Amir Williams

The 6'10" 220 pound big man has made great strides in improving his game after only starting the sport as a freshman in high school, and he is looking to show off the results of his efforts as his The Family team hits the road this spring and summer.

"Ever since the start of my junior year I've been ready to bust out and show everybody I'm the top center in the country. I worked hard my whole high school season and now I'm ready to come out in AAU and show I have something to prove."

Like most big guys who play the game, Williams started out as a presence on the defensive end of the floor, but playing at one of the premier high school programs in the winter and AAU programs in the spring and summer has given him the chance to learn the game against tough competition.

"It's helped develop my game a lot. My freshman year when I first started playing with them I was more of a defensive player that wasn't producing points. I was scoring about 10 a game, but now I've stepped it up to around 17 or 18 points a game and it's helped me improve my game a lot since when I started."

UC assistant George Jackson has been the front man on recruiting the Detroit star, and his relationship with Williams coach at Detroit Country Day has played a big part in the Bearcats getting in the door.

"It helps a lot because my coach trusts him and knows him well and if my coach trusts him I can give them a good look and continue letting him recruit me."

With the stated goal of becoming the #1 center in the country for 2011, Williams knows he has a lot of work to do to reach his goals.

"I've been working really hard since I first started playing the game my freshman year and ever since then I knew I had to work hard if I wanted to be one of the best players in the nation. I knew I had to come out play hard every game and do what I had to do so that I would be prepared for college. I know that college is going to be a lot harder than high school and AAU so it is about the mindset to continue getting better."

As for making a decision on where he's going to play at the next level Williams is taking it all in right now, but plans to start getting more serious after the spring AAU period.

"About mid summer I'm going to start because that's the only time I'll really have time to do it. That's when I'll get it down to maybe about 10 schools."

After he gets it cut down to that point the next step will be fairly quick to once again trim the list to the schools he will decide from by the last signing period a year from now.

"I'll have it down to 6 at the maximum by the time my senior year starts and by the end of my high school season I plan to have it decided by then."

AMIR WILLIAMS HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOO WILLIAMS EYBL

“I have decided to withdraw from the University of Cincinnati and  enter my name into this year’s NBA draft,” Stephenson told Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com . “After carefully reviewing my options, it is now clear to me that the need to emotionally and financially support my family, especially my young daughter, along with my long-standing and burning passion to play in the NBA, outweighs my desire to return to the University of Cincinnati."

At the end of the day it appears that supporting his young daughter just proved to be the driving force for his decision.

“My daughter’s played a big role in my life,” Stephenson previously told SNY.tv. “Ever since she came I’ve just been real focused. I take everything more serious. I’m just more mature. Having a daughter made me take everything serious and be a good father.”

According to the website DraftExpress.com Stephenson is projected as an early second round draft pick.

With the departure of Stephenson the Bearcats now have one open scholarship for the 2010 class.

Who are the Bearcats targeting for the now open scholarship? When will those recruits be visiting the Queen City? Go inside the Lair to find out the answers to those questions.

For all the latest information on Cincinnati Recruiting check out our premium message board to see what our insiders have uncovered.

The Bearcats , whose late season effort created a quite a buzz among fans, fell behind early and couldn't recover.  Despite making a big run to end the second half only down five, they couldn't ever get over the hump and take the lead.  The game remained close for much of the second half until Dayton pulled away in the final five minutes.

Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin talked after the game about his team's loss.

"I thought we came out as flat as we could come out," said Cronin.  "We dug too deep of a hole.  We did a great job of getting ourselves back into the game, but you can't just turn it off and on like a switch.

The Bearcats were led by senior Deonta Vaughn, who scored 28 points in the loss.  But the scoring touch that Vaughn seemed to find at the end of the first half quickly disappeared in the second.  Vaughn scored 12 points in the second half, but a lot of bad passes and bad shots overshadowed the good.

The Bearcats as a whole suffered from poor shooting in this one.  The team shot an abysmal 33 percent from the field, and connected on only 6 of their 31 three-point shots.

You can point to a lot of things -- poor defensive rebounding, an inability to protect the ball -- but in the end, this one really just came down to shooting.  The Flyers made their shots, and the Bearcats did not.  In fact, during the five-minute span that the Flyers seemed to return from the clouds as far as shooting goes, UC made their largest run of the game.

But then, the Flyers started catching fire again, and the Bearcats simply couldn't match it.  Once the Flyers built a solid advantage in the second half, the Bearcats fell off the map with numerous turnovers and errant three point shots.

Cincinnati has been known to go through shooting slumps all season, and managed to knock down only two shots during a 10-minute span in the second half.

Dayton, on the other hand, didn't have any such issues.  The Flyers made eight of their first 12 shots from behind the arc to get an early lead.

Now, with the 2009-2010 season in the rear view mirror, the Bearcats must now turn their focus to next season.  With a load of talent returning, and plenty of experience gained, the Bearcats should be able to make a run of the important tournament -- the NCAA tournament -- next season.

Chris Wright UD

Sophomore Chris Johnson is the Flyers' second scoring threat at 11.5 points per game.  The 6-6 wing is also the team's second-best rebounder at 6.8 per game.  With 164 three-point attempts on the season, Johnson is easily the Flyers' leader in that category.  He connects at a respectable .360, so the Bearcats will have to keep him under wraps.  If the Bearcats let him, he can fall in love with the three ball as he has a few times this season - taking double-figure attempts in two games.  Like Wright, however, he can disappear and put a crimp in the Dayton offensive punch.  He has had eight games under 10 points and the game against Xavier that knocked the Flyers out of the A-10 Tourney, Johnson was held scoreless.  Johnson is, however, the team's leading free throw shooter in terms of percentage.  His .861 is easily tops, but he has only gotten to the foul line 72 times all season.

Marcus Johnson got the start against Illinois State, but Rob Lowery had been starting prior to that at shooting guard.  Johnson, a 6-3 senior, averages 8.6 points per game, but due to his less than stellar .244 accuracy from three-point range, he isn't a great threat from behind the arc.  Wisely, Johnson doesn't live outside the line, though.  He shot 125 times from deep last year, but has decided to attack the rim a little more this year.  Unfortunately, his production is down over three points from last year.  He may have garnered the start against Illinois State due to his hot shooting in the A-10 Tourney when he scored 16 against George Washington and 18 against Xavier.

Lowery, a 6-2 senior, didn't necessarily earn his demotion with his play in the A-10 Tourney when he scored 11 against GW and 14 against Xavier.  However, he may be staying on the bench after his Illinois State performance where he was held scoreless in 20 minutes of action and didn't even attempt a shot.  On the season, Lowery averages 7.5 points per game.  He shoots .368 from the field, but .374 (40-of-107) from behind the arc.  Lowery just hasn't been able to find a level of consistency in his career and a perfect example of that was the 23 point output against Boston U where he went 7-of-9 from three-point range, followed by the donut he put up against New Mexico on 0-of-11 shooting.

Two starters, London Warren and Kurt Huelsman, are not big offensive threats at all.  Warren, a 6-0 senior, averages just 4.5 points, but runs the offense efficiently and leads the team with 4.2 assists per game.  All you need to know about his potential outside shooting is he's 0-for-2 from three-point range on the season.  Obviously, he's not a great deep threat, but he knows his weakness and shoots a strong .526 from the field.  Huelsman, a 6-10 senior, averages 4.4 points and 4.3 rebounds on the season.  He has scored double-figures just three times all season so he isn't going to hurt the Cats much on offense.

