Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball

The official start of the college basketball season is only a few weeks away.

Practice is already underway in preparation for the 2012 campaign and as recently as last week, Cincinnati was picked to finish fourth in the Big East.

This is the highest they have been picked to finish since joining the league less than a decade ago.

Head coach Mick Cronin has slowly transitioned the team from a tall, plodding squad to one of the most athletic teams in the country, with experience and talent at the guard position.

When Yancy Gates was suspended last season, Bearcat fans saw their first installment of the four-guard offense, and it worked quite well.

This year, Cincinnati will be doing a lot more of that and with the best back court in the Big East, it will be a fun season for the players and the fans.

The group is led by junior Sean Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was named a first-team preseason all Big East selection and is one of the best offensive threats in the conference.

He will be joined the in the backcourt by fifth-year senior Cashmere Wright. The speedy point guard can score off the dribble and from deep.

The third backcourt member is JaQuon Parker. The senior is the tallest of the bunch and at 6'3", he has the ability to guard four positions with his strength and athleticism. He can also score in a multitude of ways around the rim. 

No team in the conference, and very few in the country have as much experience and talent in the backcourt as the Bearcats.

Up front it will be a bit of a different story as 6'8" junior Justin Jackson is almost certain to be a starter when the season begins. He can run the floor and even though he does not have much of a touch from the outside, not many bigs in the country are as athletic as him. 

The fifth starter is still up in the air. If Cincinnati wants to go small there are a few options, including junior college transfer Titus Rubles. The 6'7' wing man has plenty of athleticism and talent to guard multiple positions.

Another option would be redshirt freshman Shaquille Thomas. Thomas is also 6'7", but not quite as filled out as Rubles.

If Cincinnati decides to go big, the obvious choice would be 6'10" senior Cheikh Mbodj. Mbodj struggled last season after a high ankle sprain slowed him down early in the season, followed by a suspension.

The other option is junior college transfer David Nyarsuk. Nyarsuk is the tallest player in the history of the program and at 7'1", the junior also has a soft touch from 12-feet in.

One thing is certain, head coach Mick Cronin can not go wrong with any of these selections, as there is more talent and much more depth on the roster than he has had since his arrival.

The depth goes much deeper than the players listed as sophomores Jeremiah Davis, Jermaine Sanders, Kelvin Gaines and Ge'Lawn Guyn will be much improved from their freshman years. 

With the combination of experience, depth and talent, it is going to be a fun season in the Queen City. Cincinnati has gotten better every year under Cronin and the 2012-2013 campaign looks to be no different.

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Sportswriters generally are supposed to remove personal emotion and bias from the task at hand.  After browsing the recently released preseason coaches' Top 25, I can't promise that will be the case with this piece.

If you've read my writing before, it's no secret I am an unabashed Cincinnati Bearcat fan.  So you can imagine the quick burst of expletives that machine gunned from my mouth as soon as I realized UC was unranked.  

Unranked, huh?  Cincinnati, who last season beat TEN ranked teams, made it to the finals of the Big East tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 (after knocking off everyone's slurp pick, Florida State), is not a Top 25 team?  

Really?

Now, look, I understand that preseason polls don't determine anything.  And I understand that the poll is voted on by 31 coaches, all of which are overwhelmingly swamped preparing their own teams for the season.

Here's the problem.  High school kids see these rankings.  High level recruits see these rankings.  If you're a recruit finalizing your choice between two schools, say Florida State and Cincinnati, and you see FSU ranked and Cincinnati unranked, you might be inclined to go with the Seminoles.  

Ask a college coach.  He'll verify this.

So, if these coaches don't have the time to give a good look to all of these teams and choose the rankings fairly, then something needs to be done.  Yes, I am a big Cincinnati fan, but you cannot tell me that the Bearcats are not a Top 15 team, let alone Top 25.  

I mentioned above what the Bearcats did last season.  Mick Cronin lost two seniors, big man Yancy Gates and wing Dion Dixon.  Guess what?  Those are not big losses considering what Cronin has on his roster.  UC is led by a top-tier, experienced backcourt (you win in college basketball with guards) trio of Cashmere Wright, Sean Kilpatrick (first-team preseason All-Big East) and Jaquon Parker.  

