Game 28: Temple 2/20 2:00 ESPN2

[Fox19bearcatbounce]

Would also like to point out... that this year: JD leads the team in 3pt % and rebounding... is second in scoring and FT %.
Don't know that his defense is that much worse than the rest of the roster. Again... Not sure how I became the "JD Defender" today but... When we are trying to assess the situation, ya gotta be sure to make sure your data is good.

Offensively jd and dd are the best period I get that, if u count just scoring the ball then those are your 2 best players but defense is also important, imagine if jd took good shots, he would be amazing but he is turnover prone when putting ball on deck and doesn't really do anything besides take 3 pt jump shots. I'm not saying he is the worst on the team or doesn't deserve to be here, I like jd but he would be better served if he could be hidden in a zone and had a PG to facilitate. He just doesn't give much besides shooting 3 pt shots. His rebounding might have to do with him playing more minute than an ody or koval, but I will take that stat line and am ok with his rebounding. But as rufus said there has been games he has shot us into and plenty he has shot us out of. All in all it's on miller to figure out what works best for team and hoisting 3 pt shots regardless who their by and what point in game they are is not going to work consistently with this group. Maybe try cutting to basket or attacking rim when in double bonus with 15 minutes left. Not picking on jd because there are far worse players but he definitely has questionable shots game in and out. Especially in crunch time or last 2 or 3 minutes of game. Never did I say he was the worse shooter or provide specific data but from the eye test there are questionable offensive plays by him more than anyone else. Most other guys like maw take decent open shots and just cant hit them.

[leeraymond]

Another home loss. Once upon a time, it was almost impossible to beat a Cincinnati team AT HOME. Now, all a team has to do is jump on UC early and hold on and wait for them to shoot themselves in the feet. Where is the home court pride? Miller has NEVER taken control of the team. As a coach, you must claim the team and show the team that you have taken ownership. Miller DOES NOT play the match ups. Once again, UC let Dunn kill them. Why play DDJ on Dunn when Dunn is 6''5 and DDJ is 6''0? Once Miller put Newman on Dunn (which he should have done sooner), Dunn's scoring slowed down (11 points in 1st half; 4 points in 2nd half). Miller continues to say that poor play is "UNACCEPTABLE''. However, he NEVER does anything about it. There is probably NOT going to be a post season this year for UC. Here is a chance for Miller to really try some new approaches. Why not? There is nothing to lose at this point. Try something new. UC started to press Temple full court at the end of the 1st half. It raddled Temple. Why not come out in the 2nd half and press the $%$#% out of them? That may have made the difference. Right now, Cincinnati basketball CANNOT STOP ANYBODY. That makes them weak. It makes the coach's defensive schemes look weak. Let's see how Miller responds to the reality that the team is not going anywhere this post season. Let's see if the man has enough brains to work on something that may be good for next season and maybe the remainder of this season.

[Fox19bearcatbounce]

Another home loss. Once upon a time, it was almost impossible to beat a Cincinnati team AT HOME. Now, all a team has to do is jump on UC early and hold on and wait for them to shoot themselves in the feet. Where is the home court pride? Miller has NEVER taken control of the team. As a coach, you must claim the team and show the team that you have taken ownership. Miller DOES NOT play the match ups. Once again, UC let Dunn kill them. Why play DDJ on Dunn when Dunn is 6''5 and DDJ is 6''0? Once Miller put Newman on Dunn (which he should have done sooner), Dunn's scoring slowed down (11 points in 1st half; 4 points in 2nd half). Miller continues to say that poor play is "UNACCEPTABLE''. However, he NEVER does anything about it. There is probably NOT going to be a post season this year for UC. Here is a chance for Miller to really try some new approaches. Why not? There is nothing to lose at this point. Try something new. UC started to press Temple full court at the end of the 1st half. It raddled Temple. Why not come out in the 2nd half and press the $%$#% out of them? That may have made the difference. Right now, Cincinnati basketball CANNOT STOP ANYBODY. That makes them weak. It makes the coach's defensive schemes look weak. Let's see how Miller responds to the reality that the team is not going anywhere this post season. Let's see if the man has enough brains to work on something that may be good for next season and maybe the remainder of this season.