Brian Gregory typically goes 10 deep on his bench, so he gets some pretty good support.  In fact, 27.7 points per game of support from Mickey Perry, Paul Williams, Luke Fabrizius, and Devin Searcy.  However, all you need to know about bench scoring and how little it means is to look at the Louisville-California game from Friday night.  The Cardinals' bench outscored Cal's bench by a whopping 30-2 margin, yet they lost the game by 15 points.

Perry, a 6-2 senior, averages 5.7 points but shoots just .388 from the field and .364 from three-point range.  He's taken 88 threes on the season so he will take his share.  Much like the rest of the senior class - seven of them all told - Perry hasn't improved much in his time at UD and has been very inconsistent this season.  He's had three different games of 15 points (his season high), but several others where he's scored just one bucket or even been shutout.

Williams, a 6-4 sophomore, averages 5.2 points.  The one time UC target has taken 91 three-pointers on the season which ranks him third on the team.  His .341 rate isn't great, but is good enough for him to keep firing them and he will if left open.  It is, however, a significant improvement over last year's .263 rate from three-point range.  As is his .778 free throw rate over his .615 from his freshman year.  But, Williams doesn't get to the line much - he's attempted just 36 free throws on the season.

Fabrizius, a 6-9 sophomore, averages 5.0 points in only 9.6 minutes.  He is most deadly outside the arc as he's made 32 of his 75 attempts (.427).  In fact, he pretty much only shoots from that range.  He has only attempted 18 shots inside the arc and has only made four of those.  Fabrizius has scoring outputs of 16 and 13 but those were much earlier in the season when he was seeing more floor time.  Of late, he has struggled to see action and in some cases hasn't even taken off his sweats.  However, he did score nine points in nine minutes against Illinois State, so obviously he can heat up in a hurry and will be a guy to watch in his limited minutes if he plays.

Devin Searcy, a 6-10 junior, averages 4.1 points but has had games of 16 and 13 earlier this season, so he also is capable of putting up numbers.  Lately, he has seen his minutes and his production go down, though.  He has eight games of zero points and several more with just two.

A win over Dayton would send the Bearcats into a quarterfinal matchup with the Illinois-Kent State winner.  While the Flyers are talented, and have notched some good wins on the season, they've only won four road games all season.  Without the comfort of UD Arena, the Flyers get flustered.  However, there is a good chance the Dayton fans could come out in big numbers to make this game a home game away from home.  If the UC fans continue to support their team like they did for the first N.I.T. game, it could play a big part in the outcome of this one.  Still, the Bearcats need to win and keep the positive momentum building toward next season.  And a win over their long-time rivals from up north will only help that.

Deonta Vaughn set school record for assists and three pointers made in a career against Weber State

In the second half it was much of the same.  Weber State made a few small runs, but the outcomes was never in serious jeopardy, as the Bearcats cruised to a victory in what could have been considered a tune-up match heading into their second round date with a very good Dayton Flyers team.

"Tough comeback after what we went through in New York and the way we lost," said Cronin.  "Our guys really thought we were going to win the Big East Tournament.  They really believed that.  With the way it ended I was really concerned about coming out flat tonight."

The Bearcats were led in scoring by Deonta Vaughn who cashed in 16 points of 4-of-10 shooting.  The Bearcats also got solid performances from Lance Stephenson who scored fourteen.   He was the only other  Bearcat to reach double figures.

Weber State, who won the Big Sky regular season title, came into tonight's contest hoping to provide a tough challenge for the Bearcats.  For a while, it appeared they might.  But that only lasted until the Bearcats started to apply pressure, and the Wildcats had no answer.

PHOTO SLIDESHOW: UC VS WEBER STATE

The Bearcats scored 23 points off the bench, and had 10 fast break points on the night, and that had a lot to do with the defensive pressure.  Half courts traps led to flashy dunks by the Bearcat's high-flying small forward Darnell Wilks.  Wilks, who finished the game with 7 points, threw down more than one dunk sure to find its way onto post-game highlight reels.

"I thought  the press was important to get ourselves going in this game, and get our energy going," said Cronin. "I have a lot of respect for Weber State and the way they run their sets. We wanted to throw them off."

Weber State was led in scoring by Damien Lillard who finished the game with 26 points on 8-of-19 shooting.  He was the only Weber State player to reach double figures.

Deonta Vaughn, the Bearcats' senior guard, set two major UC records on this night.  He is now the all-time UC leader in assists and three pointers mad.  He talked about that honor after the game.

"It feels good to be among the greatest in shooting threes and fishing the balls to my teammates," said Vaughn after the game.  "I knew I was chasing the record, I just didn't know how much.  My family didn't tell me how many I needed, and I'm glad they didn't because I would have been trying too hard.  The standing ovation felt real good."

The Bearcats will now wait and find out when they play the Dayton Flyers.  In all likelihood, that matchup will comes this Monday in a primetime slot on ESPN.

UPDATE

According to NIT.org UC will play UD at 5th/3rd Arena on Monday @ 9 PM.

Weber State could provide a stiff test for UC.  They have 20 wins and average 76.6 points per game compared to the Bearcats' 68.7 average.  Weber also shoots better from the field (.445 to .432), free throw line (.728 to .622) and three-point line (.355 to .291).  However, once you factor in UC's competition (ninth best SOS) compared to Weber State's (151 SOS), and you factor in Weber's monumental collapse in the Big Sky Championship game (they blew a 20-point halftime lead on their home floor only to lose to Montana by one point), they could come into Fifth Third limping and licking their wounds ripe for a beat down.  Don't bet on a walkover though.  You can bet the Wildcats are going to be looking for redemption.

The Wildcats are led by 6-2 point guard Damian Lillard.  The sophomore won league Most Valuable Player in the Big Sky Conference this season based on his 19.7 scoring, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.  Lillard became just the fourth sophomore in Big Sky history to win league MVP.  He leads the Wildcats in a number of categories besides scoring and assists.  He leads in minutes played (1028), field goals made (177), attempted (410), free throws made (157), attempted (184), three-pointers made (80), attempted (206), and defensive rebounds (112).  He is an above-average shooter from behind the arc at .388 and deadly from the foul line at .853.  Lillard's season-high scoring output is 36 against Eastern Washington and has only been held under 10 points twice all year.

Center Steve Panos is another decent threat for the Wildcats.  The 6-8 senior averages 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.  Like Lillard, he works his way to the foul line his fair share - on the season he has taken 152 free throws and made 115 (.757).  His season-high is 29 against Northern Colorado, but lately he has been in a funk, scoring just 19 points combined in his last four games and he hasn't made more than one field goal in a single one of them.

Franklin Sessions is the Wildcats' third and final double-figure scorer at 10.6 points per game.  The 6-2 junior also pulls down an impressive 6.0 rebounds per game, including a team-high 81 offensive boards.  The transfer from Saddleback Junior College is obviously very active and athletic to grab so many offensive rebounds.  In fact, his season high rebound game was a whopping 18 against Sacramento State.  The Bearcats are going to have to put a body on him around the glass.  Sessions isn't a bad shooter but he's streaky.  He'll go from 16 points one game to three the next.  And his free throw shooting is pretty bad for a small forward.  On the season he is shooting a woeful .505 (56-of-111).  And his three-point shooting isn't much to brag about either at .230 (17-of-74).