Big East coaches know how good this Cincinnati team should be.  UC was picked to finish fourth in the rugged, cutthroat Big East.  Ask the other 14 Big East coaches if Cronin has a Top 25 team.  I guarantee you not a one will say no.

But, the usual overhyping of certain "hot right now" teams litters this preseason Top 25.  Indiana and Louisville are 1-2 in the rankings.  Indiana had a great season in 2011-12, but No. 1?  Get the (four or five expletives) out of here.  Yes, Louisville reached the Final Four last year, but it also lost in the first round to Morehead State the year before.  Rick Pitino has a very solid, experienced starting five with a legit defensive anchor in Gorgui Dieng to go along with a great defense, which is nice, but let's be honest: Since the coach is Rick Pitino, Louisville gets the benefit of the doubt.

(Not that I don't think IU and U of L will have great seasons and very well could be the two best teams in the nation.  I just feel like certain programs are quick to be anointed, while other programs are overlooked.)

Then we have NC State at No. 6.  Luke Winn of SI went a step further and placed Mark Gottfried's late-blooming team at No. 3!  Yes, I saw the Wolfpack do just barely enough to get into the Dance last season and make it all the way to the Sweet 16* as an 11 seed.  And yes, I see those three highly ranked incoming freshmen.  Still, I say, "Come on, buddy."  This will be a good team, but Top Five level?  I don't buy it.  

(By the way, Luke Winn selected his Top 32 teams.  Cincinnati was not one of them.  That, my friends, is outrageous.)

Besides NC State, the Top 14 is basically all of the usual suspects.  Duke, UNC, Michigan State, Kansas, bla bla puke-inducing bla.  Same expletive, different day.  Ohio State loses two players (Jared Sullinger, William Buford) to the NBA from a team with zero depth, but hey, let's rank 'em fourth, because well, it's Ohio State—they'll be good, right?

Finally, look at the rest of the bunch.  Memphis is at 15—a team who underachieved mightily in 2011-12 and was bounced in the first round by a slow, unathletic Saint Louis team.  So what exactly warrants a Top 15 ranking for Josh Pastner's squad?   And, of course, the funniest part of this sham would be the last two teams in the rankings: Florida State and Texas.  Cincinnati beat both of those teams in the NCAA Tournament last year!  

Yes, I know, this article appears to be jealous whining from a biased Cincinnati fan.  And if that's how you want to categorize it, you're welcome to do so.  

But here's the thing.  Mick Cronin has more than proven himself capable as a high-level college basketball coach.  His teams have improved every single year since he accepted the job in 2006.  His team was incredible last season, beating double digit ranked teams and making it to the Sweet 16.  Cronin returns his core, a deep, athletic bench, and he even added a 7'1" transfer named David Nyarsuk to man the paint.  

To exclude a program like Mick's from the Top 25 is egregious, it affects recruiting, and frankly, it's ridiculous.  But hey, coaches, if you wanna add another chip to this team's shoulder, you're going to have to deal with the retaliation—and it won't be any fun for you, your kids or your fans.

Rewind back to August 24, 2005. Cincinnati head coach and icon Bob Huggins was going about his business, working on an elite recruiting class for the Bearcats' entrance into the Big East.

Insiders had mega-athlete Bill Walker and prolific scorer O.J. Mayo pegged for Clifton to join forces with pure point guard Devan Downey. 6'10" Michael Beasley was also in the mix.

And then the world came crashing down for Bearcat fans. New President Nancy Zimpher forced Huggins, the winningest all-time coach at Cincinnati, to pack up and go.

Color the fanbase devastated. After all the man had done for UC basketball, he wouldn't get his chance to recruit Big East-level talent for the 'Cats.

Fast forward to Selection Sunday the following season. Interim coach Andy Kennedy had rallied his senior-laden Bearcats to what seemed like an unlikely spot in the NCAA Tournament. Led by seniors Eric Hicks and James White, in the eyes of ESPN's Joe Lunardi, Cincy had done enough to warrant inclusion—bracketology showed UC as a No. 9 seed that day. 

Bearcat fans sat anxiously during the unveiling of the brackets until all the spots were shown, and there was no Cincinnati to be found. 

My reaction was to get in my car and drive. No destination in mind. Just drive and get away from everyone. After 14 straight NCAA Tournaments, the fun was over. One of the worst days of my life.

