Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball

Stop me if you've seen this happen at a sporting event before.

Two players on opposing teams yell at each other in close proximity, one eventually bumps the other and then a teammate or referee jumps in, breaks it up and both teams go on playing the game.

We've all seen this play out hundreds if not thousands of times in professional and collegiate sports.

What caused this one to escalate whereas the others always fizzle?

Dezmine Wells of Xavier.

Tu Holloway of Xavier and Ge'Lawn Guyn of Cincinnati were embroiled in the classic, usually harmless on-court tussle when Wells came over and pushed Guyn to the floor. It happened near the UC bench, and naturally the entire bench cleared and punches were thrown.

Yancey Gates is going to receive a sizable suspension from the NCAA or UC and it will effectively end all postseason hope for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Their roster is too weak to survive a long stretch without Gates.

Gates certainly deserves the forthcoming suspension, but Cheikh Mbodj from UC deserves the harshest suspension of all. After Gates' punch sent Xavier's Kenny Frease to the ground, Mbodj stomped on Frease' face and caused the bloodied cut that you see on ESPN.  

Mbodj's actions were cowardly and inexcusable. He deserves to be suspended for the rest of the season.

Cincinnati was absolutely the more aggressive of the two teams during the fight, and that could perhaps be attributed to the proximity to the Bearcats bench. The entire Bearcats team was involved in the fight, whereas it took a few seconds for the Xavier players to get down to the end of the court.

However, it will be very unfortunate if someone like Dezmine Wells escapes this without a harsh penalty as well. After all, this could've ended without incident had he just controlled himself and not started the melee in the first place.

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Four games into the college basketball season, it has quickly become evident that the Cincinnati Bearcats will rely heavily on their big four to lead them throughout the season. 

Those four players are seniors Yancy Gates and Dion Dixon, junior Cashmere Wright and sophomore Sean Kilpatrick.

The quartet were the four leading scorers a year ago for Cincinnati, and with five freshmen getting playing time, these four have almost all of the experience on the roster. 

Senior big man Yancy Gates is the most talented player on the team and is finally putting it all together for his final year in Clifton.

Gates is averaging 14.5 points and 9.8 rebounds so far this season. After leading the team in scoring and rebounding a season ago, he is having his best year in a Bearcats uniform, and Cincinnati is a completely different team when he is in the game. 

Fellow senior Dion Dixon was second in scoring last season and is averaging 13.3 points so far this season. At only 6'3", his 6.0 rebounds per game are a huge bonus for Cincinnati from the guard position.

Junior Cashmere Wright is the Bearcats' only serviceable point guard with the injury to Jaquon Parker. He is averaging 11.0 points and nearly three assists per game. 

Wright is lightning quick and can get to the basket almost at will. 

Sophomore sharpshooter Sean Kilpatrick was big time off of the bench last season, but he steps into a starting role this year. 

He is putting up 13.5 points per game to go along with nearly six rebounds a night. 

The Bearcats will also get contributions from sophomore forward Justin Jackson and junior college transfer Cheikh Mbodj. Mbodj is a 6'10" center who is just returning from injury. 

After two straight wins and a disappointing loss to Presbyterian over the weekend, the Bearcats rebounded in a big way with a 27-point victory over Northwestern St.

The offense has been struggling in the early going, and it will need to continue to improve if Cincinnati plans on making a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

While it is not certain that the Bearcats will make a return trip to the Big Dance, there is no question that if they do it will be on the backs of their big four. 

It was early February. The Cincinnati Bearcats had just suffered a demoralizing home loss to West Virginia, dropping their Big East record to 5-4. In the midst of a grueling practice, Yancy Gates lost his cool. He mouthed off, was thrown out of practice and did not make the trip to Pittsburgh for UC’s next game. 

Up until that point of Gates’ career as a Cincinnati Bearcat, UC fans had been clamoring for the local product from Withrow High to “use his size,” “attack the rim” and “be tougher.”