Shooting guard Nick Hansen averages 9.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.  The 6-4 senior will often benefit from Lillard's ability to penetrate and dish.  He has attempted 193 three-pointers on the season and is connecting at a very respectable .378.  In fact, outside the arc is pretty much the only place Hansen shoots from - he has only attempted 29 shots inside the three-point line all season.  When you shoot 9-of-29 (.311) from inside the arc, and .378 behind it, why not shoot more from back there?  Hansen's season high is 21 points on, yes, (7) three-pointers against Idaho State.

Kyle Bullinger rounds out the starting five for Weber State.  The 6-6 sophomore power forward averages 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds.  Bullinger is not really what you'd consider a power forward, however.  He has attempted the third-most threes on the team (100) so he's not a typical "banger" inside.  He likes to drift a bit which is why his rebound numbers aren't so great for a 6-6 player.  But, he shoots pretty well from deep (.330) and from the foul line as well (.766) so his height could make him somewhat of a difficult matchup.  Bullinger is also a bit streaky as well.  He followed up games of 12, 13, and 14, with games of 1 and 3 in the Big Sky Tournament, so he can be neutralized with good defense.

Junior Lindsey Hughey is another JC transfer.  The 6-3 guard came to Weber State from Seminole State College and provides scoring punch off the bench.  He averages 7.8 points and shoots a respectable .418 from the field and .344 (32-of-93) from behind the arc.  Hughey's season high is 16 set against BYU and he's scored in double-figures 14 times so he will definitely provide some offense for the Wildcats.

Trevor Morris doesn't provide the same threat off the bench for Weber State, but the 6-9 junior is pretty steady during his 17.3 minutes.  He chips in 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds and gives Panos some time to catch a breather without a huge drop in production.

6-8 sophomore Darin Mahoney is typically the last player to see regular minutes.  Mahoney only averages 2.8 points but will play around 16 minutes per game and in that time he will also collect 3.7 rebounds.  While he hasn't scored in double-figures in any game this year, he did notch his season-high eight points in the Big Sky Championship against Montana.

Properly motivated, and in a good frame of mind building off the good run in the Big East Tournament, the Bearcats should win this game.  However, as we've seen in the past, UC is vulnerable when they're bored and not interested in playing.  A good NIT run could further build momentum toward next season.  Short of the NCAA Tournament, this is the best way for the young Cats to get some postseason experience and whet their appetite for a big 2010-2011 season.

Round 1

#1 Illinois

#8 Stony Brook

After winning 10 conference games in the Big 120, the Illini were firmly on the bubble going into Selection Sunday, but loses in 6 of their last 8 games left them out of the field and playing in the NIT. Stony Brook won the American East regular season title, but couldn't get past Boston U in the conference tournament and had to settle for a NIT spot that marks their first post season D1 tournament in school history. The Circus is in town at Champaign so Illinois has to hit the road and play the game at Stony Brook. The Illini might be a little flat after missing the Big Dance, but behind big men Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale talent should easily prevail in this one.

The Pick: Illinois

#4 Kent State

#5 Tulsa

Kent State busted through the MAC posting a 13-3 conference record, but were taken out by Ohio in the 1^st round of the tournament to end any hopes of making the NCAAs. The Golden Flashes are a vertran group with 6 SRs on the roster, and their defensive pressure should give Tulsa fits. The Golden Hurricanes were picked to win CUSA, but lost 6 of their last 10 to finish a disappointing 6^th in the leage, and you have to wonder what this group will have left in the tank on Wednesday.Look for the defensive style to give Tulsa fits, and C Justin Green to dominate the paint as Kent State gets back on track.

The Pick: Kent St

#3 Dayton

#6 Illinois St

Dayton has been a tale of two teams all year as they play very well at home, but have serious trouble winning games on the road. They have more than enough talent to have been much more of a factor than 8-8 in the A 10, but Chris Wright and company simply didn't get off the bus far too often. The bad news for Illinois State is they will be traveling to Dayton for this one and do so with Senior guard Osiris Eldridge nursing a wrist injury suffered in the conference tournament. If the Redbirds leading scorer is still having issues there is little chance they make it out of Dayton with a win.

The Pick: Dayton

#2 UC

#7 Weber St

Cincinnati limped into the Big East Tournament after ending the regular season in disappointing fashion at Georgetown, but the team that took the floor in Madison Square Garden looked hungry and they scrapped their way to the quarter finals before DeSean Butler ended the run with a 24 foot bank shot at the buzzer. If this team continues to play with that level of energy, a return trip to MSG could very well be in their future. Weber St won the Big Sky regular season for the 2^nd year in a row, but once again failed to win the auto bid, and finds itself back in the NIT. When the Wildcats have had trouble this season, it was usually directly tied to getting beat up on the glass, and this UC team can crash the boards with the best of them.

The Pick: Cincinnati

Round 2

#1 Illinois

#4 Kent State

This game will really come down to which Illinois team shows up. They have more than enough talent to dispose of a pesky Kent State squad, but if they come out flat you can guarantee the Golden Flashes will make them pay. Logic says to go with the Illini at home, but my gut says they won't bring it hard for 40 minutes and after getting up early Kent St. makes a run and holds on in the end to pull off the upset.

The Pick: Kent St

#2 UC

#3 Dayton

You can guarantee the Flyers are going to be all kinds of fired up to get a chance to knock off the Big East school down the road, and with a few scalps from the conference in OOC games over the last few years they will feel they can come in to 5/3^rd Arena and steal one. The key for UC, much like Illinois above will be if they can come in and provide 40 minutes of consistent effort over 40 minutes to walk away with the win. Both teams crash the glass hard, so the battle on the glass will be huge, but UC has the best player in the floor in Lance Stephenson and his late season surge continues as he makes the plays in the closing seconds to close it out.

The Pick: Cincinnati

#2 UC

#4 Kent State

If UC makes it this far I find it hard to believe they will not finish the job and get back to Madison Square Garden for a shot at the NIT Title. Kent State will no doubt give them some fits with the aforementioned pressure on the ball, but even though UC has had epic lapses in the closing minutes they have actually handled this style pretty well against Marquette and Villanova. The Cats keep pounding the glass, playing tough D and relying on their emerging leader Stephenson to deliver a return trip to the Garden.

The Pick: Cincinnati

Lance Stephenson and teammates want to head back to the Big Apple

So, this is pretty much the first year of it's kind since the first two years of Bob Huggins.  Just as then, everyone knew the Bearcats weren't NCAA-bound, but they figured on having a shot at the NIT.

Well alphabetically, I suppose they're making progress.  From the CBI, to the NIT, to the NCAA is what the plan is now.   While no one's turning cartwheels over being on ESPNU's NIT selection show, it's still better than watching from afar as they've done the past three years.

It's March.  If you're team is still playing in mid-March, the season hasn't been half-bad.

"We're approaching this as the beginning of next year,"  said Mick Cronin.  "Winning games in March is something you need to practice doing in your conference tournament and in the NIT.  Especially when you have a young team and you get the majority of your players back."

That's the spin going down in Corryville.  When you figure you only lose Deonta Vaughn and Steve Toyloy as seniors, you have to agree.   Sure, they'll be additions and subtractions in between, but a decent nucleus of talent should reappear in the Deveroes Summer League and the first practices coming down just seven months from now.

