2011 Cincinnati Basketball

2010-11 Results

Overall: 26-9
Big East: 11-7
Conference Tournament: Lost in Quarterfinals
Postseason: Lost in 3rd round to eventual champion Connecticut

Roster

Seniors

Dion Dixon
Yancy Gates

Juniors

Alex Eppensteiner
Cheikh Mbodj
JaQuon Parker
Cashmere Wright

Sophomores

Justin Jackson
Sean Kilpatrick

Freshmen

Kelvin Gaines
Jeremiah Davis
Octavius Ellis
Ge’Lawn Guyn
Jermaine Sanders
Shaquille Thomas

Head Coach

Mick Cronin

Key Losses

Gone are last year’s two starting forwards, Rashad Bishop and Ibrahima Thomas. Bishop, a versatile 6-6 wing, was one of the top on-ball defenders in the Big East. The slender 6-11 Thomas was a shot-blocker and rebounder.

Schedule

Date	Opponent / Event
Tue., Nov. 1	vs. McGill University
Tue., Nov. 8	vs. Northern Ky.
Sun., Nov. 13	vs. Alabama State
Tue., Nov. 15	vs. Jacksonville State
Sat., Nov. 19	vs. Presbyterian
Mon., Nov. 21	vs. Northwestern State
Fri., Nov. 25	vs. Marshall
Tue., Nov. 29	vs. Miami (Ohio)
BIG EAST-SEC Challenge
Fri., Dec. 2	@ Georgia
Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout
Sat., Dec. 10	@ Xavier
Regular Season
Wed., Dec. 14	@ Wright State
Sat., Dec. 17	vs. Radford
Wed., Dec. 21	vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Fri., Dec. 23	vs. Chicago State
Thu., Dec. 29	vs. Oklahoma
Sun., Jan. 1	@ Pittsburgh *
Wed., Jan. 4	vs. Notre Dame *
Sat., Jan. 7	vs. St. John’s *
Mon., Jan. 9	@ Georgetown *
Sat., Jan. 14	vs. Villanova *
Wed., Jan. 18	@ Connecticut *
Sat., Jan. 21	@ West Virginia
Mon., Jan. 23	vs. Syracuse *
Sat., Jan. 28	@ Rutgers
Sat., Feb. 4	vs. DePaul *
Wed., Feb. 8	@ St. John’s *
Sat., Feb. 11	@ Marquette *
Wed., Feb. 15	vs. Providence *
Sat., Feb. 18	vs. Seton Hall *
Thu., Feb. 23	vs. Louisville *
Sun., Feb. 26	@ USF *
Wed., Feb. 29	vs. Marquette *
Sat., Mar. 3	@ Villanova *
BIG EAST Tournament
Tue., Mar. 6	TBA
*Conference Game

2011-12 Preview

In Mick Cronin’s first four years at Cincinnati, the Bearcats progressed slowly. They won 11 games in Cronin’s first year and 13 in his second campaign. Steady improvement continued with 18 wins the following year followed by a 19-16 record in the 2009-10 season.

The breakthrough finally came in the 2010-11 season. Cincinnati recorded 26 wins and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2005. The Bearcats went 11-7 in the Big East, its best showing since joining the conference for the 2005-06 season. They beat Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Big East rival and eventual national champions Connecticut in the third round.

Under Cronin, Cincinnati had gained a reputation for tough defense. That continued last season as the Bearcats led the Big East in scoring defense, giving up just 59.6 points per game, but they also improved offensively. However, they still ranked near the lower end of the Big East charts in both field-goal percentage (.450) and three-point shooting (.330).

Cincinnati returns three starters, including all-conference candidate center Yancy Gates and the starting backcourt of Cashmere Wright and Dion Dixon.

The 26 wins, the NCAA Tournament berth and the NCAA victory over Missouri provided hard evidence that Cronin’s rebuilding plans were at last producing results. While suffering normal losses, Cronin has boosted his squad with a large recruiting class. The addition of Mdodj in particular could prove to be a huge factor this season.

Now the Bearcats face the task of maintaining or improving on last seasons solid platform.

Backcourt

Yancy Gates led the Bearcats in both scoring and rebounding last season and helped Cincinnati to five wins in its last six regular season games, including victories over NCAA Tournament-bound teams Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown (twice). Gates was Cincinnati’s top rebounder in five of those games, contributing 18 points and 11 boards in the NCAA Tournament win over Missouri.

The combination of Wright and Dixon gives Cronin a backcourt that’s equal to any in the Big East. Wright battled with a knee injury during his sophomore season and still managed to start all but one of Cincinnati’s games. The knee injury took its toll as the season wore on and showed up in his shooting numbers. For the season, Wright made 35.2 percent of his three-point attempts, but in conference games he was a 30.8 percent shooter from long range.

Once again, Wright will partner with Dixon in Cincinnati’s starting backcourt. Dixon, a 6-3 senior, was the second-leading scorer behind Gates in Cincinnati’s balanced offense.

Frontcourt

In replacing Bishop, Cronin will look to 6-4 sophomore Sean Kilpatrick who earned Big East All-Rookie honors despite playing just 20.6 minutes per game.

Veterans Justin Jackson and JaQuon Parker will provide depth at the forward positions. Jackson, a 6-8, 210-pound sophomore, averaged 12.9 minutes per game while playing in all of Cincinnati’s 35 contests in his rookie year.

Parker, a 6-3, 210-pound junior, played in just 23 games last season and, though he averaged just 8.5 minutes, elected to stay at Cincinnati. Parker will help to compensate for the loss of Bishop’s toughness and ability to be a physical wing player.

The rest of Cronin’s upper class consists of 6-3 junior Alex Eppensteiner and 6-2 junior Anthony McBride. Cronin’s recruiting class includes five freshmen and one junior college transfer. Of all the new faces, Cheikh Mbodj could be the first to make an impact. A 6-9, 245-pound center, Mbodj averaged 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds at Grayson (Texas) County Community College last year.

The pairing of Thomas and Jermaine Sanders as bookend wings will give Cincinnati a multidimensional look. Sanders was named the New York Daily News’ All-Manhattan Player of the Year and averaged 18.1 points as senior.

More Big East Basketball Predictions

Syracuse Orange	Marquette Golden Eagles	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	Georgetown Hoyas
Cincinnati Bearcats	South Florida Bulls	Louisville Cardinals	West Virginia Mountaineers
Seton Hall Pirates	Connecticut Huskies	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	St. Johns Red Storm
Pittsburgh Panthers	Villanova Wildcats	Providence Friars	DePaul Blue Demons

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