If you looked up “prototypical NBA power forward” in the encyclopedia, the picture wouldn’t be much different from Gates. The man in the middle for Mick Cronin’s Bearcats has the ideal size for that position at the next level, checking in at an agile 6’9”, 260 pounds. 

Unfortunately for Gates and Bearcat Nation, “prototypical” and “potential” are usually the only positive words scouts utter. 

The website NBADraft.net constantly updates its mock draft for 2012—and for a while, Gates was spotted in the late second round (you can attribute the fact that he was on the board at all to an e-mail I sent to the site’s Aran Smith last winter). 

When I checked the site this week, Gates was nowhere to be found. I sent another e-mail to Smith, pleading my case. In his response Smith said, “I watched Yancy at Nations in LA this summer. He doesn't use his strength! He should dominate with that body inside but he just floats to the perimeter and jacks fadeaways. Also doesn't hustle. Slow...We'll see. I'll keep an eye on Yancy. I know he's a talent. Let's see him turn it up as a senior.”

The rap on Gates has been that he’s soft, he shies away from contact and he’s not enough of a leader. 

That was, until Cronin booted him out of that practice last February. Gates seriously considered leaving the team. The pressures of being a local kid trying to revive the city’s beloved basketball program had gotten to him. But, Gates did not give up. Two games later, with UC’s NCAA tournament chances dwindling, Gates played a strong game against Louisville, leading the defensive charge as the Bearcats knocked off the 16th-ranked Cardinals, 63-54.

Down the stretch, Gates was a force. He anchored a stingy Bearcats defense, leading his squad to a 5-1 finish to the Big East regular season and an unlikely 11-7 finish in conference play. The tournament bubble was now in the rearview mirror. 

In those final six games, Gates grew up. He became much more aggressive on offense and on the glass, posting hard-fought double-doubles in key road victories at Marquette and Georgetown.   

What sparked the newfound toughness around the rim? Something to consider would be the lack of free-throw attempts for Gates up until that superb stretch. 

“When you’re not making free throws, you don’t want to get fouled,” Cronin said on a recent Friday media day. “It’s embarrassing to go out there and shoot 48 percent. But once they start falling, everything changes.” Gates, a career sub-60 percent free-throw shooter, shot 27-of-34 (79.4 percent) in those final six contests, culminating in a magnificent 10-for-10 on senior day against Georgetown.

But that was last year. This year is all that counts for Gates. This is his senior year, his chance to show people at the next level he is worthy of a chance to prove himself against the best of the best.   

To be one of the 60 players drafted each year, it’s all about value. What value does this player bring to my team? Thus far in Gates' career at Cincinnati, most of what we’ve heard centers around potential and NBA size—but little else. However, if you’ve been following closely from February—when the light finally clicked on for Gates—until now, you’ve seen a whole lot more than just potential.

You’ll see the ability to move his feet and talk on defense—without fouling. You’ll see a polished offensive game, including the ability to step outside with ease and a soft touch around the basket. And, now that the free throws have been falling, you’ll see Gates be 10 times more aggressive making moves toward the rim (something UC fans have begging for since Day 1). 

You should see better rebound numbers (Gates has always been under seven per game) now that the big ox is focused on going to the rim instead of floating around the perimeter. And finally, you’ll see a young man ready to lead. 

It’s taken a little longer than Bearcats fans had hoped, but the development has taken place. 

This is it for Gates. He knows it and Cronin knows it. “I’ve got him right where I want him,” Cronin said.  “This is the year for him.” And, with the lack of big men across the landscape of college basketball, if this does happen to be the year for Gates, the 21st-ranked Bearcats will challenge for the Big East championship.

As preparations begin for another college basketball season, optimism is running high in Cincinnati after a very successful campaign last season. The Bearcats started the year by reeling off 15 straight wins, and they ended up posting one of their best records in school history at 26-9.

They went 16-14 against the spread in games with posted college basketball odds, and 19 of the 30 games stayed ‘under’ the total as a result of a stifling defense.

