Observations from Cincinnati-UConn
By Doug Gottlieb
The Cincinnati Bearcats, as advertised since their much publicized fight with Xavier, are a different team than they were early in the season. The Bearcats have made almost 11 3s per game since the fight, forced 17 turnovers per game and have done it with a mix of three and four guards in their lineup.
The player who has changed Cincinnati the most is Jaquon Parker, who comes in at the 4-spot and plays just enough defense to protect the Bearcats on the defensive boards.
Here's a look at how Cincinnati beat Connecticut on Wednesday and 10 observations that I took away after watching the Bearcats and Huskies:
UConn could never really get into a rhythm on offense in the first half and struggled to get into transition, so its entire offense began with Shabazz Napier off and on ball screens. Despite being just about even in every statistical category, UConn trailed by nine at the break, mostly because it was 2-of-9 from 3-point range and Cincinnati was 7-of-14. UC used mostly isolations and dribble weaves to keep UConn at arm's length and turned the ball over only three times in the first half.
In the second half, UConn went small for a good chunk of the game, sliding Roscoe Smith to the 4 and using Niels Giffey at the 3 while Cincinnati missed some of the same looks and gave up its lead due mainly to some transition baskets off long misses.
With UConn leading 57-55, Mick Cronin used a ball screen with Dion Dixon and Yancy Gates, and Cashmere Wright was open on the weak side and hit a huge 3. Cincinnati went on a 10-0 run to regain control of the game and UConn fans began filing out with the lead at nine with 1:37 to go. But the Huskies didn't roll over.
Napier hit three big 3s and Cincinnati missed four of six free throws down the stretch, allowing UConn to tie the score with 9.5 seconds to go. Cronin chose to not call timeout (a tactic most players prefer), and Sean Kilpatrick hit a deep 3 with 2.5 seconds left to give UC its seventh consecutive road win dating to last season.
Here are 10 other observations as the season marches on:
1. Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond have no ability to run high-low action together since neither can shoot. Both have their defenders sagging so far off them that there is simply no space to make a pass. And while their double low post action should dominate on the boards, there is no space in the lane with both hanging around.
2. UConn has just one true guard on scholarship without Ryan Boatright. Napier holds onto the ball too long and doesn't seem to trust the other wings, which stagnates the offense. If Boatright doesn't return, UConn becomes a very big but very ordinary team that lacks the guard play to compete.
3. Kilpatrick continues to be one of those incredibly productive players who few people know about. He made a couple of big blunders with a selfish turnover and a foul on a 3-pointer during UConn's big run to take the lead late in the second half. But Cronin knows Kilpatrick can take coaching, and the guard's ability to step up is impressive.
4. Cincinnati's offense is fairly simple -- some dribble weave, some dribble drive rubs off cuts, some two-man game isolated ball screens -- but the spacing is good and the team makes the extra pass. While the Bearcats struggle on offense with Justin Jackson (starting due to injury) or Cheikh Mbodj (back from injury) at the 4, they rebound better and defend better when they are big. On the other hand, Parker changes the team and I would expect Ge'Lawn Guyn to make the Bearcats even better when he returns.
5. Jeremy Lamb continues to force shots at times, as he doesn't have the space to drive or get more than one touch a possession. For a preseason All-American, Lamb can be denied the ball fairly easily and Kilpatrick did a solid job of chasing him on his off-ball movement.
6. DeAndre Daniels is not strong enough to compete at the 4, seems lost at the 3 and is generally in over his head in Big East action.
7. Giffey has played his best ball of the season of late for UConn. Giffey, who played more the past two years when George Blaney was acting head coach, does a little of everything and should be in the Huskies' starting lineup due to their lack of shooting and ball handling.
8. Wright is a scoring guard who doesn't turn the ball over. Even though Napier picked his pocket, UC had only five turnovers against UConn's man-to-man D, mostly because Wright is sound and solid with the ball. Also, Cronin's offense -- while fairly rudimentary -- limits the touches for his big men, thus there are fewer turnovers.
9. Cincinnati will likely struggle with West Virginia, as not one of its guards can handle Kevin Jones. On the other hand, its four-guard attack and ocassionally deliberate pace may give the Bearcats a shooter's chance against Syracuse on Monday.
10. Drummond has a lot of potential, but he doesn't have great basketball instincts to do the little things in big games. He misses box outs, he drops alley oops, and he can't make free throws. While the Notre Dame game was two steps forward (he finished with a solid 10 and 13 -- his third straight double-double), Wednesday's game was two steps back.