Agree 100 percent, maybe try something other than shooting low percentage 3 or shots and having guys who cant shoot take them. I cant beat the drum anymore, miller isnt an offensive coach and his defense has left a lot to be desired, uc had scored plenty enough to win some of these games but cant close it out. Again if u play 10 average players for only thr reason to play them, institute the full court press cause it works. Our defensive efficiency has not been great, please again try something different. Insanity is doing same thing and expecting different result. Miller needs to try something different even if that dont work either just to prove that everyone doesn't just get an allocated amount of time for no reason at all, playing 10 guys and u dont press some of the time unless down doesn't make sense, shrink the roster to 8 guys and let them build some cohesion. Was glad to see ody play a little more but try something different please.

[Rufus]

Gentlemen ( Boris) I stand corrected concerning JD in the first half. He scored points. But basketball is a game that relies on runs more times than not. Your not going to win many games matching the opponent shot for shot, especially when they hit on practically every shot. They make one, we come down perhaps make one or perhaps not. So I will contest that JD is our best scorer but Im also merely saying his taking shots as soon as he touches the ball when crossing the mid court line does more harm ( along with this defense) than his sniper skills. How many runs has he stopped, curtailed, suppressed or allowed not to even begin because he chooses to take it upon himself to singlehandedly put us back in the game. I get it that we need.JD to score I just tire of his launching shots at the mid court line when there's 20 + seconds left on the clock. He does this 3 , 4, 5, times a game. Your never going to get your team into a flow when you cant wait to throw up your own shot. Not only that, if a team is shooting lights out against you, you dont throw up shots as soon as you get the ball just to give the ball right back to them. That goes completely against CWM' s philosophy of obtaining more possessions than the opponent. It was commented on in these very posts on how smooth and fast Temple players passed and found open shots. JD, DDJ, MAW, and MM are all capable of playing up to that level if they chose to do so but because they are all selfish each one trying to be high scorer they cant obtain these runs. That's what I see on this bearcat team.

[leo from jersey]

We're criticizing Davenport when he was 8 out of 14 from the field and MAW was 2 for 15? Yes, he takes some bad shots, but he and DDJ are our entire offense. Why is Ado still in the lineup when he is a total offensive liability?

If JD had not jacked up wretched 3s , had the ball stripped and actually got back on d to start the game, the cats would not have been in the hole they were in and the game might have been different. Look at his whole game. I hope everyone saw the first few minutes before bragging on the last 30 when the game was pretty much over, Tenple players had fouled out and they were already short by injuries. Not to mention White played hurt.

[Black and Red Attack]

This basketball forum, or at least the game threads, have turned into some of the most negative and condescending discussions I have ever been a part of. It's not a good luck for the site, the basketball program, or for all of us that are diehard Bearcats fans. The personal attacks on players skills seem to become more and more predictable and malicious (see Davenport who was 8 of 14, and made out to be the reason we lost) and it's frankly a turn off. Where do all the remarks and negative energy get us, it won't change anything on the court. Look I get this team is not what any of us want to see, and there are "lots" of things that need to change for next year. This team currently sits at 17-10, consider Mick's first two years at 11-19 and then 13-19, I would say this team has exceeded expectations. The irony in the posts this year seems to be that we have a team that just doesn't have the skill set, athleticism, basketball IQ needed to compete at the DI level, and then on the flip side we are blaming their effort, coaching, and have the expectation they should be winning more. Those two thoughts aren't compatible, it has to be one or the other. At the end of the day are you a fan of UC and the players that represent our favorite team, or are we a fan of winning? Sometimes unfortunately we don't get both. I have enjoyed the games this season, and I think once I was able accept what this team is, I still enjoy watching them play. I am sure I will get some negative responses to this but I'm hoping some will reflect on what my post is trying to relay. Go Cats! (flaws and all)

