nine rebounds in the Friars’ 54-50 victory during the regular season but it was a different story Wednesday in the Big East tournament. UC center Cheikh Mbodj, who fouled out trying to subdue Batts in the first game, limited him to 14 points in the rematch and the Bearcats prevailed, 61-44, at Madison Square Garden.

“I felt in the first game that I didn’t do the things necessary to help our team win,” Mbodj said, “so the least thing I could have done today was play defense and look out for my teammates and protect the rim. (Batts) is a real good player down low and lately he’s been playing tremendously good so we had some help coming from the middle.”

No. 9 seed UC (22-10) will play No. 1 seed Georgetown (24-5) at noon Thursday in the quarterfinals. No. 8 seed Providence (17-14) will wait for a possible National Invitation Tournament berth.

Sean Kilpatrick led UC with 17 points. JaQuon Parker scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his second career double-double. Mbodj scored eight points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots. And Shaquille Thomas came off the bench to contribute a season-high eight rebounds in 19 minutes.

The Bearcats, who have won three of their last four games since getting blown out at Notre Dame, designed their defense to do two things – stop Batts and speed up the game so they didn’t get bogged down trying to grind out points in their half-court offense.


Bearcats forward Jermaine Sanders dribbles the ball past Providence forward LaDontae Henton during the first half. / Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

“We tried to take them out of their rhythm so they couldn’t get Kadeem Batts the ball wherever they wanted,” said UC coach Mick Cronin. “We committed to not letting him get comfortable to where they could just pick us apart getting Batts the ball deep in the low post. We were trying to get us in the full-court mode, an attack mode. We’re just a better team when we play that way.”

UC sprinted to a 13-2 lead and increased it to 26-8 with 6:24 left in the first half behind 10 points from Parker, who made his first four shots, two from 3-point range.

“It kind of got me going on the defensive end,” Parker said. “When you’re making shots, you just want to play harder.”

That’s usually not an issue for the gritty Parker, who was there when the Bearcats needed him in the second half, too. With Providence still in the game, trailing by seven with 4:24 left, he grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a 3-point play that gave UC a 49-39 lead and essentially put the game away.

“Cincinnati did a really good job,” said Providence coach Ed Cooley. “I thought their early pressure bothered us, put us back on our heels. When we did get back into the game, we’re just not ready for that moment. When you’ve got guys like Kilpatrick and Parker and (Cashmere) Wright that have been through the wars, and Mbodj, they know what they’re doing and they embraced the moment.”

Cronin was especially pleased with the work turned in by Thomas, an athletic redshirt freshman who played 19 minutes after logging a total of 14 minutes in UC’s last three games. Cronin used Justin Jackson, who returned after missing the last three games with a sprained left ankle, at the five position to create more playing time for Thomas.

“We’re trying to be a faster team, a more athletic team,” Cronin said, “to try to make it more of a full-court game. If you slug it out, it’s going to be 50-48 and we’ve lost six games in the last minute. We’re not built to play that way. We’re just not as big and strong as Cincinnati teams of the past. We’re faster, quicker, more athletic.”

The new approach worked against Providence. It will be much tougher to get the same results against the fifth-ranked Hoyas, who beat the Bearcats, 62-55, at Fifth Third Arena on Feb. 21.

“We know they’re a great team but we’re a great team as well,” Kilpatrick said, “especially when we’re playing defense the way we are. We’re a team that’s hungry. We’re a team that’s not going to back down from anyone.”


Sean Kilpatrick led UC with 17 points Wednesday. / Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Kilpatrick led UC with 17 points. JaQuon Parker scored 15. Cheikh Mbodj scored eight points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots and did a good defensive job on Providence forward Kadeem Batts, holding him to 14 points after Batts scored 25 in the Friars’ win over UC on Feb. 6.

Providence trimmed a 31-23 UC halftime lead to four after a Cotton layup with 17:28 to go, but UC came back to score six straight points to increase the lead back to 10. Batts, who was held to four points in the first half, then started to get to work, scoring the Friars’ next eight points, but the Bearcats managed to maintain a 43-35 lead with 6:55 left.

UC led, 46-39, after a Ladontae Henton dunk when Parker grabbed an offensive rebound and turned it into a 3-point play when he was fouled as he went up for the follow shot to give UC a 49-39 lead with 4:14 left.

The Bearcats came out swarming on defense, challenging every Providence shot and dominating the glass. Mbodj sent a message with two quick blocked shots and UC sprinted out to a 13-2 lead before the Friars knew what hit them.

Offensively, UC was efficient from the start, making six of its first seven shots while Providence continued to struggle to score. The Friars missed 10 of their first 11 and 19 of their first 21 shots and fell behind, 18-4, midway through the half.

Led by Parker’s 10 first-half points, the Bearcats spread their lead to 26-8 with 6:24 to go, but then committed a flurry of fouls and started to turn the ball over. The Friars took advantage to outscore UC, 15-5, the rest of the half to get within eight points at halftime.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...Tournament

I like the new unis in general but what's with addicas using Orange in them? we are red and black...not orange and black

(03-14-2013 04:32 AM)ctipton Wrote:  Cincinnati Bearcats move on in Big East Tournament
UC knocks off Providence 61-44 in first round
Mar 13, 2013

...
“We’re trying to be a faster team, a more athletic team,” Cronin said, “to try to make it more of a full-court game. If you slug it out, it’s going to be 50-48 and we’ve lost six games in the last minute. We’re not built to play that way. We’re just not as big and strong as Cincinnati teams of the past. We’re faster, quicker, more athletic.”
...

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...Tournament

I thought that was the way that they wanted to play the whole year; why did they move away from that style?