The Other Surprise Team [Calm Before the Storm]

The Cincinnati Bearcats, explosive out of the season’s gate with 15 straight wins against mostly mediocre competition, come to town for the first of two matchups against the Red Storm. Saturday’s matchup against the Bearcats is the first Big East game in Carnesecca Arena since the hard-fought overtime loss to Marquette. Usually, Carnesecca is a strong homecourt advantage, with the student section as rowdy as they can be in the small gym. The Red Storm need that advantage this season.  The team needs to sweep their on-campus contests; all of the opponents that will come to Carnesecca are eminently beatable.

Of course, last year the Bearcats got to enjoy Madison Square Garden, because they had New York schoolboy star Lance Stephenson of Lincoln high, who chose the Bearcats after a long, drawn-out decision process. That game was a dog. The two evenly-matched teams battled the whole game long to see who could miss the most shots.  In the end the Bearcats “prevailed”, going 0-12 from beyond the arc and enjoying 6 turnovers from Stephenson in his homecoming, a 52-50 loss that was won through heroic efforts by Dwight Hardy.

This year the Bearcats return with a lot more hope, a gaudy 16-3 record, and a ranking in the AP poll of 25 (but no ranking in the coaches’ poll). Cincy sports a better team dynamic than last year, and Mick Cronin’s job might just depend on the dynamic propelling them to the NCAAs. But in Big East play, they’re in the middle of the pack right along with the Red Storm. Can St. John’s homecourt power the Red Storm to a needed victory?

Read More.

Predictions?

Cincinnati= paper champion who has and will never win anything. If they played our schedule they would be at best 1-5 in the Big East. They haven't beaten anyone and won't beat beat anyone this season. They are athletic but not very skilled. Cronin single handily gave us the game last year. The Bearcats may be better then the very bottom of big east but this is the last time they sniff the top 25. We win by 8.

Other than St Johns beating Notre Dame, neither team has a good W

Other than St Johns beating Notre Dame, neither team has a good W

@West Virginia was a good win, that is a very tough place to play and they are a solid team with a good coach.

Georgetown was a good win also.

As for the game I think this is going to be a close one the whole game. Cincy is a solid team but they benefited greatly from play a very easy early schedule as well as playing DePaul, USF, and Seton Hall (without Hazell) in 3 of their first 4 BE games. I think we win at home in front what should be a great crowd. SJU 68 Cincy 61.

Quote from: Marco Baldi on January 21, 2011, 01:33:40 PM

Other than St Johns beating Notre Dame, neither team has a good W

@West Virginia was a good win, that is a very tough place to play and they are a solid team with a good coach.

I disagree, I dont think West Va is a good team right now. Maybe down the road, but not now. Who has West VA beaten, GTown, Purdue? Both are severely overrated every year

Georgetown was a good win also.

Ya youre right, they are a final 4 team

Quote from: Wods317 on January 21, 2011, 02:12:05 PM

Quote from: Marco Baldi on January 21, 2011, 01:33:40 PM

Other than St Johns beating Notre Dame, neither team has a good W

@West Virginia was a good win, that is a very tough place to play and they are a solid team with a good coach.

I disagree, I dont think West Va is a good team right now. Maybe down the road, but not now. Who has West VA beaten, GTown, Purdue? Both are severely overrated every year

The fact that WV lost against Marshall two days ago helps Baldi´s opinion.

Quote from: Marco Baldi on January 21, 2011, 02:19:16 PM

Quote from: Wods317 on January 21, 2011, 02:12:05 PM

Quote from: Marco Baldi on January 21, 2011, 01:33:40 PM

Other than St Johns beating Notre Dame, neither team has a good W

@West Virginia was a good win, that is a very tough place to play and they are a solid team with a good coach.

I disagree, I dont think West Va is a good team right now. Maybe down the road, but not now. Who has West VA beaten, GTown, Purdue? Both are severely overrated every year

The fact that WV lost against Marshall two days ago helps Baldi´s opinion.