Still, Kennedy had done a fantastic job under difficult circumstances, but administration didn't offer him the full-time gig.

Fans were outraged. Then came the announcement that Mick Cronin would take over the program.

Cronin grew up in Cincinnati, the son of legendary high school coach Hep Cronin. He worked his way from video coordinator to assistant coach under Huggins, then left for the same position under Rick Pitino at Louisville. 

Fans dubbed Cronin a traitor. Three seasons as the head man for Murray State (two NCAA berths) later, Cronin was headed to Clifton to take his "dream job." 

Fans, still reeling from the loss of beloved Bob Huggins, were none too pleased. 

Not only was Mick faced with winning over the distraught fanbase, he didn't have any players, one scholarship player to be exact.  Oh, and it was already March, when most schools had grabbed all the talent. Further, UC's academic status was teetering, so not only did Mick need bodies to compete in the ridiculous Big East, he had to make sure the guys he brought in would be great academically as well. 

Talk about a 500,000 foot mountain to climb.

But Mick didn't care. The La Salle High grad got after it.  Using two cell phones and putting his personal life on hold, Cronin brought in a host of junior college players that, to put it bluntly, nobody else wanted. An 11-19 record ensued and attendance dropped like an anvil. 

Mick's next recruiting class was a tad better, but for the Big East, it wouldn't cut it—at least not right away. Most of the guys like Larry Davis, Darnell Wilks and Anthony McClain were four-year projects.  The one ready-to-play guy was 6'6" Rashad Bishop from New Jersey. 

The early going of Mick's second season was tough sledding, but a late December win over Miami (OH) broke a slump and propelled Mick's squad to an 8-5 start to the Big East slate. His team had barely any talent, but they played with heart, they fought and scrapped and defended. 

Most of the guys lost so much the year before (2-14 in the Big East) that they sacrificed it all for W's the following year.  The team faded down the stretch to finish 8-10, but qualified for a postseason tournament. 

The third recruiting class was the key.  6'9" Yancy Gates, from Withrow High in Cincy, a Top-75 recruit, decided to stay home and help rebuild the Bearcats. Shortly after, Cashmere Wright, a 4-star point guard from Savannah, GA, backed out of a commitment to Clemson and chose UC. Mick then plucked Dion Dixon, the leading scorer in the Chicago Public League, to round out the class. 

The next two-and-a-half years were very difficult as Gates, Wright, and Dixon suffered many setbacks and improved slowly. Cronin landed Top-10 recruit Lance Stephenson out of New York for one frustrating season in the midst of that growth.

UC even climbed into the Top 25 early that season (2009-10) after a good showing in Maui, but could never figure it out, ultimately getting blasted at home by Dayton in the second round of the NIT Tournament. 

In 2010-11, Mick's fifth season, fans and pundits grew restless. The message was simple—get to the NCAA Tournament or find a new job. 

Behind the leadership of five seniors (the Bishop class), Cronin finally broke through.

The Bearcats earned a No. 6 seed in the Dance, winning a first-round game over Missouri before falling to eventual national champ UConn.

Finally, we come to this past season. An early loss to Presbyterian at home and a 23-point shellacking by Xavier (and I believe there was some sort of fight, too) brought out the naysayers once again. 

But, behind the improved toughness of upperclassmen Wright, Dixon, Gates and JaQuon Parker, the Bearcats began knocking off ranked opponents like it was going out of style, beginning with No. 22 Pitt on New Year's Day and not stopping until they had set a school record of eight wins over ranked teams in one season.  The victims were: @ 22 Pitt, @ 11 Georgetown, @ 11 UConn (Gampel), vs 17 Louisville, vs 7 Marquette, vs 12 Georgetown, vs 2 Syracuse, vs 10 Florida State. 

The magical run came to an end last night in the Sweet 16, the school's first since 2001, to a formidable opponent in the Ohio State Buckeyes. OSU was ranked in the Top 10 most of the season and features three or four first-round NBA draft picks. UC fought hard, but came up short.

On behalf of UC fans everywhere, we want Mick and his boys to know they have nothing to hang their heads about.  You treated us to a magnificent season, chock-full of incredible, unlikely wins over great teams.

