Returning Player Refresher: Troy Caupain

Troy Caupain is undoubtedly top dog on a Cincinnati roster filled with plenty of depth and newly acquired talent heading into the 2016-17 season. The senior point guard will be the key to success for the Bearcats this season and will be tasked with creating opportunities for other players as well as taking matters into his own hands when the time comes. Caupain has been as good , if not better, than most point guards in the American Athletic Conference during his tenure at UC and he will look to cap off his Bearcat career with postseason success.

Caupain has made huge steps in his three-year college career, increasing his statistical output every season he has been with the team. In his junior year, he posted team-highs with 13 points and 4.8 assists per game while adding 3.8 rebounds per game. He also hit 78% of his free throws and showed off his ball protection skills with a 2.7 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio which was good for 49th best in the country. A couple of side note stats to keep in mind from last year, Caupain led the team in assists in 29 out of the team's 33 games and he also was the team's leading scorer 15 times. Simply put, he is a scoring threat and a distributor at all times.

Along with producing, Caupain was a consistent workhorse in terms of playing time, averaging 33.5 minutes a game last year. He also proved on numerous occasions that he is comfortable being the player that everyone can look to in crunch time. In arguably the Bearcats most important game of the season at the time, Caupain dropped 37 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the hearbreaking four-overtime loss to rival UConn. Caupain also tallied up 27 points with four 3-pointers against East Carolina and recorded his first career double-double against USF with 18 points and 10 assists.

In his senior season, excitement has built around Caupain and the thought that he can bring his game to the next level. We are hopeful that he can improve his consistency from mid range and from the 3-point line which would make him a more complete player and would draw defenders toward him, opening up opportunities for other Bearcats. Caupain will also be working with some new weapons this year, so we shouldn't be surprised if we see an increase in his assist totals. With a deep (if young) UC roster, it will truly be fun to watch how the senior leader incorporates new players like Jarron Cumberland and Tre Scott into the offense with his passing abilities. Caupain has had an amazing ride as a Bearcat so far, but the hope is that he can take it one step further and make a serious push for an AAC title and more.