Cincinnati finished tied for sixth-place in the Big East. It made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament as a six-seed out of the West Region before bowing-out, 69-58, to the eventual champions, the Connecticut Huskies, in the third round.

2011-12 Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Outlook

The reason for such high expectations is the return of the team’s top four scorers from last year.

Look for senior forward Yancy Gates to lead the way after averaging 11.8 points per game last year. He was also the Bearcats leading rebounder with an average of 6.8 boards a game.

Also back are guard Dion Dixon and guard/forward Sean Kilpatrick. Dixon was right behind Yates with an average of 11.6 points per game and Kilpatrick added an average of 9.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Another key component of this year’s team will be junior guard Cashmere Wright. He averaged 8.9 points per game and led the team in assists with 3.9 a game.

The real advantage of having this much experience in the starting lineup could actually be on the defensive side of the ball. Cincinnati was second to only Pittsburgh last year in points allowed. They held opponents to an average of just 61.7 points a game.

Key Losses

One of the biggest losses from last year’s squad was forward Rashad Bishop, who played four years for Cincinnati and averaged more than 23 minutes per game throughout his career. Last season Bishop averaged 26.6 minutes a game while averaging 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Also gone is forward Ibrahima Thomas, who was second on the team in rebounds with 5.3 a game.

Key Additions

This season’s recruiting class consists of five freshmen and one junior-college transfer. The biggest name on the list is forward Shaquille Thomas, but he will redshirt this season after being declared ineligible for the fall semester.

Look for 6'10" center Kelvin Gaines and Jermaine Sanders to make an immediate impact as freshman along with another 6'10" center Cheikh Mbodj, who spent some time in junior college.

2011-12 Cincinnati Basketball Schedule

One of the main reasons for a 15-0 run to start last year was a soft schedule in the Bearcats’ non conference games. That appears to be the case again in the early going, but they do face Xavier on Dec. 10 and Oklahoma on Dec. 29 before kicking-off their Big East schedule against Pitt on Jan 1.

Things really heat up later that month with road games against Georgetown, Connecticut and West Virginia along with home tilts against Villanova and Syracuse all within the span of two weeks.

By then we should have a pretty good indication of just how far this Cincinnati team might be able to go this season.

2011-12 Cincinnati Bearcats Predictions for College Basketball

Depending on the preseason poll, Cincinnati has been ranked as high as No.17 by Sporting News, but generally falls near the back of the top 25 as an overall average.

The Bearcats find themselves in the middle-of-the-pack to win the Big East this season at +1200 along with Notre Dame and West Virginia, with six other teams having more favorable odds. The few sportsbooks that do have odds on Cincinnati to win this year’s National Championship have them as a moderate longshot at +10000.

This team has enough talent to make a serious run at the Big East regular season title and could easily enhance its position in the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference tournament.

Look for Cincinnati to top last season’s sixth-seed in the West Region with a fourth or fifth seed closer to home in the East for this year’s Big Dance.

Doc Moseman is the owner of Doc’s Sports picks Web site.

The Cincinnati Bearcats returned to prominence last season, reaching the third round of the NCAA Tournament and finishing 26-9 overall. They lost to eventual national champion Connecticut and returned to national prominence for the first time since the departure of Bob Huggins.

Head coach Mick Cronin who has been much maligned, proved last year why he is one of the best young coaches in the country and has steadily improved his win total each of the past five seasons. No other team in the country can say that.

While Cincinnati lost five players from last year's squad, including two starters and their best defensive player in Rashad Bishop, they return their top four scorers on a team that is a preseason Top 25 in nearly every publication.

Here is a preview of the 2011-2012 Cincinnati Bearcats.

Starters

While the starting lineup is not completely set, it can be speculated who the five will be for the first game of the season against Alabama St.

Point guard: Junior Cashmere Wright averaged 8.9 points and nearly four assists per game last year and returns for his second year in the starting lineup. He had his third knee operation in the offseason and is as good defensively as any point guard in the conference.