[London 'Cat]

This basketball forum, or at least the game threads, have turned into one of the most negative and condescending discussions I have ever been a part of. It's not a good luck for the site, the basketball program, or for all of us that are diehard Bearcats fans. The personal attacks on players skills seem to become more and more predictable and malicious (see Davenport who was 8 of 14, and made out to be the reason we lost) and it's frankly a turn off. Where do all the remarks and negative energy get us, it won't change anything on the court. Look I get this team is not what any of us want to see, and there are "lots" of things that need to change for next year. This team currently sits at 17-10, consider Mick's first two years at 11-19 and then 13-19, I would say this team has exceeded expectations. The irony in the posts this year seems to be that we have a team that just doesn't have the skill set, athleticism, basketball IQ needed to compete at the DI level, and then on the flip side we are blaming their effort, coaching, and have the expectation they should be winning more. Those two thoughts aren't compatible, it has to be one or the other. At the end of the day are you a fan of UC and the players that represent our favorite team, or are we a fan of winning? Sometimes unfortunately we don't get both. I have enjoyed the games this season, and I think once I was able accept what this team is, I still enjoy watching them play. I am sure I will get some negative responses to this but I'm hoping some will reflect on what my post is trying to relay. Go Cats! (flaws and all)

^^^^^^ Well written.
Don’t bring reason and rationale to this forum. 😁

[bearcatbret]

Houston's first possession was perfect. A few crisp passes found the wide-open man for an easy 3. I looked at my wife and said that is how you get points. We could learn something from that first possession.

[leo from jersey]

This basketball forum, or at least the game threads, have turned into some of the most negative and condescending discussions I have ever been a part of. It's not a good luck for the site, the basketball program, or for all of us that are diehard Bearcats fans. The personal attacks on players skills seem to become more and more predictable and malicious (see Davenport who was 8 of 14, and made out to be the reason we lost) and it's frankly a turn off. Where do all the remarks and negative energy get us, it won't change anything on the court. Look I get this team is not what any of us want to see, and there are "lots" of things that need to change for next year. This team currently sits at 17-10, consider Mick's first two years at 11-19 and then 13-19, I would say this team has exceeded expectations. The irony in the posts this year seems to be that we have a team that just doesn't have the skill set, athleticism, basketball IQ needed to compete at the DI level, and then on the flip side we are blaming their effort, coaching, and have the expectation they should be winning more. Those two thoughts aren't compatible, it has to be one or the other. At the end of the day are you a fan of UC and the players that represent our favorite team, or are we a fan of winning? Sometimes unfortunately we don't get both. I have enjoyed the games this season, and I think once I was able accept what this team is, I still enjoy watching them play. I am sure I will get some negative responses to this but I'm hoping some will reflect on what my post is trying to relay. Go Cats! (flaws and all)

How was JD when the game was on the line and on national tv. He disappeared. Sure he played ok when the game was out of reach, but too little and too late.

[Jeff Burk]

This basketball forum, or at least the game threads, have turned into some of the most negative and condescending discussions I have ever been a part of. It's not a good luck for the site, the basketball program, or for all of us that are diehard Bearcats fans. The personal attacks on players skills seem to become more and more predictable and malicious (see Davenport who was 8 of 14, and made out to be the reason we lost) and it's frankly a turn off. Where do all the remarks and negative energy get us, it won't change anything on the court. Look I get this team is not what any of us want to see, and there are "lots" of things that need to change for next year. This team currently sits at 17-10, consider Mick's first two years at 11-19 and then 13-19, I would say this team has exceeded expectations. The irony in the posts this year seems to be that we have a team that just doesn't have the skill set, athleticism, basketball IQ needed to compete at the DI level, and then on the flip side we are blaming their effort, coaching, and have the expectation they should be winning more. Those two thoughts aren't compatible, it has to be one or the other. At the end of the day are you a fan of UC and the players that represent our favorite team, or are we a fan of winning? Sometimes unfortunately we don't get both. I have enjoyed the games this season, and I think once I was able accept what this team is, I still enjoy watching them play. I am sure I will get some negative responses to this but I'm hoping some will reflect on what my post is trying to relay. Go Cats! (flaws and all)