However, prior to that is the unfinished business the Bearcats have.  In the last NIT go-round, the Bearcats won a pair of games at Fifth Third Arena, then shockingly almost won a third (and a trip to the semi's in New York).   Untimely ineligibilities of two starters (James White and Jihad Muhammad) put the proverbial ki-bosh on that.

This event starts with another home game and the possibility of an even bigger home game should the Bearcats and Dayton Flyers both record first-round wins.  For Cronin, it's first things first though and they've drawn Weber State from the Big Sky.

"We haven't done a lot of playing in March when you really look at us,"  said Cronin.  "How many have we played in March outside of regular season games?  It was good to stay in New York last week as long as we could and it's going to be great for us to stay in this tournament as long as we can.  It's just good for us to go through the process of being in the postseason."

It should be good for all of the Bearcat players.  The older ones have virtually been shut out of postseason (the CBI had all of the excitement of a shuffleboard game in Ft. Myers).  The younger ones need this experience to build on so that someday Greg Gumbel will slot their name on CBS Selection Sunday.  Plus, you have to rely on youngsters sometimes when your older ones set the wrong example, like junior Rashad  Bishop.

"Not with the team currently-still suspended," said Cronin when asked of Bishop's status.  Bishop's been accused of the infamous "violation of team rules".  While Mick said he hasn't made his mind up if Bishop will play anymore, but he's definitely not playing Wednesday night.

For UC, that shouldn't and can't be an issue.  For some reason in New York, they channeled their "Maui mystique" and put together three fairly decent games.   Sure, they could use wider rims, but despite inefficient shooting, they played hard.

"We go through stretches where we open a game against a team that's one of the top five teams in the country and we miss 11 straight shots-and still have a chance to win the game,"  said Cronin.  "We're worried about playing hard and together and fighting 'til the end."

That's exactly how UC's three games in the Big Apple went down.   Logic says they could possibly return if they match the intensity they had playing in front of Spike Lee, Denzel Washington and former President Clinton.

"Our guys love New York City," said Cronin with a smile.  "That's the best thing about this tournament.  If we can win three, we get to go back.  That's a big motivator for our guys.  They love Manhattan."

Cronin also enjoys the big town.  The Bearcats played competitive games on a national stage and should benefit from that in the long run.  He'd like to leave the same impression in New York that his squad did last week.

"Playing in March, playing as a team," said Cronin of his objectives now.   "You're going to have to kill us to beat us.  Anybody that left Madison Square Garden knows that Cincinnati gave everything they had.  There was not one question from everyone leaving the Big East tournament.  We came to play.  That's what I've been trying to build and establish."

To keep playing, they'll have to stop a Weber State team that has been to the NIT and NCAA in the last few years.  Had they not blown a 22-point second-half lead against Montana, they would be lacing their shoes up Thursday or Friday in the "big tournament".

Adding fuel to the fire, ESPNU commentator Mike Kelley proclaimed Sunday night that Weber State could beat UC.  There's a pretty good chance that might be repeated by the staff a time or two before tip-off Wednesday night.

If it all works out, seniors Deonta Vaughn and Steve Toyloy will get a few more games on their home court, much like Eric Hicks did in '06.  It'll be a chance to overcome the disappointing loss on Senior Day and leave Ed Jucker Court a winner.

Then, it could be back to New York for unfinished business.

Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn will be happy for that.   In the Big East tournament, he played with much more confidence.   Perhaps it's "The Garden", perhaps it's growing up.  Probably, it's both.

"The more he can do a good job with playing under control and being on the attack, the better player he's going to be," said Cronin of Lance's resurgence.   "It's also going to help him if we make some perimeter shots so then people can't crowd the paint on him.  We were able to get in transition in New York.  Obviously, he's at his best in transition. When our defense is at it's best and he's rebounding, then you see him in transition.  It changes things for him."

Hopefully, more changes are coming for Lance and the Bearcats.  There's no doubt, when he's  "on", UC's a tough match.   If they do well, it's a positive stepping stone for next season.  If they get to New York, it's more publicity for both Stephenson and the program.

It's better to embrace the "pub" and take it as far as you can than being "at the pub" watching another team do it.

As many of you can relate to, that gets old.

Wednesday's game will be televised live on ESPN2. In addition, Voice of the Bearcats Dan Hoard and color analyst Chuck Machock will have the call 700 WLW with the pre-game show beginning 30 minutes before tipoff. The radio broadcast also is available live on www.GoBEARCATS.com.

The Bearcats finished the regular season with a record of 18-15, its second consecutive winning season under head coach Mick Cronin. The Bearcats are led by the trio of 2010 BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the year Lance Stephenson (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg), senior guard Deonta Vaughn (11.1 ppg, 3.4 apg), and sophomore forward Yancy Gates (10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg).

The Illinois Regional bracket also includes #1 Illinois (19-14) at #8 Stony Brook (22-9), #6 Illinois State (22-10) at # 3 Dayton (20-12), and #5 Tulsa (23-11) at #4 Kent State (23-9). The top-seeded team plays host in the first three rounds. Should the Bearcats advance, they will welcome the winner of the Illinois State-Dayton game into Fifth Third Arena.

The other No. 1 seeds in the 2010 NIT are Arizona State (22-10), Mississippi State (23-11), and Virginia Tech (23-8).

UC's opponent, Weber State, owns an overall record of 20-10 and claimed the Big Sky Conference regular-season championship before falling in the championship game of its league tournament, 66-65, to Montana. Weber State is coached by Randy Rahe who is in his fourth year mentoring the Wildcats. Weber State is making its second straight and third appearance overall in the NIT.

The Wildcats rank second in the Big Sky Conference in scoring, averaging 76.6 ppg, and boasting the league's MVP and leading scorer, Damian Lillard, who averages 19.7 ppg. Franklin Session leads the team in rebounding with 6.0 rpg.

Wednesday's meeting between UC and Weber State will be the first meeting between the schools.

This is Cincinnati's 10th appearance in the NIT and it owns a record of 7-9. The tournament, which began in 1938, is the oldest in college basketball and was the first national postseason collegiate tournament to be played in the country, predating the NCAA Tournament by one year.

The Bearcats last trip to the NIT came in 2006 as it advanced to the quarterfinals, knocking off Charlotte (86-80) and Minnesota (76-62) before losing to South Carolina (65-62). UC has made it to the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden once in program history, finishing third in 1955.

Tickets for the Bearcats first round game of the NIT vs. Weber State will go on sale on Monday, March 15 at 8:30 a.m. by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX or going online at www.CATSTIX.com.  Tickets are $25 for lower level, $20 for upper level chair, $10 for upper level bench, $4 for students with a valid ID, and $15 for youth age 12 and under.

2009-10 men's basketball season ticket holders will have until 6 p.m. on Monday to order their tickets and retain their regular-season ticket locations.

Student tickets will available online at www.CATSTIX.com starting Monday. Any student who has not purchased a ticket online by the day of the game will have to go in person to the Richard E. Lindner Center Athletics Ticket office to purchase a seat.

Fans are encouraged to use www.CATSTIX.com to purchase their tickets and avoid long lines at the UC Athletics Ticket office on game night.

The Bearcats knocked off Rutgers way back on January 2, 65-58, in Piscataway, giving them a 2-0 conference record at the time.  Deonta Vaughn led the way with 17 points while Lance Stephenson and Yancy Gates both chipped in 10 points and UC overcame a five-point halftime deficit to pull out the victory.

