The All-Time Favorite Cincinnati Bearcat Basketball Player Tournament: Bob Huggins Region Final

There was always only going to be one winner of the Bob Huggins region of the All-Time Favorite Cincinnati Bearcat Basketball Player Tournament. As soon as Kenyon Martin was installed as the No. 1 seed in his own coach’s region, I knew K-Mart was going to push through to the Final Four of this little group experiment we are conducting. Well, the votes of the region’s final have been cast and it turns out I was right.

No. 1 Kenyon Martin defeats No. 6 Yancy Gates

With 95.5 percent of the vote, Martin once gain dominated and showed that he is not only one of the best players in UC history but one of the favorites of the fan base as well. In his run up to the Final Four, Martin secured a total of 94.6 percent of all votes in his matchups, with Jack Twyman presenting the biggest challenge by collecting a whole 15 percent of the vote. If you just go based on the all-time scoring list, it may be a wonder that Martin has so easily dominated this tournament, but those who witnessed his stunningly brilliant 1999-2000 season know that he had one of the best individual years of any Bearcat ever. An injury was the only thing that marred that season for Martin and the program and we’ll always be left wondering ‘what if’, but hopefully Martin will never wonder if UC is/was behind him. This vote shows that they were and always have been.

Before we move on, its worth noting that Gates made quite a run despite being a No. 6 seed. We can argue seeding, but Gates upset No. 3 seed Darnell Burton and No. 2 seed DerMarr Johnson to get up against Martin. Gates will always be one of my personal favorite players, as his work during UC’s run to the 2012 Sweet 16 cemented by support for the Bearcats and I was glad to see I am not alone.

Here’s a look at the bracket now that the dust has settled and a Final Four challenger has emerged.

Martin will await the winner of the Mick Cronin region in the Final Four. Check back later today to see who that will be.