Bearcat Player Power Rankings: Weeks 16 and 17

We’ve reached the end of the regular season and are now firmly encased in the calm before the March storm. The winds will pick up and the rain will fall heavy beginning on Friday for the Cincinnati Bearcats, when they play their first game of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Until then, let’s take a final look at where everyone on the roster is standing as they prepare for what’s to come.

13. John Koz (LW 12)

Koz did not play during the last four games.

12. Jackson Bart (LW 13)

Bart played for less than a minute against Houston.

11. Tre Scott (LW 9)

Averaging only 5.8 minutes per game during the last two weeks, Scott has shot 33.3 percent from the floor and averaged less than a rebound per game. He did net six points in a win over Memphis but did little else after that.

10. Zack Tobler (LW 11)

Call this the #ToblerTime bump, as the senior breaks into the top 10 for the first time this season. Regardless of how sentimental this “honor” is, Tobler started the first game of his career against Houston and scored three points.

9. Justin Jenifer (LW 6)

Against Memphis, UCF and Houston, Jenifer was relegated to forgotten-option-off-the-bench status, as he averaged only seven minutes per game. He didn’t score a single point in those three games and managed just one assist. Perhaps it was a temporary resting period becayse he did get in for 20 minutes against UConn and had three points on 1-of-2 shooting.

8. Quadri Moore (LW 10)

Moore did not play at all against UCF but averaged 9.3 minutes per game in the other three contests. He did only shoot 33.3 percent from the floor in that time, but sank two free throws against Memphis, en route to a five-point showing. He also contributed two points and three rebounds against both Houston and UConn.

7. Nysier Brooks (LW 8)

Even if he averaged fewer minutes per game than Moore, Brooks had a consistent workload during the last four matchups. He finished on 66.7 percent of his shots from the floor and blocked a pair of shots along the way. It may not be a big heaping of stats or production, but Brooks’ role seems the most defined of the bench players that follow Jarron Cumberland.

6. Kevin Johnson (LW 4)

After a nice stretch of games in early to mid-February, Johnson regressed during the final games of the regular season. He still played 29 minutes per game, but shot a frigid 27.6 percent from the floor, including a 25 percent success rate from three-point range. He did add a bit more to the equation, however, averaging 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Against Houston on Senior Night he only had seven points, but he added four boards, four dimes and two steals.

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5. Kyle Washington (LW 1)

Washington played well against Memphis, tallying 16 points and six rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting. Then he seemed to step into an ocean of molasses because he has struggled the last three games. He went 3-for-15 from the field against UCF during a tilt in which most of the team struggled and followed that up with another rough showing against Houston (3-of-11). With less than 10 points in the last three games, Washington has matched his longest stretch without scoring in double digits this season.

4. Troy Caupain (LW 5)

Caupain has made up for his continued cold shooting (.343 field goal percentage over the last four games) by punching tabs all over the box score. He has averaged four rebounds, 4.5 assists and two steals per game in the last four contests and he still put up eight points a game in that time. UC will really need him to get things right with his shot in the next few weeks, but for now he has done enough to keep the ship steady.

3. Jarron Cumberland (LW 7)

The freshman is heating up at just the right time, scoring nine, 11, 10 and 15 points in the last four games, respectively. He’s not just throwing a million shots at the rim and getting lucky either, as he has made 51.6 percent of his field goal attempts, although his three-point shooting has been off (.200). He closed out the regular season with those 15 points against UConn, marking his largest point total since Feb. 4.

2. Gary Clark (LW 2)

Clark could very well be in the top spot, but he’ll have to settle for No. 2 again. Against UConn on Sunday the junior forward was possessed, obviously seeking revenge for UConn’s many victories over UC in the AAC tourney. In only 25 minutes he had 17 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. He has kept a steady 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game pace during the last two weeks and if his performance against UConn is any indication, he is ready for March.

1. Jacob Evans (LW 3)

When the Bearcats got knocked off by UCF, Evans was the only player that really seemed to find any success. He scored a team-high 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting and also contributed three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He has registered a game score of 12.8 during these last four games according to sports-reference.com, which leads all Bearcats and his 41.2 percent success rate from thee-point range has made him easily the most dangerous long distance shooter while Cumberland, Johnson and Caupain struggle.