The good news is the Bearcats are going to play a team they have beaten before and should beat again.  The bad news is the venue they have to play that team is Madison Square Garden, a place that has been UC's house of horrors over the last few years.  It's not just that they've lost their last four games at MSG, it is how they've lost.  Aside from a hard-fought 70-64 loss to Pittsburgh two years ago, the Cats have not had much luck in that building.  Everyone knows about the maddening loss to St. John's earlier this season when the Bearcats held a three-point lead (and the ball) with 19 seconds remaining and somehow managed to blow that quite easily.

There was also the flop on the first day of the conference tournament last season when playing DePaul, who had gone winless (0-18) during regular season conference play - including two losses to the Bearcats - managed to rout a UC team apparently ready for the offseason, 67-57.  And finally, no one needs to be reminded about Gerry McNamara's ridiculous shot in the '06 tournament to beat the Bearcats 74-73.  Suffice to say, the Bearcats are due some wins at MSG and there's no better time than the present.

In the first meeting, the Bearcats were able to bottle Mike Rosario to 12 points, which is about four under his season average of 16.4.  More impressively they kept him to 4-of-19 shooting and turned him over four times as well.  Lately, the 6-3 sophomore has been able to score, but his shooting has been pretty poor.  In fact, over his last seven games, he is shooting a paltry .327 (34-of-104) and an even worse .294 (17-of-58) from three-point range.  On the season, Rosario is only connecting on .323 of his three attempts, so the Bearcats will likely be happy if he continues to try from behind the arc.

6-7 junior Jonathan Mitchell led the Scarlet Knights with 14 points and seven rebounds last time.  On the season, he averages 11.7 and 6.0 respectively.  Combined with Rosario, the two take a bunch of three-point shots.  To be exact, 380 of the teams 611 total threes are from Mitchell and Rosario.  Mitchell shoots it better at .344, but won't take nearly as many as Rosario, who has taken over half of his total shots from behind the arc.  Mitchell isn't nearly as bad, but it is close.

Since the surprising departure of Gregory Echenique, Hamady Ndiaye has emerged as a solid threat down low for Rutgers.  The 6-11 senior has discovered more of his offensive game and has played pretty well down the stretch.  On the season he is averaging 9.5 points and a team-leading 7.1 rebounds.  However, Ndiaye has scored in double-figures 12 of the Big East games, and has grabbed double-digit rebounds in six.  In the first meeting, though, Yancy Gates and Steve Toyloy were able to hold him down to just seven points and two rebounds.

Freshman Dane Miller has really come on of late for the Scarlet Knights.  The unanimous All-Big East Freshman team member is scoring 9.5 points and grabbing 6.0 rebounds on the season, but since entering the starting lineup in place of Patrick Jackson, the 6-6 Miller is averaging 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.  It's a big reason why he, along with UC's Lance Stephenson, is up for Big East Rookie of the Year (to be announced Tuesday).  In the first meeting, Miller came off the bench to score 10 points and grab six rebounds.

Fred Hill has bounced back and forth between James Beatty and Mike Coburn in the starting lineup.  Both juniors, and both score around the same, but lately Beatty has been getting the starts.  Beatty, 6-2, averages 5.2 points and 3.6 assists in 25.6 minutes per game.  He came off the bench in the first game and was held scoreless while taking just one shot.  Typically, he will shoot around five to eight times per game and not get near double-figures, so he isn't much of a threat on offense.  He does lead the team with 42 steals, however.

Coburn, 6-0, started the first meeting and scored eight points.  His last two games, against Seton Hall and Pittsburgh, Coburn has scored 11 and 10 points respectively so he may be finding his shot.

Austin Johnson and Patrick Jackson round out the regular rotation for Rutgers.  Johnson, a 6-8 freshman, averages just 2.6 points in 11.1 minutes.  He was held scoreless in 10 minutes of action the first meeting.  His season high is 13 set way back in December against New Jersey Tech, but he did score 12 Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Jackson, a 6-6 sophomore, averages 2.5 points in 11.2 minutes.  He was in the starting lineup the first game and only scored two points.  Unlike his replacement, Dane Miller, Jackson has seen his production decrease drastically.  In fact, he has scored over two points just one time in his last 14 games and that was just a three point outburst against DePaul.

On paper, this is one the Bearcats can, and should, win.  However, we have said that and been burned too many times this year to know better.  Either way, the Bearcats do have something to play for this week.  In another season of mystery, this team has proven it can play with (and beat) some of the best teams in the country.  At the same time, it can also be beaten by anyone in the country.  Now is the time to take a big step forward.  Onto the post-season and with a positive look at 2010-2011.

"Obviously, we need to do that so people quit writing about it," said Mick Cronin about winning in the Big East tournament.  "We (UC) have played three of them.  Andy Kennedy got beat on Gerry McNamara's first of his great runs of last second shots. We've (Cronin's teams) played two. We played one really good game and we lost to the tournament champion when we were completely out manned and the kids played their hearts out. We've played one good game and one bad game."

There's also that lingering stat of being 0-12 in March in the last four seasons.  Blame could be placed in a lot of areas, but it's an unflattering number to have hanging over your head.

"You can say what you want to say and make things sound how they want, but you need to win one,"  reiterated Cronin on Monday.  "I'd like to win more than one.  But, you've got to win one to win two."

For UC, they realistically have to win more than one to have any consideration from the NCAA.  Some say three, others think they best "run the table" in the Big Apple.  They were in a similar situation last year and were denied all postseason invites after an embarrassing first-round loss to DePaul.

"Oh, we played poorly," Cronin recalled.    "I'm glad we don't play the noon game.  That's a tough game to go in there and have the Garden empty pretty much at 12 o'clock Tuesday."

This time, they play at night (around 9) on ESPNU.  They'll face 15-16 Rutgers, whom they beat in early January 65-58 in New Jersey.

"Obviously as a coach, you look at everyone as a dangerous opponent," Cronin said of the Scarlet Knights.  "I think they're 5-5 in their last 10.  I'm glad we don't have to play somebody we played last week. I like the fact that we haven't played in a while.  It's tough to get your guys motivated.  Tournament time you have to take who you draw and make sure you're ready to play."

That means a lot of things.  Like, don't inbound the ball to the other team.   Don't settle on threes if they're not going in.  Show up for the second half.  Now, Cronin has to revitalize a team that is very close from going from contender to pretender.

"Guys are excited about going to play, we're all disappointed to a man about going 16-14,"  said Cronin.  "We know how close we were to winning 20.  We take responsibility for it.  No one's more frustrated than our guys."

Now, it's five games in five days scenario for the Bearcats.   Not impossible, but potentially physically and emotionally draining.   No pressure at all in that, right?

"I like our draw," Cronin said of the tourney.  "I like the fact that we get to play night games.  Nobody wants to play better than those guys do.  What I don't want them to do is press too much, which I think has been an issue.  When the bad breaks started piling up on us, I think the kids started putting pressure on themselves."

If the "yips" and "jitters" go away, we've all seen how the Bearcats can play.  Outside of the disappointing Georgetown loss, it's not like any of the Big East teams have just blown their doors off.

And, the tournament is noted for its drama (six overtimes last year for Syracuse and Connecticut).

"The game is going to be close," Cronin predicted.  "We can't go in there going, 'Oh, Rutgers,' these games are all going to be close.  The tournament's going to be wild.  You can't play with stress.

We can control our effort and our attitude.  We're going to get an A-plus in both of those areas in New York, that's our goal."