They also lost to St Johns and Miami

  We are 4-3 , middle of the pack in the BE.   Isn't this where most sane people had us to begin with?  Let's not get too dramatic with a bad road loss and discredit everything else along the way.  We will win tomorrow.

  SJU- 69

  Cincy- 58

  We are 4-3 , middle of the pack in the BE.   Isn't this where most sane people had us to begin with?  Let's not get too dramatic with a bad road loss and discredit everything else along the way.  We will win tomorrow.

  SJU- 69

  Cincy- 58

Yes sane people. But others were calling Hardy a Big East 1st team when he was lighting it up against the Wagner,Drakes and Fordhams of the world. SJU,Cincy and West Va all have a ton of work to do become bubble teams

Quote from: boo3 on January 21, 2011, 02:28:08 PM

  We are 4-3 , middle of the pack in the BE.   Isn't this where most sane people had us to begin with?  Let's not get too dramatic with a bad road loss and discredit everything else along the way.  We will win tomorrow.

  SJU- 69

  Cincy- 58

Yes sane people. But others were calling Hardy a Big East 1st team when he was lighting it up against the Wagner,Drakes and Fordhams of the world. SJU,Cincy and West Va all have a ton of work to do become bubble teams

   I agree. Hardy can score...sometimes.  Doesn't do much of anything else IMO.  I just hope this team gives a few more moments and few more nice wins along the way.  Maybe a run back to the garden in the NIT.  Can't wait to see next year's recruits.   I've had it with some of these dudes.

Good Review Peter !  You said Gates gets easily winded and can't get down the floor.....Lavin says Burrell  is as as quick as any big in the country.....what an opportunity huh?.......Justin can run him into the ground......if they just hit it  to him, can make them pay. Him running hard with no ball won't do anything however.

  "Him running hard with no ball won't do anything however."  -  Xhoops


  Under no circumstances do i want to see Justin running hard with the ball either.

Good Review Peter !  You said Gates gets easily winded and can't get down the floor.....Lavin says Burrell  is as as quick as any big in the country.....what an opportunity huh?.......Justin can run him into the ground......if they just hit it  to him, can make them pay. Him running hard with no ball won't do anything however.

Burrell running hard with ball = walk, bobbled ball or the other team ripping it out of his hands

Quote from: xhoops on January 21, 2011, 02:45:01 PM

Good Review Peter !  You said Gates gets easily winded and can't get down the floor.....Lavin says Burrell  is as as quick as any big in the country.....what an opportunity huh?.......Justin can run him into the ground......if they just hit it  to him, can make them pay. Him running hard with no ball won't do anything however.

Burrell running hard with ball = walk, bobbled ball or the other team ripping it out of his hands

  you can remove the running hard part.  it is still apt.

Quote from: boo3 on January 21, 2011, 02:28:08 PM

  We are 4-3 , middle of the pack in the BE.   Isn't this where most sane people had us to begin with?  Let's not get too dramatic with a bad road loss and discredit everything else along the way.  We will win tomorrow.

  SJU- 69

  Cincy- 58

Yes sane people. But others were calling Hardy a Big East 1st team when he was lighting it up against the Wagner,Drakes and Fordhams of the world. SJU,Cincy and West Va all have a ton of work to do become bubble teams

By every projection I have seen we are not on the bubble but in the tournament. All we have to do is play like we have all season. We are 4-3 in the big east and have only played 1 bad team (providence). We still have to play rutgers, s. florida, depaul, seton hall. This is a must win game but if the season ended today we would be in the tournament, not close to the bubble. we never should have lost to st. bonnie or fordham but making fun of our schedule is silly. We beat 1 good team on the road and 2 teams ranked in the top 10 at home. We should win tomorrow (if we dont I can understand complaints) If we start off 5-3 in Big east play, how can you be negative?

Jerricho Cotchery - 66
Ocho Cinco           - 53

I was digging in a little more for a 5-questions post I did with a Bearcats blogger... and the more I look, the more I think they're terrible.

Also, Lavin addressed the problem of unforced turnovers in the pregame.  It's been a real problem this year - even in the non-con. But when a team is snatching your balls, those dumb dribble-off-foot moments mean so much more...