We want to thank Yancy for choosing to stay home and helping bring the Bearcats back into the national picture. We also want to thank the unsung guys like Deonta Vaughn, Jamual Warren, and John Williamson, who crawled through a river of sh*t a la Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption to help Mick Cronin and his hardworking staff vault our UC Bearcats back to relevancy and beyond.

And, for the first time in years, UC fans are pumped for next season! 

The state of Ohio is enjoying unprecedented success in the NCAA Tournament.

For the first time ever, a quarter of the Sweet 16 is from one state. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Cincinnati, No. 10 Xavier and No. 13 Ohio all play in different conferences and win with different styles of ball, but all of them are connected in one way or another.

Buckeyes coach Thad Motta came from Xavier, Ohio Bobcats coach John Groce was an assistant for Ohio State, and the Bearcats and Muskies may hate each other more than any two teams in the nation.

But all of the Ohio love can’t last.

It’s impossible for all four to advance since Ohio State and Cincinnati play in the East Region on Thursday, but I do see two teams advancing from the 17^th state to enter the union.

No. 2 Ohio State 67, No. 6 Cincinnati 62

Did you watch the Bearcats win over No. 3 Florida State?

It was one of the most physical games I’ve ever seen and the Bearcats prevailed because they were more mentally tough.

Now they play a Buckeyes team that is also predicated on physicality and good defense, but with much more offensive firepower.

The ‘Cats don’t have a shooter like Aaron Craft or a scorer like William Buford and that’s going to ultimately doom them when baskets become such a premium down the stretch.

I have a feeling Jared Sullinger is able to handle the bully that has become Yancy Gates and ensure his team doesn’t get bounced in the Sweet 16 for the third-straight year.

Fun fact: The game in Boston will mark the 50^th anniversary of Cincinnati beating Ohio State for the second-straight time in the National Championship.

No. 1 North Carolina 75, No. 13 Ohio 63

As a proud OU alum it pains me to say that the talent difference in this matchup is much too hard to ignore.

Despite likely losing Kendall Marshall to a broken wrist, the Tar Heels size in the post is going to suffocate the undersized Ohio bigs.

The only way the Bobcats can stay with the Tar Heels is by shooting a white-hot percentage from three-point range while DJ Cooper destroys the backups for Marshall.  

No. 10 Xavier 65, No. 3 Baylor 64

The big upset of the Sweet 16 will belong to the Muskies.

Tu Holloway is one of the 10 best players in the nation and is shooting over 50-percent from three-point range in the tournament. This has allowed him to attack off the dribble and create wide-open looks for his sharp-shooting teammates.

There is no doubt that Perry Jones III and Co. is terrific defensively in the post, but the guards are susceptible to speedy opponents, and Holloway and teammate Mark Lyons fit the bill.

The Bears have been incredibly inconsistent this season and endure painfully long offensive draughts far too often.  I see Xavier going on a monster run at some point to really distance themselves.

They already have two appearances in the Elite Eight since 2004, and this non-BCS power is more than capable of getting back there.

Click here for the updated bracket

Mick Cronin is the Coach of the Year for 2011-12.

Most experts look to coaches like Jim Boeheim at Syracuse or Bill Self at Kansas.  To that, I reply with a resounding "You must be out of your (expletive ending in 'ing') mind."  Boeheim has McDonald's All-Americans on his bench!  31-2 is phenomenal, yes, but really, with that type of talent, big deal.  Self's Jayhawks have "over-achieved" this season, but he coaches for Kansas.  That's a brand name that'll get any recruit in the world's attention.

As for what Cronin has done this season at Cincinnati, let's run it all down.

We all know what happened on December 10 against crosstown rival Xavier: The Brawl.  Regardless of what you may think about the length of the suspensions for the players involved, Cronin handled that situation with the utmost humility and class.  He made no excuses.  He simply apologized profusely and declared that his group will make it right with the university and the community.  "We will turn this into a positive," he said. 

Now, we know the level of adversity that is for a team to face.  On top of that, junior Jaquon Parker (9.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), a key component to UC's attack, was sidelined with injury for the first month of the season. 

After all of that, you still have to play the games on your schedule.  And that schedule ahead consisted of the usual brutal war of attrition known as the Big East.  Say what you want about whether or not the conference was down a little bit this year because Pitt and Nova were at the bottom of the standings—it doesn't make a difference.  There are no easy outs in that league. 