Perhaps helping the stress a little, UC AD Mike Thomas recently gave Coach Cronin a "vote of confidence".   The "natives are restless" as some say, but Cronin at least has the backing of his athletic director.

"Mike's always been supportive of me," said Cronin.   "We've been on the same page with how hard this was going to be-we were going to be in it together.  That being said, I need to deliver.  The only thing I'd like to say to people is, just because you hear me say,'We've lost a close game,' trust me, no one wants to deliver more than me.  We're trying to get the program back to the NCAA tournament and back amongst the Top 25."

The latter is part of the problem.  UC fans were conditioned for high expectations in March from 1990-2005.   Then the curious turn of events led to the equivalent of shutting the program down for the year.  With that came no recruiting, combined with negative recruiting.

"As far as recruiting, negative recruiting is never going to go anywhere," said Cronin. "You could win the national championship and people are going to say, 'Well, you won't get in the game for them,'  People that negative recruit-they're serial negative recruiters.  That's how they operate.  You can be the best team in your league and they'll still find a way to negative recruit against you.  'He yells too much, he doesn't play his bench, Pitino plays his bench too much, Boeheim doesn't play his enough,' you can pick on anyone and only see what you want to see. That's part of our game; it's never going to go away."

Having a rough time in the final stretch doesn't help much.   A lot has been made of how UC played in Maui and how they've fallen short since.   Cronin even acknowledged taking a call from ESPN's Sean McDonough who did those games on TV.

"We've been inconsistent all year," said Cronin of his discussion with McDonough.  "I said, 'Sean we shot 38 percent in Maui (actually 39.6), we just rebounded the ball.' We haven't shot the ball well all year.   Our effort has been consistent-offensively we've struggled a little bit.  I think we've been consistently inconsistent."

That possibly was the most accurate statement on Bearcat basketball in some time. By late Tuesday night we should know whether it was Jekyll or Hyde that appeared at Madison Square Garden.

Pod 1

#9 USF vs #16 DePaul

The Bulls are once again surging. After losing 4 of 5 their NCAA tournament hopes seemed doomed, but they bounced back to win their final 3 games to get back in the mix for a NCAA bid. These two teams met one week ago with USF winning by 4 in Chicago, so while USF is a prohibitive favorite signs point to this one being fairly close to kick off the week at Madison Square Garden.

The Pick: USF

Bye #8 Georgetown

USF live to fight another day, and now they square off against the team that capped off their run in mid season. The Bulls 72-64 victory in DC was the last in a 4 game Big East win streak that vaulted the Bulls out of the basement and into contention. Georgetown faltered down the stretch and fell from a Top 10 team nationally to the #8 seed in the Big East, but they will no doubt be looking for revenge in this one. Day 2 starts of with the upset.

The Pick: USF

Double Bye #1 Syracuse

The Orange blistered USF in their only meeting of the season 82-65 in the Carrier Dome, and there is no reason to think this one will be any different. The Bulls didn't have big man Gus Gilchrist in that game, but he isn't enough alone to solve the 2-3 zone and stellar play of Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins. The Cuse is headed to the Semis.

The Pick: Syracuse

Pod 2

#12 UConn vs #13 St Johns

No team in the country has been more Jekyll and Hyde than the Huskies. After a home loss to UC seemingly ended their season they went on a 3 game win streak that included victories @ Villanova and WVU at home to put them right back in the mix. They followed that up with a 3 game losing streak to end the regular season and move them completely out of the tournament. They beat St Johns 75-59 in the regular season and I expect them to do it again starting another hot streak before heading to the NIT.

The Pick: UConn

Bye #5 Marquette

Once again one of the biggest surprises in the league at the end of the regular season is Marquette finishing near the top of the leage. It's even more of a shock this year after replacing three big time seniors off last year's squad, but SR Lazar Hayward has made big play after big play to put the Golden Eagles on his back over and over again in close games. With 4 of the last 5 games going to OT for Marquette you can expect this to be a close one. I look for Kemba Walker to make enough big plays for the Huskies to advance once again.

The Pick: UConn

Double Bye #4 Villanova

UConn won the last meeting 84-75 at Nova, but I can't see Scottie Reynolds  allowing that to happen again. The Wildcats have Final Four experience, and I fully expect them to come on strong at MSG to prepare for another Big Dance run after slumping down the stretch of the regular season. An upset here wouldn't surprise me, but I'm going with the more consistent team.

The Pick: Villanova

Pod 3

#10 Seton Hall vs #15 Providence

These two teams can score with anyone in the league, but the difference here is Seton Hall actually plays defense every once in a while. They played on Saturday to close out the regular season with Seton Hall winning 92-80 on the road. I look for more of the same in the rematch.

The Pick: Seton Hall

Bye #7 Notre Dame

A 91-89 loss at Louisville on Feb 17^th seemed to end the chances of ND making the Dance, and that was compounded by an injury to Luke Harangody that spelled doom for the Irish. With their first team All Big East performer out for 3 games ND rolled off 3 in a row and made it 4 to close the season as the big man returned. I see the Irish staying hot and avenging their 90-87 loss in Jersey.

The Pick: Notre Dame

Double Bye #2 Pitt

If you picked the Panthers to be the #2 seed in the league after losing Dejuan Blair, Sam Young and Lavance Fields last year, pick up Bix on your way to Vegas for the first weekend of the Big Dance. Pitt got thumped by the Irish 68-53 in their regular season meeting in South Bend, but no team in the league performs quite like the Panthers in MSG. Ashton Gibbs comes up big and the Panthers advance to the semis.

The Pick: Pitt

Pod 4

#11 Cincinnati vs #14 Rutgers

MSG has not been kind to UC as we all know, and Rutgers is a tough opponent now that freshman Dane Miller has hit his stride. He joined Lance Stephenson as the only unanimous selections to the Big East Rookie Team, and the UC star will be looking to improve on his only trip to the Garden this season that ended with the epic collapse against St Johns. Both teams faltered down the stretch, and the team that jumps out early will have a big advantage. This one could go either way, but I'm sticking with the good guys.

The Pick: Cincinnati

Bye #6 Louisville

The Cardinals have been teetering on and off the bubble for most of February, but after knocking off Syracuse for the 2^nd time this season their ticket appears punched. The problem for UL though is they continue to follow up big wins with head scratching loses that but them back in jeopardy of playing in the NIT. UL won the first contest 68-60 on their home floor, but the game never seemed that close. My heart wants to pick the Cats, but my head says UL is getting hot at the right time.

The Pick: Louisville

Double Bye #3 WVU

WVU took the first meeting between the two 77-74 in Morgantown, and the 'Eers have been hot as they closed out the regular season with wins over Georgetown and @ Villanova. I think on the neutral floor at MSG the Louisville press will give WVU fits and the Cards keep rolling into the Semis.

The Pick: Louisville

Semi Finals:

#1 Syracuse vs #4 Villanova

The Wildcats got ran out of the Carrier Dome 95-77 a week and a half ago, and a loss like that can stick with you in another huge game as this one will be. The length of the Cuse zone gave the smaller Wildcats fits all night long, and I just can't see that changing here.

The Pick: Syracuse

#2 Pitt vs #6 Louisville

The Panthers have the type of mistake free, deliberate style that gives UL fits and Jamie Dixon always has his team ready to peak at this time of year. Ashton Gibbs can handle the pressure and the Panthers have several guys that can hit from the perimeter to soften up Louisville when they go to the zone.

