UC Basketball right around the corner!

[Cedric]

Originally Posted by Bip Roberts

Only conference that is better is the ACC

ACC, SEC, Pac Ten, and the Big Ten have better non conference records and better Sagarin rankings. The Big East has the benefit of an enormous amount of teams but their non conference play wasn't very good. UC was terrible against some incredibly weak teams.

Pittsburgh is injury riddled and not very good. Marquette is average and will be out of the top 25 soon. Villanova is VERY overrated and won't be in the top 25 after this week also.

Arguably the only deserving top 25 teams are Georgetown and West Virginia.

The Pac Ten, Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 all have more top 25 teams. I can't think of one team other than Georgetown that can truly compete for the final four from the Big East this year. I can think of multiple teams from the ACC, SEC, Pac Ten, and the Big Ten that can compete for the final four.

How can you honestly say that the Pac Ten and Big Ten aren't better than the Big East? UCLA, Washington State, Stanford, Az State are all top 25 and UCLA/Washington State are serious final four contenders. The Big Ten has three teams in the top 11 in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan State.

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by Boss-Hog

Agree on the free throw shooting but what about Bishop's foul when the ball hadn't even been inbounded yet?

This one is really tough to swallow...glad to see them continue to play hard, though. They'll continue to win their share of games this year.

Whoops. I meant to say Rashad Bishop and not Kenny Belton.

There's too many freshman on this team to keep them all straight.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Cedric

My point is this isn't Conference USA anymore. Obviously UC will be better next year but so will most other teams that were rebuilding in the Big East. Tonight was a home game against one of the best known programs in America and the attendance was still shoddy. It's no guarantee that UC will ever be as good as they were in the 90's. Each year teams get major talent in this conference and without sustained success there could be a 5-6 absence from the tournament.

Being in the Big East will almost guarantee UC won't be the power they were in the mid to late 90s. There were some good teams in CUSA but UC was usually head and shoulders above all the other teams. However, being in the Big East has its advantages too. Even a little over .500 in conference will greatly enhance their chances of getting into the NCAA tournament. Also, losing a game against a team like UCONN may be better for them than winning in a rout against Houston. It may make them tougher and better in the long run playing against better opponents.

I think it's sad that fans aren't supporting them. If those fans are waiting for the dominant team of the mid to late 90s to come back, they are going to be in for a long wait.

[Cedric]

Originally Posted by Chip R

Being in the Big East will almost guarantee UC won't be the power they were in the mid to late 90s. There were some good teams in CUSA but UC was usually head and shoulders above all the other teams. However, being in the Big East has its advantages too. Even a little over .500 in conference will greatly enhance their chances of getting into the NCAA tournament. Also, losing a game against a team like UCONN may be better for them than winning in a rout against Houston. It may make them tougher and better in the long run playing against better opponents.

I think it's sad that fans aren't supporting them. If those fans are waiting for the dominant team of the mid to late 90s to come back, they are going to be in for a long wait.

I don't think that is the reason a ton of fans haven't came back. People ask me all the time how I could go from a diehard fan to not even caring about UC. I honestly don't have an answer. I'm sure it's a little petty on my part but I can't help it. I'm still bitter about Bob Huggins and even though I've tried I can't root for the team. Most of my friends that were huge fans feel the same way. College basketball is the one sport where the coach can have the highest level of loyalty. In my case this coach made me a basketball fan and was always there no matter what players left.

And just when I seem to turn a corner and start to care about UC I read an article from FSN.com about how Andy Kennedy was treated and told to basically throw Huggins under the bus to keep the UC job. I just can't root for UC anymore and I think I am like plenty of other fans. It's not really an option or a choice, it's the betrayal.

[guttle11]

I'm not a UC fan, never have been, but all this betrayal talk is quite silly. Truth is, if you really felt betrayed to that extent, you weren't a UC fan. You were a Huggins fan. The truth of the matter is that Bob Huggins showed horrible judgment on multiple occasions and being that he was most known representative of the school, they had every right to fire him. I've never understood the hatred shown toward Zimmer. She came in and decided that doing things "the right way" in her mind was more important than a high basketball ranking, and she made the change.