I do agree with this post. Although it is hard to watch a team that, at the beginning of the year, looked promising and now we are scratching our heads. The negativity is a little wearing.. It can not be easy to coach all of these young players who have been thrown together at the last minute and expect them to play as a cohesive unit. That is why these coaches make good money. I do thnk that CWM will right the ship in the near future.

[leo from jersey]

I do agree with this post. Although it is hard to watch a team that, at the beginning of the year, looked promising and now we are scratching our heads. The negativity is a little wearing.. It can not be easy to coach all of these young players who have been thrown together at the last minute and expect them to play as a cohesive unit. That is why these coaches make good money. I do thnk that CWM will right the ship in the near future.

That is my hope, but I have been dismayed as the overall play of the team has gotten worse. I realize that the players are not high D-1 , but shot selection, running the floor, boxing out can be taught. I see little recognition of where a miss shot is going and then a quick reaction to be in position to box out and get the rebound. Few mention those stats btw.I have seen many a team win by those properly taught fundamentals. I am tired of points = good player. There are many aspects like defense which our scorer can't play, whines when he is out of position and fouls and has to get a hug.I think anyone who has watched UC Basketball from the mid 50s on would know this, but I guess the shoot first and only has become the norm for way too many. It is not the historic UC Basketball. I do believe CWM bragged on that (UC tradition) and gave that as a reason and not upward mobility as the reason for taking the job. I want him to succeed very much, but I would like to see some improvement and basic fundamentals. Case in point VL going way down hill as has MAW.

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

If JD had not jacked up wretched 3s , had the ball stripped and actually got back on d to start the game, the cats would not have been in the hole they were in and the game might have been different. Look at his whole game. I hope everyone saw the first few minutes before bragging on the last 30 when the game was pretty much over, Tenple players had fouled out and they were already short by injuries. Not to mention White played hurt.

Perhaps you missed that JD was 3 of 5 in the first half? How many "wretched" 3's could he have shot?

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

How was JD when the game was on the line and on national tv. He disappeared. Sure he played ok when the game was out of reach, but too little and too late.

So, you complain when he shoots too much and also when he disappears? Two other players, DDJ and MAW, both had more attempts. MAW was 2 of 15.

The biggest problem with this team is that we get nothing from our 4 and 5 big men. The entire offensive burden falls on our guards. Other teams know this too. They defend the 3's, making it more difficult to get open looks. Thus, the jacked up 3's.

[leo from jersey]

So, you complain when he shoots too much and also when he disappears? Two other players, DDJ and MAW, both had more attempts. MAW was 2 of 15.

I was not complaining about disappearing, you said he disappeared. I said he played very poorly when the game starts. Please don't switch my words to make your points. I am not bragging on MAW either.

[leo from jersey]

Perhaps you missed that JD was 3 of 5 in the first half? How many "wretched" 3's could he have shot?

He threw up a clunker to start , had the ball stripped, didn't run back and finally was yanked .Did you miss his defense, his whining, his lack of positioning leading to fouls, his lack of hustle running the floor because he is lamenting? That is what got the team behind. Isn't fundamentals for an overall game meaningful to you .BTW 2 too many wretched 3s to start the game and fall behind by double digits. Game over. Then the pressure off and he scores. Plus Temple relaxed , had injuries and foul trouble. Did you notice that. -- I want CWM to win and will support him as long as he is coach. I liked Erik Martin and am reminded that when he whined after bad play, his coach didn't hug him, but kicked him out of the game. They are real close now I hear. --

Any knucklehead can score
It takes a BB player to rebound
Charles Barkley