The Pick: Pitt

Finals:

#1 Syracuse vs #2 Pitt

Well that sure as hell is boring having #1 go against #2 in the finals, but with the way the brackets play out in my head, that's just the way I see it happening. I guess I'll mix it up here and go with the Panthers even though Cuse beat them by 10 in their only regular season meeting. Gibbs stays hot and earns the tournament MVP as Pitt is victorious once again in the Big East Tournament.

Big East Champs #2 Pitt

Now, nearing the end of his second season in a Bearcat uniform, Gates is feeling the heat more than ever. With his offensive production dwindling, and his defensive rebounding literally having disappeared over the past couple of weeks, fans have begun to wonder whether or not Gates will ever turn into the player they had hoped.

On Monday, his head coach Mick Cronin met with members of the media, and discussed the progress of his talented big man, along with what he hopes to get out of him in the future.

"I don't know how fair that is," said Cronin referring to some of the expectations placed on Gates so early on in his career. "A lot of guys have the talent to be the best, the challenge is to get them to where they are. That's the problem with the whole ranking system with recruits, and its hardest on a guy like Yancy because of the expectations. The other guys don't have to deal with that because they don't have the stars by their name."

What Cronin says is true, and what many fans need to ask themselves is if Gates had been rated just a 3, or even a 4-star out of high school, would any of this criticism exist? After all, how many fans really knew anything about just how good Gates was outside of the little stars that appeared next to his picture on a website. And, as Cronin will tell you, Gates isn't the only one suffering from these unfair expectations.

"Look at a guy like Lance (Stephenson)," said Cronin. "I don't know how it's all going to work out, but Lance is probably going to win Big East Rookie of the Year. But, depending on who you ask, people will say 'what's wrong with Lance?' It's because of expectation levels."

But still, fans are forced to wonder if Gates is doing everything in his power to get where he needs to be. Cronin commented on that as well, saying that Gates is working hard, you can't just flip a switch and turn him into what everyone wants him to be.

"Yancy has always been a guy that's a project, and he remains to be one," said Cronin. "And he's a aware of that. He challenges himself."

He continued,

"You know I don't have the magic wand. Coaching a guy is one thing, but you can't make someone somebody that they aren't. You can teach a guy free throws and teach a guy footwork, but at the end of the day, you can't make somebody something they're not."

In the end Cronin left it at this,

"He's just got to be the best player Yancy Gates can be, and just make sure he's doing everything he can to get there," said Cronin.

Sure Gates hasn't developed as quickly as we'd all have hoped, but it's important to keep things in perspective. Some of the best big men in history didn't develop until late in their careers, and who knows, Gates could fall into that category as well. But one thing's for sure, if the Bearcats hope to push the program back over the hill in 2010-2011, they're going to have to do it on the shoulders of their talented, home-grown star.

The Bearcats head into the BIG EAST Championship having lost three in a row to nationally-ranked teams – West Virginia, Villanova, and Georgetown. Rutgers, losers of four of its last five, also has lost its last two games, including an 83-54 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday (March 6). The Scarlet Knights are coached by four-year bench boss Fred Hill. Rutgers has three players averaging in double digits led by sophomore sharp-shooter Mike Rosario (16.4 ppg).

Cincinnati is led offensively by three-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week Lance Stephenson and his 12.0 points per game. Senior Deonta Vaughn and sophomore Yancy Gates also average in double figures with 11.6 and 10.5 ppg, respectively.

UC is 0-3 in its first three appearances in the tournament, including a 67-57 loss to DePaul last year in the first round.

DISCUSS THE TOURNAMENT HERE

Not only have the Hoyas struggled mightily lately, but they might be without their best player, Austin Freeman, Saturday.  Freeman missed the West Virginia game Monday with what was previously believed to be a stomach virus.  In actuality, he has been diagnosed with diabetes and his status is up in the air.  He did practice with the team this week and could play, but the doctors might hold him out for precaution.  The Bearcats will no doubt prepare as if Freeman is going to play.

If Freeman does play, he'll likely be 100% and ready to do his thing.  The doctors won't clear him if he's not fully fit.  So, he would bring his 17.0 points with him.  The 6-3 junior shoots an excellent .542 from the field and sizzling .473 (52-of-110) from three-point range.  Prior to the Notre Dame game when he scored just five points, Freeman had gone 20 consecutive games in double-figures and had a season-high of 33 against Connecticut.  The game prior to Notre Dame might have been Freeman's best all-around game this season.  In 38 minutes, he scored 29 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-6 from the foul line and 5-of-6 from three-point range.  He isn't a big rebounder at 3.6 per game but can help out at times.  His season high is just seven.  And he isn't a big passer either.  His average is 2.4 with a season high of six against Marquette and Villanova.  Last year in the Hoyas' two losses to UC, Freeman scored 14 (at UC) and 10 (at the Verizon Center).

Greg Monroe will give the Bearcats fits if they don't lock him down.  The 6-11 sophomore can act as a point-center at times he is so good with the ball in his hands.  While he averages 15.9 points per game, he also leads the team with 9.4 rebounds, and also averages 3.6 assists per game.  Not bad for a 6-11 center.  In fact, Monroe's season high for assists in a game is 12 against Providence.  While that is his only double-figure assist game, he has six double-figure rebound games.  Last season, Monroe only took six three-pointers, this year he has increased it to 24, but with not a lot of success.  He is connecting on .250 of them, but he's not a huge threat outside and the Bearcats would welcome him shooting more from outside.  In last year's two games, Monroe struggled to 10 and 13 points but shot just 8-of-23 from the field.  For the Bearcats to have a chance in this one, they're going to need to bottle Monroe up again.

Point guard Chris Wright is sometimes a mystery for the Hoyas.  The 6-1 junior will either score 20 or won't even get into double-figures for the most part.  Over his last nine games, Wright has scored 20+ four times, been held to just 10 or less the other five times.  It varies from game to game how much he factors in the offense.  He will go from taking 15 shots in one game, down to four the next.  It's a true rollercoaster.  On the season, he is averaging 14.1 points and 4.0 rebounds.  But, again, he is up and down in terms of shooting.  Over the nine-game stretch, he is shooting only .420 (40-of-96).  He will make up for that by getting to the free throw line, however - his 106 attempts are second-best on the team behind Monroe's 174.  Last year, Wright scored 15 and nine in the two losses to the Bearcats.

Jason Clark is the fourth double-figure scorer for the Hoyas at 10.3 points per game.  The 6-2 sophomore leads the team with 129 three-point attempts and 56 made (.434 accuracy).  His season-high point output is 24 against Villanova, but he has only scored double-figures in one of his last six games and has really struggled finding his shooting stroke.  Clark isn't as highly-regarded as Freeman, Monroe, or Wright, but he is the silent assassin who can kill you if you don't pay attention to him.

Power forward Julian Vaughn has really improved this season.  Last year, he averaged just 1.8 points per game.  This year however, he is up to 8.0 and is shooting a very solid .572 from the floor.  The 6-9 junior like the rest of his teammates has struggled of late.  He has gone five games without scoring double-figures and in one game - against Syracuse - he was held scoreless.  Vaughn averages 4.6 rebounds per game which is up from the 1.7 he averaged last season, but at 6-9 you'd think he'd grab more rebounds.  However, nearly half of his total rebounds are on the offensive glass so he can be pretty active if a body isn't on him.