Was it right for the administration to ask Kennedy to throw his mentor and friend under the bus? I don't think so. Was the entire situation handled poorly? I think so. But, it happened, and both parties moved on. To hold a grudge of that level to this day, nearly two years and an entire roster after the fact, just confirms that you weren't really a UC fan. Once Huggins was shown the door and all signs of him were swept away, you realized there was nothing left for you at the Shoemaker Center. That emotion came out as anger and pain for whatever reason. You try to get back in, but you can't...because your emotional attachment wasn't with the UC Bearcats, it was with Huggins.

As far as this UC team goes, they're getting better. I like what I see, especially from Vaughn. Throw Gates into the mix next year, add the progression from those returning, and they very well could be dancing. One could argue they should dance, but that bridge isn't open yet.

[Bip Roberts]

Originally Posted by guttle11

I'm not a UC fan, never have been, but all this betrayal talk is quite silly. Truth is, if you really felt betrayed to that extent, you weren't a UC fan. You were a Huggins fan. The truth of the matter is that Bob Huggins showed horrible judgment on multiple occasions and being that he was most known representative of the school, they had every right to fire him. I've never understood the hatred shown toward Zimmer. She came in and decided that doing things "the right way" in her mind was more important than a high basketball ranking, and she made the change.

Was it right for the administration to ask Kennedy to throw his mentor and friend under the bus? I don't think so. But, it happened, and both parties moved on. To hold a grudge of that level to this day, nearly two years and an entire roster after the fact, just confirms that you weren't really a UC fan. Once Huggins was shown the door and all signs of him were swept away, you realized there was nothing left for you at the Shoemaker Center. That emotion came out as anger and pain for whatever reason. You try to get back in, but you can't...because your emotional attachment wasn't with the UC Bearcats, it is with Huggins.

As far as this UC team goes, they're getting better. I like what I see, especially from Vaughn. Throw Gates into the mix next year, add the progression from those returning, and they very well could be dancing. One could argue they should dance, but that bridge isn't open yet.

Its not that she came in and fired him its how she *****footed around for months and pretty much killing the recruiting for 2 years while she bunked up every thing she could

[guttle11]

Originally Posted by Bip Roberts

Its not that she came in and fired him its how she *****footed around for months and pretty much killing the recruiting for 2 years while she bunked up every thing she could

I understand and agree that if she wanted to fire him it should have been done immediately after the DUI. I think that's something that people should have been questioning. I'm not going to deny that the situation was not handled well. But I think it's time to move on, and any true BEARCAT fan has to agree.

What did she bunk up? From where I sit, the University of Cincinnati looks better to the eye than I have ever seen. As the basketball wins keep going up, it will only look better. If I were an alum or a fan/supporter of the school, I'd need sunglasses when looking to the future...especially if they get the reported new arena/renovated Nippert/better athletic facilities plan into action and complete.

[Bip Roberts]

Its not about the future so much its about how badly she handled the past. Im not one of the haters of the system but she has done little with out making it a hassle and harder than it had to be.

She created the problem with the Basketball team right now and should not get any credit for it.

From where I sit I see a school with major financial problems, embarrassed alums and a queen bee who is oblivious to it all.

The school will recover but then again its hard to really ruin something so big.

[Cedric]

Originally Posted by guttle11

I understand and agree that if she wanted to fire him it should have been done immediately after the DUI. I think that's something that people should have been questioning. I'm not going to deny that the situation was not handled well. But I think it's time to move on, and any true BEARCAT fan has to agree.

What did she bunk up? From where I sit, the University of Cincinnati looks better to the eye than I have ever seen. As the basketball wins keep going up, it will only look better. If I were an alum or a fan/supporter of the school, I'd need sunglasses when looking to the future...especially if they get the reported new arena/renovated Nippert/better athletic facilities plan into action and complete.

Better to the eye in what way? It's not like Cronin is recruiting choir boys. He was the main man recruiting the Donald Littles of the world. I'm not really into perceptions. I'm into reality and Mick Cronin is no different than Bob Huggins in all aspects. He got a T tonight for a cursing rant and he recruits the same type players that Huggins did.

I'm not ashamed that I can't root for UC anymore, far from it. I was a fan before I graduated from UC and don't feel that any team gets my allegiance no matter how arrogant, petty, and disrespectful the organization is. I and every other UC fan under Bob Huggins were basically considered fans of thugs and low lifes. That doesn't sit well with many people. She also has tried and downgrade the academic side of UC before she arrived. It's absurd what she has done all for the perception game. I just have something against people that are willing to trash anyone and anything because they want to change perception. That isn't the way you treat loyal servants like Bob Huggins or his fans/ex players.

[guttle11]

Opinions are opinions and I respect yours, although I disagree with the loyal servants part. Bob Huggins is no servant, no coach at that level is. Eddie Robinson was a loyal servant, Bob Huggins is not. That's not the nature of the business, and it's a business first and foremost. Bob Huggins is loyal to himself, like many business people are. I'm not judging him on that, but calling him a loyal servant to anyone but himself would get quite a laugh in Manhattan, Kansas...don't you think?

Anyone who's afraid to upset the everyday fan is doomed to fail. A school administration only needs to appeal to the financial boosters, and a small minority at that. As far as former players go, the school really doesn't owe them anything. They got an opportunity for a free education (or a free place to live for a while...not going to single UC out on that, though, it's a problem across the board), and many of them used their time on campus under Huggins as a springboard to a professional basketball career. From all I've heard Huggins is loyal to his former players (at UC, not K-State), which I think is great. If they choose to disassociate with the school because of the situation, that's their choice.

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by Cedric

Better to the eye in what way? It's not like Cronin is recruiting choir boys. He was the main man recruiting the Donald Littles of the world. I'm not really into perceptions. I'm into reality and Mick Cronin is no different than Bob Huggins in all aspects. He got a T tonight for a cursing rant and he recruits the same type players that Huggins did.

He is? To the best of my knowledge, all of Cronin's players are in good academic standing and free of criminal record. Andy Kennedy, on the other hand, had multiple players lose academic eligibility during his short tenure. It turns out those players never went to class.

Mick Cronin has said that nobody is more familiar with the perception of "thug" players than he is. And he's also gone on the record that he's not going to offer a scholarship without ensuring their personal character first. I'm not suggesting that Mick Cronin is a savior or a saint. But it's unfair to make him atone for the sins of the past. And it turns out he knows how to coach a little too.

Jim Calhoun got a T for lighting up the refs too. Got any rants against him?

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by Bip Roberts

Its not that she came in and fired him its how she *****footed around for months and pretty much killing the recruiting for 2 years while she bunked up every thing she could

Well now things are turning around after those two years of dead recruiting. Don't punish these kids for the actions of Queen Zimpher.

It's time for everyone to move on already.

[LoganBuck]

People that want to hold the Huggins fiasco against this UC team are flat out wrong. Excuse me what did Huggins really do all those seasons? He beat inferior teams like a rented mule with superior talent, tended to exit early in the NCAA tournament, and was generally a butthead. I really enjoy this team, as I did those Huggins teams, but at least now you don't have to defend punching horses, girlfriends, and stabbing roommates.

Get over it, Nancy Zimpher was sick of having a black eye, and gasp, perhaps she didn't like Andy Kennedy. Mick Cronin is doing a good job, and this team needs and has earned your support.

[WMR]

I don't understand how Cedric can just "flip the switch" on one of "his teams." It wouldn't matter what the administration did or did not do to screw up the Kentucky Wildcats, the Cincinnati Reds, or the Cincinnati Bengals. I might lambaste them, but never could I stop caring or stop cheering for "my teams."

Why are you still a Bengals fan? You seem to harbor just as much vitriol towards that organization as you do UC.

[Bip Roberts]

Originally Posted by paintmered

Well now things are turning around after those two years of dead recruiting. Don't punish these kids for the actions of Queen Zimpher.

It's time for everyone to move on already.

I still watch but it still leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. My resentment towards Zimpher is solely based on how bad she screwed the whole process up.