With 3 games completed and a 2-1 record...what is your prediction for the season.

I will stick with my 18-7 prediction from earlier...15-5 in conference (3-2 non conference). We absolutely need to win 2 out of the next 3 games (@TENN, USF, @UGA). Also need to clean up the 3 point shooting a bit... 13/56 3P for 23.2%

I hope we go 20-5 and this team really gels but I see a talented roster that will take some time adjusting...with only 25 games (maybe less with COVID) we need to come out of the gate strong in the AAC. We need a good December and January with the easier AAC schedule upfront, because the schedule is really back loaded.

I think you're pretty close on the record. We'll likely end the out of conference 3-2 splitting the Vols and Dawgs. Georgia is 90 in Kenpom and a team we need to beat. Tennessee is #12 in rankings and would be a hell of a win.

Conference schedule works out in our favor as the easier of the games up front gives the team time to gel before hitting the tough end to the season. Going 3-3 against Memphis, SMU and Houston and winning out the rest should be a lofty but reachable goal. Likely drop an extra in there somewhere. 19-6/18-7 probably puts the Cats square on the bubble and much like last year, would need help in the conference tourney.

Tari and Saunders will grow leaps and bounds as the season goes on, the rotations will get worked out, and it'll be beneficial when Tari starts taking more minutes from the Rap/Vogt duo.

DeJulius/MAW/Keith is a great trio up front but need better support. Like someone mentioned in the Furman game thread, it's troubling when DDJ and MAW are out of the game at the same time. We have the bodies, they just need more time together. Really hoping Harvey starts showing more.

Top of the AAC looks a little more pedestrian than normal but the bottom seems to have improved a bit.

Need to beat Tennessee...after all of their cancellations this will only be their 2nd game of the season and they didn’t look great the other day. Can’t have Furman at home be our big OOC win or we’d need to be really good in conference play.

(12-10-2020 10:51 AM)dubcat14 Wrote:  I think you're pretty close on the record. We'll likely end the out of conference 3-2 splitting the Vols and Dawgs. Georgia is 90 in Kenpom and a team we need to beat. Tennessee is #12 in rankings and would be a hell of a win.

Conference schedule works out in our favor as the easier of the games up front gives the team time to gel before hitting the tough end to the season. Going 3-3 against Memphis, SMU and Houston and winning out the rest should be a lofty but reachable goal. Likely drop an extra in there somewhere. 19-6/18-7 probably puts the Cats square on the bubble and much like last year, would need help in the conference tourney.

Tari and Saunders will grow leaps and bounds as the season goes on, the rotations will get worked out, and it'll be beneficial when Tari starts taking more minutes from the Rap/Vogt duo.

DeJulius/MAW/Keith is a great trio up front but need better support. Like someone mentioned in the Furman game thread, it's troubling when DDJ and MAW are out of the game at the same time. We have the bodies, they just need more time together. Really hoping Harvey starts showing more.

This is the most realistic prediction I've read. If we beat Tenn and UGA and follow the rest of this prediction I think we're safely in the torney

15-5 in the AAC seems a bit ambitious.

I think we're firmly in the "pack" this year with Houston having a sizable advantage over the rest of the league.

I'm thinking we go 7-3/8-2 at home during conference play and probably 5-5/6-4 on the road.

12-8 at worst. 14-6 at best. Hope to be proven wrong.

What's up with UT? They canceled game last night and I know they had COVID issues up front. Any concern for our game on Saturday?

Wins over UH and SMU will be tough this season. 2-2 would be great. 1-3 is not out of the question. We are not winning at Houston and a win against SMU in Dallas would be a huge win. Temple and Wichita are down this year and we need to sweep those 4 games. At UCF, at Memphis and at USF will be tough games. At Tulsa and at ECU also a challenge. Ideally win them all at home and hope for five or six wins on the road.

9 and 5 before the season is cancelled.

(12-10-2020 08:00 PM)Cat_Litter Wrote:  9 and 5 before the season is cancelled.

We seem to be heading that way don’t we.

I don't think my 18-7 prediction is going to hold up anymore

With 17 games left, I want to see improvement and end this season with a winning record. 11-6 down the stretch would be an encouraging sign to end the year 13-12. I don't necessarily expect us to go 11-6 down the stretch, but I do believe the Bearcats are capable of pulling it off. If UC can somewhat right this ship and have a winning conference record...throw out the game tapes and attack the conference tournament with an us against the world mentality.

UC lost @UT (8-1 record) but UC was up 53-51 with 6:14 left in the game

UC lost XU (9-2 record) but UC was up 62-61 with 6:09 left in the game.

Cincinnati has not played a team this season with a losing record and the American conference has some good teams this season, but only Houston is elite IMHO. We need to find a closer and hopefully coach keeps pressing teams with a small ball lineup the rest of the season.

I turned off the Georgia game that we got blown out because I was disgusted, but I love the Bearcats and hope tonight is a start of the climb back.

Go Bearcats!

(01-07-2021 10:11 AM)SeniorBearcat Wrote:  I don't think my 18-7 prediction is going to hold up anymore

With 17 games left, I want to see improvement and end this season with a winning record. 11-6 down the stretch would be an encouraging sign to end the year 13-12. I don't necessarily expect us to go 11-6 down the stretch, but I do believe the Bearcats are capable of pulling it off. If UC can somewhat right this ship and have a winning conference record...throw out the game tapes and attack the conference tournament with an us against the world mentality.

UC lost @UT (8-1 record) but UC was up 53-51 with 6:14 left in the game

UC lost XU (9-2 record) but UC was up 62-61 with 6:09 left in the game.

Cincinnati has not played a team this season with a losing record and the American conference has some good teams this season, but only Houston is elite IMHO. We need to find a closer and hopefully coach keeps pressing teams with a small ball lineup the rest of the season.

I turned off the Georgia game that we got blown out because I was disgusted, but I love the Bearcats and hope tonight is a start of the climb back.

Go Bearcats!

Add in:

UC lost Tulsa (6-3 record) but was tied 63-63 with 1:24 left in the game and the ball
UC lost USF (6-5 record) but was tied 68-68 with 4:30 left in the game and the ball

The only semblance of any sort of optimism I have left is that we've only been soundly beaten by one team, and all other games we've been within 3 points late in the game. That's a whole lot of nobody wanting the ball or not being able to make a shot...one can only hope SOMEONE steps up to the plate.

(01-07-2021 10:36 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-07-2021 10:11 AM)SeniorBearcat Wrote:  I don't think my 18-7 prediction is going to hold up anymore

With 17 games left, I want to see improvement and end this season with a winning record. 11-6 down the stretch would be an encouraging sign to end the year 13-12. I don't necessarily expect us to go 11-6 down the stretch, but I do believe the Bearcats are capable of pulling it off. If UC can somewhat right this ship and have a winning conference record...throw out the game tapes and attack the conference tournament with an us against the world mentality.

UC lost @UT (8-1 record) but UC was up 53-51 with 6:14 left in the game

UC lost XU (9-2 record) but UC was up 62-61 with 6:09 left in the game.

Cincinnati has not played a team this season with a losing record and the American conference has some good teams this season, but only Houston is elite IMHO. We need to find a closer and hopefully coach keeps pressing teams with a small ball lineup the rest of the season.

I turned off the Georgia game that we got blown out because I was disgusted, but I love the Bearcats and hope tonight is a start of the climb back.

Go Bearcats!

Add in:

UC lost Tulsa (6-3 record) but was tied 63-63 with 1:24 left in the game and the ball
UC lost USF (6-5 record) but was tied 68-68 with 4:30 left in the game and the ball

The only semblance of any sort of optimism I have left is that we've only been soundly beaten by one team, and all other games we've been within 3 points late in the game. That's a whole lot of nobody wanting the ball or not being able to make a shot...one can only hope SOMEONE steps up to the plate.

we're losing all the close games we won last year

Nobody foresaw this starting as horribly as it has. Not fans. Not the media. Not AAC coaches. I think our own staff was caught off guard.

(01-07-2021 10:45 AM)Lush Wrote:  

(01-07-2021 10:36 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-07-2021 10:11 AM)SeniorBearcat Wrote:  I don't think my 18-7 prediction is going to hold up anymore

With 17 games left, I want to see improvement and end this season with a winning record. 11-6 down the stretch would be an encouraging sign to end the year 13-12. I don't necessarily expect us to go 11-6 down the stretch, but I do believe the Bearcats are capable of pulling it off. If UC can somewhat right this ship and have a winning conference record...throw out the game tapes and attack the conference tournament with an us against the world mentality.

UC lost @UT (8-1 record) but UC was up 53-51 with 6:14 left in the game

UC lost XU (9-2 record) but UC was up 62-61 with 6:09 left in the game.

Cincinnati has not played a team this season with a losing record and the American conference has some good teams this season, but only Houston is elite IMHO. We need to find a closer and hopefully coach keeps pressing teams with a small ball lineup the rest of the season.

I turned off the Georgia game that we got blown out because I was disgusted, but I love the Bearcats and hope tonight is a start of the climb back.

Go Bearcats!

Add in:

UC lost Tulsa (6-3 record) but was tied 63-63 with 1:24 left in the game and the ball
UC lost USF (6-5 record) but was tied 68-68 with 4:30 left in the game and the ball

The only semblance of any sort of optimism I have left is that we've only been soundly beaten by one team, and all other games we've been within 3 points late in the game. That's a whole lot of nobody wanting the ball or not being able to make a shot...one can only hope SOMEONE steps up to the plate.

we're losing all the close games we won last year

That happens when your best players aren't the seniors who have the ball in their hand (or when you're not even sure who your best players ARE). Tre Scott did a whole lot to cover up some nasty scars for every other person on the roster defensively and offensively.

(01-07-2021 10:45 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Nobody foresaw this starting as horribly as it has. Not fans. Not the media. Not AAC coaches. I think our own staff was caught off guard.

Funny you should say that:

University of Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen admitted on Tuesday that he hasn't done a very good job of coaching this season.

"I just really didn't understand our team," he said. "Now, I feel like I do. So I think we'll see a better product on the floor, certainly than what we've seen up to this point, because I don't think we've played particularly well in a lot of stretches."

"The energy they've had the last few practices has been as rewarding to me as anything because during a pandemic where you've lost several in a row and there's no students on campus, sometimes you fight that," Brannen said. "I haven't fought that at all with these guys, which is why I like this group a lot and why I do think we're going to end up where we need to be. Honestly, it's got to happen sooner than later because the losing needs to be done. We need to start winning games."

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/...561278002/

Scott was great at what he did. Teams also game planned for Cumberland so that guys like Williams and MAW were able to shoot without having to create space or be forced to shoot on the move with a hand in their face all the time. What we replaced Scott and JC with has been such a huge step down.

(01-07-2021 11:16 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  

(01-07-2021 10:45 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Nobody foresaw this starting as horribly as it has. Not fans. Not the media. Not AAC coaches. I think our own staff was caught off guard.

Funny you should say that:

University of Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen admitted on Tuesday that he hasn't done a very good job of coaching this season.

"I just really didn't understand our team," he said. "Now, I feel like I do. So I think we'll see a better product on the floor, certainly than what we've seen up to this point, because I don't think we've played particularly well in a lot of stretches."

"The energy they've had the last few practices has been as rewarding to me as anything because during a pandemic where you've lost several in a row and there's no students on campus, sometimes you fight that," Brannen said. "I haven't fought that at all with these guys, which is why I like this group a lot and why I do think we're going to end up where we need to be. Honestly, it's got to happen sooner than later because the losing needs to be done. We need to start winning games."

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/...561278002/

Well, at least he’s admitting what lots of fans have been saying. He tends to sound shell shocked in the post game interview with Dan and Terry so it’s a start.

The “I may have over scheduled” comment sounded like a guy who had no idea why we were losing.

(01-07-2021 10:36 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-07-2021 10:11 AM)SeniorBearcat Wrote:  I don't think my 18-7 prediction is going to hold up anymore

With 17 games left, I want to see improvement and end this season with a winning record. 11-6 down the stretch would be an encouraging sign to end the year 13-12. I don't necessarily expect us to go 11-6 down the stretch, but I do believe the Bearcats are capable of pulling it off. If UC can somewhat right this ship and have a winning conference record...throw out the game tapes and attack the conference tournament with an us against the world mentality.

UC lost @UT (8-1 record) but UC was up 53-51 with 6:14 left in the game

UC lost XU (9-2 record) but UC was up 62-61 with 6:09 left in the game.

Cincinnati has not played a team this season with a losing record and the American conference has some good teams this season, but only Houston is elite IMHO. We need to find a closer and hopefully coach keeps pressing teams with a small ball lineup the rest of the season.

I turned off the Georgia game that we got blown out because I was disgusted, but I love the Bearcats and hope tonight is a start of the climb back.

Go Bearcats!

Add in:

UC lost Tulsa (6-3 record) but was tied 63-63 with 1:24 left in the game and the ball
UC lost USF (6-5 record) but was tied 68-68 with 4:30 left in the game and the ball

The only semblance of any sort of optimism I have left is that we've only been soundly beaten by one team, and all other games we've been within 3 points late in the game. That's a whole lot of nobody wanting the ball or not being able to make a shot...one can only hope SOMEONE steps up to the plate.

We were also losing late into the second half against Lipscomb, and Furman was within a possession near the end of the game.

(12-10-2020 06:55 PM)vabearcat Wrote:  Wins over UH and SMU will be tough this season. 2-2 would be great. 1-3 is not out of the question. We are not winning at Houston and a win against SMU in Dallas would be a huge win. Temple and Wichita are down this year and we need to sweep those 4 games. At UCF, at Memphis and at USF will be tough games. At Tulsa and at ECU also a challenge. Ideally win them all at home and hope for five or six wins on the road.

We're not down this year--we're up from last year.