Cincinnati Bearcats
Big East (18-14, 8-10)
Seed: #
RPI: 84
Big Wins: 12/6 UAB (87-80), 2/7 at Georgetown (64-62), 2/26 West Virginia (65-61)
Bad Losses: 3/3 at South Florida (59-70), 3/7 Seton Hall (63-67), 3/10 vs DePaul (57-67)
Coach: Mick Cronin
Probable Starters:
Deonta Vaughn, Junior, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.0 rpg
Larry Davis, Sophomore, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 1.5 apg
Rashad Bishop, Sophomore, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
Mike Williams, Senior, Forward, 9.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Yancy Gates, Freshman, Forward, 10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Dion Dixon, Freshman, Guard, 7.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Alvin Mitchell, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Steve Toyloy, Junior, Center, 3.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Darnell Wilks, Sophomore, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Why They Can Surprise:
Cincinnati is not particularly great at any one thing, but it is the development of the frontcourt that allowed the team to play well in a brutal Big East conference. The most notable player is freshman Yancy Gates. It took him a while to get rolling, but by the time conference play came around, Gates was performing very well. The 6-9 Cincinnati native averaged 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds.
Mike Williams will start next to Gates up front and has put up nearly identical numbers to Gates in the scoring and rebounding department. Williams is a great athlete and a defensive stopper who is finally living up to his vast potential after missing last season with an injury. Junior college transfer Steve Toyloy and versatile small forward Rashad Bishop are not great scorers, but are tenacious rebounders.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Bearcats as a whole are pretty bad shooters. Nobody on the team shoots particularly well from beyond the arc and the free-throw percentage is average at best. Deonta Vaughn hit 2.5 long balls per contest, but he takes a lot of shots. He is the scorer on the team, averaging 15.2 points per game, but it would be nice if his shots fell a little more consistently. Vaughn is also the point guard and turnovers are another concern. Vaughn certainly does not deserve all the blame for the turnovers, but this is a pretty young team and he has to provide the leadership on the floor.
Who To Watch:
Vaughn, Gates and Williams are the top three scorers on the team and after that the scoring production drops off quite a bit. The key to a nice little run in the tournament will be the play on the wings. Bishop is on the floor for his rebounding, passing and defending abilities, so it is quite unlikely he will help much in the scoring column. That leaves starting shooting guard Larry Davis, sophomore Alvin Mitchell and freshman sub Dion Dixon to put some points on the board. Davis is the most consistent three-point shooter on the team and has improved the rest of his game. However, he has been inconsistent during Big East play. Dixon can hit the long ball, but he is also a decent slasher who also helps out on the glass more than Davis. The options are there for Coach Mick Cronin, but the options have been there all year long without too much productivity.
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.7 (155th in nation, 12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.3 (132, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.6 (225, 13)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.5 (83, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.4 (68, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.5 (182, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.2 (248, 11)
Rebound Margin: 4.1 (49, 4)
Assists Per Game: 14.7 (74, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.7 (156, 11)
Joel’s Bracket Says:
