National Championship Contenders
- Thread starter ralph1950
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You said after the first game "could be a long season". Get outta here.
BearcatMick
Well-known member
I've been saying this all summer. I will be disappointed if this team doesnt go undefeated in OOC play and run through the BE. UC has a legitimate shot of a 2-3 loss season, a 1 seed and a national championship.
At the very least they should be favored to win the Division 2 championship!!!
TheLivingLegend
Well-known member
^repped..
This team should go undefeated in non conference play. Louisville may be the only team that can give them a game in conference.
JackBauer151
Well-known member
Seconded. 2-3 losses? 1 seed? I know its the clowns of the board but lets temper the expectations until this team actually plays someone that challenges them. They have the toughest OOC schedule in years. The BEAST will always serve you some losses. Im more interested in seeing them to continue to improve into January like they have the last two years. No doubt a lot pieces are in place for this to be a special year but lets have a little perspective after two exhibition games....
BearcatMick
Well-known member
Who do you see in OOC play that can beat us?!?
Iowa state - they lost their best player
Marshall - no
X - hell no they are worse than bellarmine
New Mexico - no way
Wright state- please
Alabama - no
Not to mention there are no true road games with sketchy home cooked refereeing
This team can and should go undefeated in ooc play
Key word is CAN beat us. Marshall can beat us, Alabama can beat us, Iowa state can beat us, unlv can beat us, and new Mexico can beat us. Not saying they will, but saying those are shoe ins is ignorant. I've already spent to long arguing with someone I swore off responding to.
Jack bauer, I would say 11-2 OOC and 13-5 Big East is a reasonable expectation. I won't get into specifics about who I think we will lose to but 24-7 in the big east (not including Big East Tourney) with a high RPI should put us at WORST a 5 seed and anything can happen in the tourney. Thoughts?
JackBauer151
Well-known member
First to Micky- Marshall beat us last year and is better than they were last year, Iowa State is a tourney team on the rise, UNLV is absolutely loaded, never predict the crosstown shootout (Yea I called it the shootout), and New Mexico and Alabama both are games that we if we dont play well we can and will lose. Now as a bearcat fan I obviously want the cats to win them all and think they have the talent to win the majority of those games (Shit maybe you are right and they win them all) but to just declare that these teams have no chance against us is completely off base. I will add that if we lose to any of those teams I would not be worried. They are extremely capable teams that can have a good night. My concern again is what we look like come January when we should be hitting our stride. Losing to a good team early in the year on the road (Iowa state, UNLV) would not be surprising to me.
Scheids- I actually think that is a very good prediction. OOC I just see so many quality teams on that schedule that I think one team will steal one from us. The one thing we have going for us is that veteran leadership at the high skill positions. As I said above with the talent this team has I would not be surprised if they went undefeated but also wouldnt be surprised if we come out with a few losses due to its difficulty. 11-2 seems to be a reasonable prediction. As for the Big East who knows? Its a dog fight and it will hang some losses on you. Three of the toughest places to play in the country on the road are on our schedule. Louisville, Syracuse and ND. If you take those three and maybe two more where you get snake bitten (Rutgers, USF last year) 5 losses again seems like a reasonable prediction. With our OOC strength and obviously the difficult BEAST our RPI should be much higher than years past and will definitely lead to a higher seed. Predicting the tourney is futile because who knows what will happen. Remember Bob Huggins last #1 seed? UCLA is the second round? Talk about a terrible draw for a #1 seed. I think the big opportunity the Cats have this year is the ability to contend with elite teams. Not just because we have (in my opinion) improved from last year but the fact that college basketball is down. This year lacks those ultra elite teams at the top that we saw last year. UK was just ridiculous. I dont see a team out there that is just so much better than us that they just beat us on talent alone. So finishing up I think things have come together to give Cincinnati an opportunity to have a really special year. Will they take advantage of that opportunity? That is what is so much fun about the upcoming season, we get to find out.....
Scheids- I actually think that is a very good prediction. OOC I just see so many quality teams on that schedule that I think one team will steal one from us. The one thing we have going for us is that veteran leadership at the high skill positions. As I said above with the talent this team has I would not be surprised if they went undefeated but also wouldnt be surprised if we come out with a few losses due to its difficulty. 11-2 seems to be a reasonable prediction. As for the Big East who knows? Its a dog fight and it will hang some losses on you. Three of the toughest places to play in the country on the road are on our schedule. Louisville, Syracuse and ND. If you take those three and maybe two more where you get snake bitten (Rutgers, USF last year) 5 losses again seems like a reasonable prediction. With our OOC strength and obviously the difficult BEAST our RPI should be much higher than years past and will definitely lead to a higher seed. Predicting the tourney is futile because who knows what will happen. Remember Bob Huggins last #1 seed? UCLA is the second round? Talk about a terrible draw for a #1 seed. I think the big opportunity the Cats have this year is the ability to contend with elite teams. Not just because we have (in my opinion) improved from last year but the fact that college basketball is down. This year lacks those ultra elite teams at the top that we saw last year. UK was just ridiculous. I dont see a team out there that is just so much better than us that they just beat us on talent alone. So finishing up I think things have come together to give Cincinnati an opportunity to have a really special year. Will they take advantage of that opportunity? That is what is so much fun about the upcoming season, we get to find out.....
What happened last year does not have much meaning for this year, different team, different season. UC has the talent to be a national championship contender and go undefeated in out of conference play. They creamed the number 2 team in division 2 last night. They could not beat Presbyterian last season.
JackBauer151
Well-known member
So you say last year has no meaning and then you use an example from last season to illustrate your point? Yikes....
Bearcat_NTS
Well-known member
Cincinnati will lose 1 or 2 games in the OOC, and 5 or 6 games in conference. Final regular season record of 23-8 to 25-6.
JasonS
Football Moderator
I think this is a fair guess. Any way you slice it, I think a top 4 seed in the NCAA Tourney should be the goal this year. Get a good draw and anything can happen at that point.
The day he was hired I said Mick would win the National Championship at UC. Maybe this could be the year.
Shame on all the naysayers on this board and others who wanted Mick fired after year 3 and during year 4, and were upset that MT gave him a contract extension after year 2.
Whit is now working on another contract extension for Mick that will keep him here for a long, long time.
Shame on all the naysayers on this board and others who wanted Mick fired after year 3 and during year 4, and were upset that MT gave him a contract extension after year 2.
Whit is now working on another contract extension for Mick that will keep him here for a long, long time.
JasonS
Football Moderator
So why the comment about it possibly being a long season? You are talking out of both sides of your mouth.
I like Cronin and think he is the right guy for the job. I have never waivered from that position. Ralph you seem to be an ardent Mick supporter but like to jump off a cliff the minute the team is playing perfect basketball.
BearcatMick
Well-known member
Spin it however you want. This team should be undefeated in OOC play barring injury
BearcatMick
Well-known member
I'm with you Ralph. The overwhelming majority of uc fans wanted mick gone. Last year, one poster on here wanted him murdered at the hands of Tu Holloway
The amount of turncoats is astonishing. When his coaching career is over, mick will have at least 1 national championship, multiple coach of the year awards and will be in the top 20 regarding wins. People will say "Huggins? Who was he?"
BearcatMick
Well-known member
Absolutely no way they lose 8 games this year unless someone gets hurt. Don't be ridiculous