2011/2012 UC Basketball official thread

[paintmered]

Cincy starts to find their bearings from outside, drains a pair of threes and cuts the deficit to 9.

[paintmered]

UC is working hard, but the shots aren't falling and Syracuse seemingly does everything well. If it wasn't for UC forcing turnovers, they'd be down by 18 right now.

[paintmered]

Lead down to five...

[dougdirt]

That did not end well (or start well in the second half).

[Cedric]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

That did not end well (or start well in the second half).

UC plays without poise more than any team I have ever watched.

Is that the basketball Iq of the players or is that the coach? And Yancy Gates is marshmallow soft on the bball court.

[NorrisHopper30]

Originally Posted by Cedric

UC plays without poise more than any team I have ever watched.

Is that the basketball Iq of the players or is that the coach? And Yancy Gates is marshmallow soft on the bball court.

People need to remember that it isn't easy to play with "poise" @Vill and @Syracuse...both teams play incredible defenses and in tough arenas vs top 10 teams...they'll make you look stupid.

Everyone needs to stay calm..the Cats will be fine.

[Cedric]

Originally Posted by NorrisHopper30

People need to remember that it isn't easy to play with "poise" @Vill and @Syracuse...both teams play incredible defenses and in tough arenas vs top 10 teams...they'll make you look stupid.

Everyone needs to stay calm..the Cats will be fine.

Based on what? His teams have played this way for 4 years straight.

I expect them to collapse like always. They weren't tested enough in the non conference schedule to know how to compete against real talented teams.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by Cedric

Based on what? His teams have played this way for 4 years straight.

These collapses have been playing just well enough to lose and then losing to teams you never should lose to. Syracuse and Nova are tough teams to play, especially away but that doesn't mean you can't beat them. That doesn't mean you can't play better against them. I don't want to hear anything about moral victories coming out of this game.

I expect them to collapse like always. They weren't tested enough in the non conference schedule to know how to compete against real talented teams.

There preseason schedule was a joke, an absolute joke. They weren't tested one bit in the non conference schedule and it is really showing. If UC doesn't make the tournament then I hope Mick gets his walking papers.

[Reds4Life]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

If UC doesn't make the tournament then I hope Mick gets his walking papers.

If they miss the tournament, then I agree with you, he should be dumped. Having said that, I don't see it happening. The AD is broke, I have no idea what his buyout is, but if it's more than $100k, I don't see them doing it.

The lay of the land in the Big East works against them to, IMO. You'd have to hire a big name guy to compete for the top 1/3 of this league on a regular basis. That presents two problems, 1) They have no money for a big name coach 2) No big name coach would want to take over this program anyway. As for hiring a young guy, I get they have egos, but I think you'd be committing career suicide. It's hard to come into a league where 25% of the teams have a coach that's already in the HOF, and a few others have coaches that will be in the HOF. That doesn't even mention other things, like some of the guys combined have a truckload of Final 4 appearances. That's a tough road to hoe for a young coach, nearly impossible without a ton of luck, IMO.

[nmculbreth]

Originally Posted by NorrisHopper30

People need to remember that it isn't easy to play with "poise" @Vill and @Syracuse...both teams play incredible defenses and in tough arenas vs top 10 teams...they'll make you look stupid.

Everyone needs to stay calm..the Cats will be fine.

Does the same sort of excuse apply to Notre Dame?

In all honesty, I didn't expect them to beat Villanova or Syracuse but you can't help but be discouraged by how the games transpired. They were out of both games early and despite trying to claw back to respectability, neither game was ever really in question.

At some point if UC wants to be considered a big time program they're going to have to start being competitive in hostile environments and start winning games. It's way too early to draw any conclusions but this performance looks a whole lot like the ones we've seen in the past few years.

[NorrisHopper30]

Originally Posted by nmculbreth

Does the same sort of excuse apply to Notre Dame?

In all honesty, I didn't expect them to beat Villanova or Syracuse but you can't help but be discouraged by how the games transpired. They were out of both games early and despite trying to claw back to respectability, neither game was ever really in question.

At some point if UC wants to be considered a big time program they're going to have to start being competitive in hostile environments and start winning games. It's way too early to draw any conclusions but this performance looks a whole lot like the ones we've seen in the past few years.

I wouldn't call it an excuse to lose to three top 15 games away from home...

I'm a little worried by how we've played, but the fact is a loss is a loss and I was expecting to be 4-3 after this road trip ended...so cheers to beating St Johns.

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by NorrisHopper30

I wouldn't call it an excuse to lose to three top 15 games away from home...

I'm a little worried by how we've played, but the fact is a loss is a loss and I was expecting to be 4-3 after this road trip ended...so cheers to beating St Johns.

Good teams go on the road and win 1 or 2 of those games. Even if not, good teams don't go on the road and lose all three by double digits.

I forgot to make the wager back when we were discussing it, but I really don't think UC makes the tournament. They still don't have a single win against a team that's going to be in the NCAA (except for the outside possibility Xavier gets in).

Think about the above statement for a moment, then consider it's already January 20.

[Roy Tucker]

What's frustrating is that UC has show they can be competitive on the road. They play well for fairly long stretches. But they also can hit an 8-10 minute stretch where they play timidly and afraid and get themselves in a big hole. Which in the Big East on the road, you just can't do.

Gates needs to learn how to play the post. With that body and ability, there is no reason he should shy away from low post contact which he did repeatedly last night. Instead, he backs out after one bump and passes off or else shoots that doofus one-foot jumper.

And Kilpatrick needs to play more. He's the only real scorer they have.

[Hoosier Red]

Originally Posted by Brutus the Pimp

Good teams go on the road and win 1 or 2 of those games. Even if not, good teams don't go on the road and lose all three by double digits.

I forgot to make the wager back when we were discussing it, but I really don't think UC makes the tournament. They still don't have a single win against a team that's going to be in the NCAA (except for the outside possibility Xavier gets in).

Think about the above statement for a moment, then consider it's already January 20.

I'll take that bet.
I don't think we've learned anything either way about this team. They've beaten the teams they were supposed to beat, and done it soundly. They've lost to teams they would be expected to lose to, and soundly.

Has anyone beaten Syracuse, Villanova, or Notre Dame in their respective home arenas yet?

[NorrisHopper30]

Originally Posted by Brutus the Pimp

Good teams go on the road and win 1 or 2 of those games. Even if not, good teams don't go on the road and lose all three by double digits.

I forgot to make the wager back when we were discussing it, but I really don't think UC makes the tournament. They still don't have a single win against a team that's going to be in the NCAA (except for the outside possibility Xavier gets in).

Think about the above statement for a moment, then consider it's already January 20.

Good point dude...Syr/Vill/ND are undefeated at home and the top 10 in the Big East are a whopping 29-2 at home. "GOOD" teams don't go and steal games vs top teams at home...the teams that do the stealing are the great teams like Syr, Vill and Pitt and even they got knocked around this weekend on the road.