Shooting guard: Senior Dion Dixon was the Bearcats second leading scorer last season, averaging 11.6 points per game. He is a team leader and defensive stopper for Cincinnati. Dixon will be counted on big time for Cincinnati on both sides of the ball. 

Small forward: Sophomore Sean Kilpatrick lead the Bearcats last season in points per minute and there is a chance he will be brought off the bench for some offensive firepower as he still needs work on defense, but his 9.7 points per game in only 20.6 minutes can't be ignored. 

Power forward: Senior Yancy Gates has finally developed into the player everyone thought he would be coming out of high school. He led the team in points, rebounds and blocks last season. He is one of the best players in the Big East and will be a force down low for Cincinnati. 

Center: Junior-college transfer Cheikh Mbodj is likely to step into the starting role vacated by Ibrahima Thomas and start down-low alongside Gates. Mbodj is a shot-blocker and defensive presence who also has a refined offensive game compared to most junior-college players. 

Bench

The bench for Cincinnati will be littered with young, talented players. The frontcourt will be highlighted by 6'8" sophomore Justin Jackson who saw 13 minutes a game last season as a freshman. He will be joined by high school teammate Kelvin Gaines. Gaines red-shirted last season and at 6'10" he has a tall and lanky athletic frame. Freshman Octavius Ellis will be the other big man off the bench for Cincinnati.

The backcourt will be highlighted by three freshman who are sure to get some serious playing time. 6'4" Jermaine Sanders out of Rich High School in New York city is rated in the Top 150 on Rivals.com and is a swingman who will be one of the first players off the bench for Cronin. Guards Jeremiah Davis and Ge'Lawn Guyn will provide some scoring punch off the bench. Junior combo guard Jacqon Parker will give the Bearcats some experience and a defensive presence.

Easily the Bearcats top recruit is 6'8" wingman Shaquille Thomas. Thomas is a nephew of former NBA star Tim Thomas and is rated one of the Top 100 recruits in the country according to Rivals.com. He was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA a few weeks ago, but will be allowed to practice after the first quarter and will have four years of eligibility starting in 2012.  

Schedule

The non-conference schedule for Cincinnati was not up to the standards of some last season and this year will be much of the same. The Bearcats play enough difficult games during the Big East season that a few tough non-conference games will be all they need to prepare them for the rigors of the Big East.

After opening with four cupcakes, Cincinnati takes on Marshall and Miami (OH) before traveling to Georgia and No. 15 Xavier the first week of December. The final non-conference game of the season will be a home game against Oklahoma.

As part of the Big East schedule, Cincinnati will play St. John's, Marquette and Villanova twice and the other 12 teams in the conference one time each.  

Prediction

The Bearcats have a good shot to go undefeated once again in non-conference play, but one loss is more likely. They should be slightly improved from the 11-7 record they had in the Big East last season and 12-6 sounds likely. A 24-7 overall record and fifth place finish in the Big East could be what the Bearcats are looking at heading into the season. 

After a big win on Thursday against North Carolina State, the Bearcats had 10 days to prepare for their yearly battle against in-state rival Miami. Cincinnati looks to hold on to the coveted Victory Bell for the sixth straight season. 

The rivalry is the oldest non-conference rivalry in the country as these two teams meet for the 116th time with Miami leading the all-time series 59-49-7. With a win, Cincinnati would have the longest winning streak in the rivalry.

The Bearcats lost their only road game this season against Tennessee and need to prove they can win on the road heading into conference play in two weeks. 

Here is a breakdown of what to expect from the Miami Redhawks on Saturday. 

Offense

Miami comes into the game 0-3, having played a tough schedule. The offense has struggled all season, beginning with a 17-6 loss on the road against Missouri.

They have scored 23 points in each of their past two games, both losses to Minnesota and Bowling Green, respectively. 

Wide receiver Nick Harwell is a deep play threat for the Redhawks with 301 yards and 20 receptions in only three games. 

Quarterback Zac Dysert has completed 62 percent of his passes for 784 yards, but only has two touchdowns with four interceptions. 

Miami's Erik Finklea has rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns. 

