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The above is your soundtrack for this edition of box scorin.* Like this game the closer you get to the resonate frequency of the song the less sense it makes. However adapting a wider point of view instead of chasing complete understanding yields something approaching enjoyment, or at the very least a begrudging understanding.
*note: If you are over the age of 45 and/or not a fan of Skrillex come up with your own musical analogy
Going back to inital recap here are all the reasons why UC should have lost the game.
The Bearcats got practically nothing from Cashmere Wright who has no showed two straight games. It's to the point where I am 95 per cent convinced that the Cash who has played these last two games is nothing more than a zombie who happens to wear number one
Georgetown shot 59 per cent from the field. Cincinnati shot 46 per cent. And won by four points.
Georgetown was +6 in rebounding and repeatedly killed UC's defense with second chance points.
The Bearcats had 7 assists against 8 turnovers. This coming off a stretch where the Cats were averaging 17 assists per game
Jaquon Parker was an non factor at either end.
Ge'Lawn Guyn got knocked out of the game with what looks like a concussion
The combination of all those individual factors breaking against the Bearcats should mean a loss. 9 times out of 10 duplicating those factors means a loss. And not just a loss, but a hang your head in shame don't talk to anyone for the rest of the day kind of loss. Instead the Bearcats win by four. What made this game the 1.
To my mind this game came down to two things. 1) Sean Kilpatrick and Dion Dixon took the initiative from the outset. They attacked the Hoyas of the dribble, made a concerted effort to get the hoop and make plays and/or draw contact. UC got to the line 22 times and made 18 of them. 22 attempts is the third most attempts all season and the 18 makes is the tied for most this season.** Exactly half of those free throw attempts belong to Dixon or Kilpatrick. But it wasn't just that the Bearcats got to the line, it was when they got to the line. Dion Dixon took four free throws in the final 8 seconds and provided the winning margin.
This was a game where both Kila and Dixon had their jumpers working for them. In the past the temptation for these guys to forsake the drive in favor of the J has been to strong to resist. But Monday night neither guy stopped going to the basket. Its a big reason why UC was in the game at all, and their aggressiveness in a game where neither Cashmere Wright nor Yancy Gates took control offensively allowed the Bearcats to get the win.
**note: The other games with 18 FTM were the Xavier and Arkansas Pinebluff games, the 81.8 per cent mark is the best mark of the season
The other thing is that the Bearcats took care of the ball and Georgetown didn't. UC came up with 13 steals which continues a trend of unparalleled thievery for the Cats. The Hoyas offense can be mesmeric at times, and at times it was on Monday. Basically every Hoya possession seemed to result in one of two things. 1) A wide open look for a Hoya, in his preferred space, with no one to contest the shot or 2) A stupid youth based mistake for a turnover, a large percentage of which result in easy fast break layups. If Georgetown turned the ball over just 10 or 12 times instead of the actual 17 they probably win by 4 or 6. Instead the Bearcats have what has the potential to be a signature win that increases the margin for error for a tournament birth, albeit slightly. Here are the four factors (note the FT rate and turnover percentage and throw in some impact charts for good measure.