Xavier Musketeers 76 Cincinnati Bearcats 53 | Disgraceful Fight Ends Crosstown Shootout
by Matt Opper on Dec 10, 2011 3:15 PM EST
in Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball
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I am not giving any credence to the fight that ended this game. It was a fucking disgrace for all parties. If you are coming here to break down the finer points of the brawl you should probably leave. I am not having it. There will be suspensions and the fallout will last for weeks and it will be addressed before the weekend is out. But right now this is a place for the discussion of the game and the game only. When I have the chance to collect my thoughts and calm the fuck down I will address the fight. Right now its a bad idea for me and for you.
Now about the actual game lets start with the obvious. As much as it pains me to say Xavier is the better team this year. Much better. Chris Mack has assembled a deep and talented roster that will present all kinds of challenges to anyone they face. I would be shocked if they lost more than three games the rest of the way. UC simply didn't have the talent to match them. Starting units are more or less even, but the Bearcats get nothing from the bench on any given night. And that was the difference in this one.
What's clear to me is that UC needs to find a new approach to the game. The backbone of UC's steady rise during the Mick Cronin era has been simple. Defense. The Bearcats have always played great defense under Cronin and have built the teams to defend first and play offense first. I don't like that style of play, never have. But I understand it. When Cronin got here the talent wasn't there so they won games by just being tougher than everyone.
The approach this season has been the same. But there is a big problem. The UC doesn't have any stoppers defensively, certainly not on the perimeter and that's a big problem. The offense is the same as always, stagnant and unwilling to embrace the talent on hand. That's all I have right now. I am usually down with putting down cogent thoughts in half an hour after watching two hours of emotion filled sporting events. I just can't do it right now, so I guess i will apologize for this shit you just read. I'll be better next time.
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Bearcats loss
What did you expect? UC was playing the 8th ranked team in the country and have two losses against relatively weak teams. They are not going to compete this year with any good team. Get ready for a lot of losses by 15 – 25 points.
Cronin
Have you all had enough of Cronin yet? He has consistently underachieved.
When you recruit a huge class without landing a single legit D-1 player, this is going to happen
The team will be considerably worse next season. During Cronin’s tenure, he has managed to recruit exactly 2 players who were Big East-caliber talent (one of whom played only a single season), plus some guys who worked hard and overachieved. That is completely unacceptable.
Next season’s team figures to be substantially worse than his first team – heck, this season’s team might not be much better than that.
He has no excuses. He has utterly failed to bring in high level talent.
As for XU, they have a good team, and they won’t lose much because they schedule soft and play in a weak league, but if they are the 8th best team in the nation, it is the weakest season for college basketball in 50 years. In a good league they would drop 6 or 7 league games, easy. This, of course, only makes things look more grim for the Bearcats, who clearly cannot compete with anyone in the top half of the Big East.
And fentanyl ain't that like super-morphine for elephants and soldiers with their head blown off
by RoastBeefKazenzakis on Dec 10, 2011 7:55 PM EST reply actions
Cronin
Never posted here before. Not even a huge college basketball fan. Can’t speak to the man’s recruiting or coaching. I will say though, Cronin’s post game interview was very impressive from a class and reputation perspective. Folks like Penn State and OSU, with time to think about their problems and draft careful PR messages, have not come close to his raw passion and message. From a class perspective, UC should be extremely proud of their coach.
by HearTheBigCatsRoar on Dec 11, 2011 8:08 AM EST reply actions
Cromin's passion comes from being a UC fan first.
Mick grew up as a Bearcats fan, and thinks of UC as his dream job. His passion is understandable. It was also very appropriate in this case. Unscripted and from the heart.
I’m not a basketball coach and cannot pcreate a game plan. I do recognize plays and defenses as they develop and repeat. I have been a fan of Mick’s against the tide, for his term until now. Despite the comments from Saturday, I do think ths team is slipping backward this year.
If this team does nto turn things around and get a NCAA bid, then p[arhaps the time will be imminent for Mick.
Ucats Rick
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