Cronin, slowly but surely forming the togetherness needed to survive after having lost five seniors from the previous year's squad, began maneuvering through the gauntlet with a hard-fought road win at No. 22 Pitt without the services of big man Yancy Gates who was serving the final game of his suspension. 

In Gates' return to the lineup, the Bearcats ran Notre Dame out of the building in a 16-point whipping, paying back Brey's Fighting Irish for the previous season's Big East tournament blowout loss. 

You may be reading along thinking, "Ahh, big deal.  Pitt was weak this year and Notre Dame wasn't very good yet in early January."  If so, I suppose you'll need more convincing.

How about Cincinnati flying to the nation's capital and handing the 11th ranked Georgetown Hoyas their only home loss of the entire season?

Not enough?  Okay then, what about the following week when Mick and his boys showed up at Gample Pavilion in Storrs, CT, where the then No. 11 UConn Huskies rarely lose—and pulling out the win behind a Sean Kilpatrick three-point dagger directly in Jeremy Lamb's face in the waning seconds? 

Still not enough?  Throw in back-to-back home wins against No. 17 Louisville and No. 7 Marquette when most of the experts relegated Cincinnati to the "bubble." 

Surely that has to be enough to convince you.  Oh, and did I mention Cronin has been doing this with a 6'3" kid starting at the 4?  Still not enough??

Finally, we move to the Big East tournament this past weekend at Madison Square Garden.  UC's first draw was none other than a revenge-hungry Georgetown squad.  The Bearcats couldn't throw it in the ocean, connecting on just a couple of three-pointers in 21 attempts while the Hoyas looked like an effin' well-oiled machine, building an 11-point lead with about eight minutes to play. 

No matter.  Behind senior Yancy Gates (23 pts, 8 rebs), the Bearcats came back to win in double OT.  (Cincy basically had that game won three times—the Hoyas hit shots to tie at the end of regulation and the first overtime before finally bricking a shot at the end of double OT.) 

And then, oh yes—AND THEN...

Cronin, starting four players 6'4" and under, goes up against the mammoth Syracuse Orange, ranked No. 2 in the nation with a 31-1 record, in Madison Square friggin' Garden in the semifinals!  The evil mastermind offspring of Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins and his father Hep Cronin, Mick brings a 2-3 zone and a confident team to the fight.  The Bearcats come out and knock Syracuse in the jaw with flawless execution and hot shooting to build a 17-point lead and then withstand every counter Boeheim's boys throw back to shock the world, 71-68. 

So, as Cronin loads up the film of first round opponent Texas, his No. 6 seed Bearcats have seven wins over Top 25 teams under their belt.  They won two out of every three games in the unrelenting Big East (12-6 regular season, 2-1 in NY). 

I'm sorry, but considering the challenging start to the season, that's the coach of the year right there, hands down.  As a giant Bearcat fan, I may be biased, but in this case, gimme a break with any other candidate.  Mick's the one. 

The 2012 Big East tournament is turning into an upset machine, as top seeds have dropped left and right. Left standing is the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Louisville Cardinals.

Although it could be described as a Cinderella run, Cincinnati will be heading into the NCAA tourney with a 2012 Big East crown under their belt. Their run isn’t over.

As good as head coach Rick Pitino has his Cardinals playing, the Bearcats know what it takes to beat the best. Not only did Cincinnati beat Louisville already this season, this is the same team that has beaten eight ranked teams this season.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin told ESPN the following after the team’s shocking victory over Syracuse and talked about how they will use that momentum going forward:

I walked in the locker room and the guys had written 'We need to win one more' on the board. I didn't even have to write it. It's a huge win for our program. I think what you've got to realize in college basketball is you've got to allow teams the course of the season, some teams get better. Over the course of the entire season, we lead the Big East in 3-point point field goals made. We've made more 3s than anybody in the Big East. We're standing there wide open. Last night, we were 2 for 21. We shot seven that went in and out. We've got guys that can make shots, so law of averages catches up.

As much as Pitino will get the edge in coaching for this matchup, Cronin is nothing to bat an eye at. With his team playing well and buying into his system, there is a good chance that a Big East tournament title could boost Cincinnati into serious contention to win the whole NCAA tourney.