Miami is 105th in the country at 17.3 points per game and will need to put up much more than that to hang with Cincinnati.

Defense

After holding the Missouri offense to only 17 points on the road, Miami has struggled mightily on defense in recent weeks. They followed that up by allowing 29 points to Minnesota. Things got worse last week when Bowling Green scored 37 on them.

If Miami doesn't improve, they will have a hard time holding Cincinnati under 40 points. The Bearcats come into the game averaging 49.5 points per game, 4th in the nation.

Miami will need to stop the Bearcats rushing attack if they want to hold Cincinnati in check. 

Outcome

Miami gives up nearly 28 points per game and if they can force a few turnovers and hold Cincinnati under 30, they may have a chance to hang around in this one.

Chances are that will not happen. If the Bearcats play anything like they have at home all season, they will dominate from start to finish and be able to rest their starters in the second half.

Prediction: Cincinnati 52, Miami 17 

WASHINGTON -- The Cincinnati Bearcats defeated the Missouri Tigers 78-63 Thursday night in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005, where they lost to Kentucky in the second round. Bob Huggins was still coaching for the Bearcats.

Mick Cronin began a new era tonight.

Yancy Gates made seven of eight shots from the field, scoring 18 points and thrashing his way to 11 rebounds. Dion Dixon had 16 points and Cashmere Wright added 11 points with six assists as Cincinnati held a high-scoring Missouri offense to just 63 points and 37 percent shooting from the field.

The Tigers (23-11, 8-8) came into the game averaging 81.4 points a game, good for 9th in the nation. However, Missouri had not seen a defense like Cincinnati's. The Bearcats (26-8, 11-7) were holding opponents to under 60 points a game, the best in the Big East.

After allowing the Tigers to jump to an early 9-2 lead, Cincinnati had to make an adjustment. Mick Cronin had his team switch from a man-to-man defense to a zone.

Missouri had no answer.

Shooting just 29 percent for the first half, Missouri allowed the Bearcats to build an 11 point lead at halftime, leading 39-28.

It didn't get better for Mike Anderson's Tigers.

There was about an 11 minute stretch where Missouri couldn't manage to score a field goal, and Marcus Denmon, their leading scorer at 17.1 points a game, was held to 10 points. He shot just three of 11 from the field and two of seven from behind the arc.

Yancy Gates hit his fourth three-pointer of the year to push the lead to 15 with 4:34 remaining, putting the game out of reach.

"We're excited," said Mick Cronin after the game.

As they should be.

The Bearcats will have a familiar matchup in the third round, where they find themselves against Jim Calhoun's Connecticut Huskies.

Connecticut handed Cincinnati their seventh loss of the season on Feb. 27, 67-59. It went on to win the Big East tournament.

With the full field of the 2011 NCAA tournament about to get underway, it’s time to dissect the individual matchups in the second round. One of the closest on paper, if not in seeding, pits No. 6 seed Cincinnati against No. 11 seed Missouri.

As two middling teams from two tough conferences set to square off, what will determine the winner?

First and foremost, this game will be all about tempo. If the Bearcats can slow the pace and limit Missouri’s transition offense, they’ll win handily.

On the other hand, if the Tigers’ pressure speeds Cincinnati up and forces them into bad offensive possessions and turnovers, they’ll come out on top.

Both teams have some muscle inside, so the half-court game is likely to be decided by execution from the jump shooters. Cincinnati has had its issues this season with finding a go-to scorer (second leading scorer Dion Dixon has been held without a point on two occasions), so they’ll have to hope someone gets hot.

For Missouri, Marcus Denmon is a reliable leader on offense, but they’ll have to make sure their youngsters (notably guards Phil Pressey and Michael Dixon) don’t let nerves get the better of them on the big stage.

Perhaps the biggest factor, though, is the game’s location. With a neutral crowd in Washington, D.C., the Tigers (who have struggled away from home all year) may not be able to build the momentum they’ll need to implement their pressure.

Look for the Bearcats to survive one or two big runs and come away victorious.