Xavier 12/14 2:00 ESPN+

[BearKatz]

Huge game today! I'll go ahead and give out the first prediction:

UC: 72
X: 68

The key to the game, not letting X come out and punch us in the face early! Past years, X jumps out to 10-15pt lead and it's never relinquished the entire game!

UC can NOT afford a slow start today!

[GoBearcats31]

Let’s go Cats

[swilsonsp4]

Neither team has looked good to me yet.
Disappointed in Bearcat showing vs Nova- exhibited
no toughness, no inside game beyond ally oops,
don’t rebound particularly well. So I’m not
optimistic.
Xavier has played a bit tougher schedule & has
looked spotty beyond Freemantle. But per usual,
they start putting it together just before the
shootout unfortunately.

The qualitative difference between the two schedules is nearly infinitesimal. Per KenPom, UC's SOS has been #338, while the Eggmen have faced #332.

[SKell82155]

Neither team has looked good to me yet.
Disappointed in Bearcat showing vs Nova- exhibited
no toughness, no inside game beyond ally oops,
don’t rebound particularly well. So I’m not
optimistic.
Xavier has played a bit tougher schedule & has
looked spotty beyond Freemantle. But per usual,
they start putting it together just before the
shootout unfortunately.

[GoBearcats31]

Sounds like UC opened as 8.5 point favorites

ESPN showing -7.5

[GoBearcats31]

K-Mart either did or will address the team at practice today.

He did - see @GoBearcatsMBB social media posts

[swilsonsp4]

Kenyon is on campus -- if I recall correctly, two years ago he went in the locker room at halftime and inspired UC's (almost) comeback. Or so they said.

K-Mart either did or will address the team at practice today.

[leeraymond]

Sounds like UC opened as 8.5 point favorites

What? UC as an 8.5 point favorite? That makes me nervous. So that means that Xavier is the underdog. Does X need any more motivation to win this game? Hopefully Vegas has this one right. I hope so.

Based on what I have been reading on this thread, there appears to be a lot of nervous energy concerning this game. I feel good enough about this team to predict that UC will take the win in a close one. UC will hit its shots tomorrow.

[leeraymond]

"We'll be sitting around the locker room listening to some music on the radio," says Tony Yates, the Cincinnati captain and a cool, cool man on the court. "He'll come roaring in and turn it off. He's afraid we won't be thinking about the game." No one will ever accuse a Jucker team of laxity. "His boys have marvelous discipline," says one coach admiringly. "He flogs his tigers until they even hate their mothers."

Concerning National Champion Coach Ed Jucker

"Until they even hate their mothers"? That is pretty funny. Good one Leo.

[GoBearcats31]

Kenyon is on campus -- if I recall correctly, two years ago he went in the locker room at halftime and inspired UC's (almost) comeback. Or so they said.

[leo from jersey]

"We'll be sitting around the locker room listening to some music on the radio," says Tony Yates, the Cincinnati captain and a cool, cool man on the court. "He'll come roaring in and turn it off. He's afraid we won't be thinking about the game." No one will ever accuse a Jucker team of laxity. "His boys have marvelous discipline," says one coach admiringly. "He flogs his tigers until they even hate their mothers."

Concerning National Champion Coach Ed Jucker

[leo from jersey]

Great Video! Maybe Wes should show the current players some footage of past games that UC has won! And they can see the urgency, tenacity, toughness that is needed to WIN this game!

I sometimes wonder if these players under Wes have any idea just how important this game is!

Does CJ know??????Heck it is a family affair with him. With the NIL and social media does any really care like they used to care? These yearly losses are frustrating and can cause even the die hard Bearcat fan to see it as just a game. Is it in Wes' contract to win one?

[BearKatz]

The hype video is here. Your narrator has a jersey retired.

https://x.com/gobearcatsmbb/status/1...234230114?s=46

Great Video! Maybe Wes should show the current players some footage of past games that UC has won! And they can see the urgency, tenacity, toughness that is needed to WIN this game!

I sometimes wonder if these players under Wes have any idea just how important this game is!

[Lobot]

The hype video is here. Your narrator has a jersey retired.

https://x.com/gobearcatsmbb/status/1...234230114?s=46

[BearKatz]

The tough minded UC Teams are long gone! Those days left with Mick! But?? What was the advantge back then being the tougher more physical team? What was Mick's record against X after he built the Program back up and was a perennial Top 25 Team every year?