John Thompson III only plays seven guys significant minutes.  Hollis Thompson and Jerrelle Benimon are the two key reserves for the Hoyas.  Thompson, a 6-7 freshman, averages 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 19.6 minutes.  Of late, Thompson has picked up his scoring to 6.7 in his past seven games, including three double-figure games.  Despite being 6-7, Thompson likes to shoot the three - over half of his overall shots are from three-point range - and he's connecting at a .400 rate, so he is dangerous out there.

Benimon, another 6-7 freshman, has been seeing increased playing time of late.  On the season he averages just 12 minutes per game, but he has eclipsed that in each of his last four games.  His scoring, however, is still not much.  On the season he averages 1.5 points and hasn't scored over four points in a single game all year.  He won't be much of a scoring threat on Saturday either.

With some experts still giving the Bearcats a chance to somehow sneak into the NCAA Tournament, now is a perfect time for them to rise to the challenge.  While the Cats haven't won much on the road this year, they won at the Verizon Center last year, so perhaps that will bring back some positive memories and allow history to repeat itself.  It's going to be a stiff challenge, especially if Freeman comes back and ignites his team and the crowd.  After so many close calls recently, now is the time to get over that hump and bring home a big win.

Here in recent weeks, if you follow the various forms of media, it's fair to say there's been a little "uneasiness" about the basketball program.  It doesn't matter that UC plays in the toughest league there is, or that Mick Cronin took over a team that was voluntarily "gutted".  The "microwave" society will always want what they want and they'll always want it instantaneously.

Sports fans aren't exactly the patient types.

To his credit, Mick Cronin hasn't backed away from such questions and Thursday he was back facing the music again.  UC has one tough road game to go (at Georgetown) and then the monster known as the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

"We still believe we're alive," said Cronin.   "We look at teams on that board and we know we're not far off those teams.  We need to go on a three game win streak.  We've got to start it with one though."

The problem is, since the first of the year, the Bearcats have only had back-to-back wins once (home games vs. Notre Dame and South Florida).  After wins against Providence and Connecticut, losses followed.  If a team slips, the Big East conference can be treacherous.  It's not like UC's being totally outclassed.   They're usually a shot or two away from winning.

"We've played two pretty good games against two Top 10 opponents,"  Cronin said of the West Virginia and Villanova defeats.  "We lost by four and six to two of the best teams in the country in our last two games."

But, as we know, "style" points aren't ever rewarded.   Even though this is a more talented team, they're being compared to the recent run of Bearcat teams that sometimes couldn't match-up  with Big East foes.

Unfortunately, any way you spin it.  UC is 16-13.  They're close to being much better, but close isn't going to a matter on Selection Sunday.

"Our last three losses very easily could've been wins," said Cronin.  "We all know how I feel about the West Virginia game, it was taken from us. I don't feel real good about the Villanova game either."

As with any coach, Cronin went on to speak up for his guys and their disappointing record.

"I think officiating has cost us three games...blatantly,"  he said.  "If you want an overview, we've shot a low percentage from the free throw line and the three point line.  Athletically, we look like other teams at the top of our league.  Physically, we look like other teams in our league.  The difference is we haven't put the ball in the basket with consistency."

What Cronin has run into is talent can't always replace maturity and experience in the trenches.  Big high school numbers increase expectations.  When those expectations aren't met, fans get fidgety and start expressing their discontentment.   Lance Stephenson, Cashmere Wright, Jaquon Parker, Dion Dixon and Yancy Gates are all freshman or sophomores.  You can marvel over what they may do in future years, but for now, they're having up-and-down seasons.

"Those guys are really young," said Cronin.  "Those are guys we were hoping would push us to become a better offensive team."

Sadly, they haven't. overall, you'd have to agree that they've been inconsistent.

That means the blame falls somewhere and it usually centers on the coach.

"That's just part of the territory," Cronin said of the criticism.  "I'd be lying to you if I said it was easy.  All you can do is to keep fighting. Toughness is not one of the qualities that I lack, I can tell you that much."

While he certainly doesn't like hearing negativity, Cronin understands how these things play out.

Truth is, a win over Georgetown and a run in the tournament would probably win all of the critics over.

"Fans want to win, period end of story," explained Cronin.  "You can't ask them to care one way, but not the other."

It also doesn't help that UC had a long run of post-season tournaments prior to Mick returning as head coach.   He would know that best, being an assistant on some of those teams.  Now, his back is against the wall as he tries get the Bearcats back to where they belong.

"I think it's safe to say that, at minimum, we need to win three in a row," predicted Cronin.   "The question is, who would you play when you got to New York?  My staff's figuring up all the scenarios to be able to scout our first Big East opponent, but it's about impossible.  Too many ripple effects."

That's the beauty of the league.  Most of the teams gathered next week in New York City will have a legitimate chance of winning the Big East tournament to gain the automatic bid.

For some, it may be the only chance.

"This was obviously a very hard-fought game," said Cronin after the game.  "I was very proud of our guys.  They had every opportunity to fold.  They had some tough calls against them,  and continued to battle back.  We just couldn't make a shot for long periods of time."

Deonta Vaughn, one of just two Bearcats to be honored on Senior night, made quite an impression in his final game at Fifth Third Arena.  Vaughn finished the game with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, but it simply wasn't enough.

Toyloy, the other of the two to be honored scored  2 points and pulled down 1 rebound.

After the game, Deonta Vaughn talked about the final home game of his career.

"I think I kept it together pretty well," said Vaughn.  "It's a tough way to end your career at home with a loss, but I'm proud of us as a team that we didn't give up and we played well the entire game.  We just missed some shots that we normally hit."

His head coach had a few kind words for him after the game as well.

"He's a great player and he gives us everything he's got every time out," said Mick Cronin of his senior leader.  "I thought he did a great job of preparing for this game, and he showed great leadership in the locker room tonight.  I was proud of him, but it would have been nice to get him a win against a great team on senior night."

He continued on when asked about how he would look back on his time spent at Cincinnati,

"I'll come back to games and come to the locker room and tell them what they can do, and give them some good advice on how they can succeed on the court."

On this night, the guard play of Villanova outstanding.  After failing to score in the first half, Scotty Reynolds took over, scoring eighteen points in the second half.  They did a nice job of keeping the Bearcats defense off balance, opening up plenty of opportunities down low for the Wildcat big men.

After the game, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin talked about the Villanova guard play, and said the game essentially came down to one thing.

"It's a pretty simple game," said Cronin.  "One team is hitting their open shots, and the other is not."

However, despite battling solid shooting from the Wildcats, a few mind-boggling calls from the officials, and atrocious shooting from behind the arc on their own part, the Bearcats managed to head into the locker room tied after Deonta Vaughn's last-second three point shot hit the front of the rim and dropped in.

In the second half, the Wildcats began to pull away, taking advantage of numerous Bearcat turnovers by turning them into easy buckets on the end.  With the Wildcats up double digits, and under eight minutes to play, it appeared the game was out of reach.

But the resilient Bearcat-squad kept battling for its seniors, climbing all the way back within three with just a few minutes to go -- it wouldn't be enough.

Despite a run at the end that saw the Bearcats pull within 2 with 3 seconds to go, the Wildcats overcame the furious second half run, and held of the Bearcats in front of fired up Shoemaker Center Crowd.

The Bearcats must now travel to Georgetown this Saturday to take on the Hoyas in the final Big East regular season game of the season.