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Last nights game was, at times, a thing of beauty from the Bearcats particularly from the offensive perspective. The ball movement was quick and decisive, the off ball movement was crisp and influential and more than anything else, the Bearcats shot the ball pretty damn well. UC took control of the game early on and never relinquished it. Notre Dame made it intriguing at the end, but the Bearcats had firm control of the affair all night long.
All of the talk in the lead up to the game was about whether or not Yancy Gates would be a disruption to an offense that has been operating at a very high level. The simple fact of the matter is that this offense isn't just better for the guards, it's better for everybody, and that includes the best post on the team. Gates had so much more room to operate without the worry of a double team and he looked great. I think the offense is a better fit for Yancy than what was being done previously. He can go to work in the post if need be, but he would clearly prefer to play a more flexible style.
As mentioned last night Dion DIxon had another in his patented line of "wait, how exactly did you get to double figures" scoring nights. He shot 38 per cent, including a stellar 14.7 from three. But he was aggressive on the offensive end bulled his way to 7 free throw attempts, and he made them all. Even better 6 of those free throw attempts came in a 50 second stretch starting at the 2:02 mark of the second half.
Some recognition has to go to Jermiah Davis who was revelatory last night. Like all the young guys he clearly benefited from the change in style and the added minutes that came with the suspension. Davis posted the highest efficiency number of any of the Bearcats (153.9) and provided timely offense early in the first half when Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick were on the bench. He is also a great compliment for Cash because he is capable of manufacturing his own shots of the dribble and he can be a streaky shooter (3 of 4 on jumpers last night)
Cashmere Wright didn't shoot the ball particularly well (44.4 true shooting %, 0 of 2 from three, 1 of 3 from the line) but he played a good all around game and posted a triple nickle. 9 points, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 rebounds. Oh and this was his 6th straight game with 1 turnover or less. In those 6 games he has averaged 27 minutes of play and .66 turnovers per game. That kind of play is just exceptional.