The key for the Bearcats is spreading the love around and not allowing what can be a stifling Cardinals defense to take away the team’s offense.

With Sean Kilpatrick, Dion Dixon, Yancy Gates and Cashmere Wright all averaging over 10 points per game, there isn’t too much Pitino and Louisville will be able to do with a Cincinnati team that has been shooting the lights out.

Check back for more on the NCAA Basketball as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s College Basketball Page to get your fill of college basketball.

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It's been quite a run for both Cincinnati and Louisville to the final of the Big East tournament.

The Bearcats had to knock off a one-loss Syracuse team in the semifinal, and the Cardinals managed to beat both Marquette and Notre Dame, the No. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively, by double digits.

When it comes to this time in the season, one player can often make a significant difference.

Here's four players to watch out for in the final:

Yancy Gates

Gates has put two good games together in the tournament.

Most fans remember the senior forward for his involvement in the fight at the end of the Xavier-Cincinnati game back in December.

However, Gates is erasing any lasting memories of that incident with a very good tournament.

In the double-overtime win against Georgetown, he was the leading scorer, shooting 10-of-19 for 23 points. Gates also added eight rebounds.

Then in the semifinal against the Orange, Gates was co-leading scorer with 18 points, also adding eight rebounds.

He has been a good rebounder all season, averaging 9.3 on the year, but the point totals from the tournament games are above his average of 12.5.

Sean Kilpatrick

Kilpatrick is the Bearcats' leading scorer, averaging 14.6 on the year. However, his Big East tournament hasn't been too distinguished yet.

He only scored 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting in the quarterfinal win against the Hoyas. However, Kilpatrick was the co-leading scorer with Gates in the win against Syracuse.

He was unstoppable from long range, as all the points against the Orange came from behind the three-point line, where he shot 6-for-9.

If Cincinnati is going to win the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, Kilpatrick will need to have a good performance.

Peyton Siva

When looking at reasons for the Cardinals run to the final, one should look no further than Siva.

He's managed to put in three very good performances, which culminated in the win over Notre Dame. Siva had 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

In addition to his good game against the Fighting Irish, he had 14 and 18 points against Seton Hall and Marquette.

Siva only managed to score 9.1 points on the season, so his scoring outputs have been quite surprising.

It's players like Siva who step up and provide the kind of performances that win teams conference titles.

Gogui Dieng

Dieng's impact is felt mostly on the defensive end of the floor.

Although he did average 9.5 PPG, he was the leading blocker in the Big East, at 3.2 a game. Dieng also managed to pull down 9.2 RPG, which was good for fourth in the conference.

If Louisville is going to stop Gates, they're going to need Dieng to perform well.

He's had a pretty good tournament so far. He had 10 rebounds in the wins against Seton Hall and Marquette, but like Siva, Dieng saved his best performance for Notre Dame.

In the semifinal, he had 16 points, six rebounds and one block.

After taking down the heavily favored No. 2 Syracuse Orange in the semifinals of the Big East tournament, the Cincinnati Bearcats proved to the nation that they won't be held back while playing the underdog role.

That is a good thing to know with March Madness just around the corner, as the Bearcats are looking like a team with the potential to shock many squads this March.

The win over the Orange was the team's fourth straight win, which included a double-overtime victory against the Georgetown Hoyas in the previous round.

With another big game from guard Sean Kilpatrick and forward Yancy Gates, 18 points each, the Bearcats continued to fight against the odds to make their way into the Big East final.

That is a pretty big accomplishment, as this conference currently stands to be the best overall with the most teams likely going to make the Big Dance.

It will remain to be seen if this win will propel the Bearcats into a higher seeding, but of course taking home the conference title should help them move into that direction.

This schedule hasn't been easy for the Bearcats, as they had to first get through Georgetown and now the Orange. 

Before the tourney even got underway, the team defeated the No. 7 Marquette Golden Eagles, as well as taking down the Villanova Wildcats on the road.

With still a much longer road to travel, the Bearcats have done the best job they can up to this point to prove that they are a team to reckon with.

If they can carry this style of play into the final, as well as the tourney, who knows how much this team could actually accomplish.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.

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