Houston March 1st, 4:30 CBS

[swilsonsp4]

I am in agreement with all of that. UC shot 44.1% overall. That is not bad. However, Houston shot 53.6%. Houston exploited UC's weak internal defense. UC cannot win without capable scoring. But UC also needs to play defense. If UC cannot stop anybody, it cannot win. Yesterday was about weak defense.

Guess what, UC plays another team with two big men on Wednesday (K-State). Teams with two bigs have given UC problems all season. I read somewhere that Coleman Hawkins maybe hurt (do not quote me on that). Nevertheless, if Hawkins cannot play, K-State can bring a 7-footer off the bench (Onyenso).

UC may experience more problems on Wednesday because of a lack of big men.

By the way, we are regular everyday guys on this thread. Why are you using words like Pyrrhic (too costly)? Come on Sedz, we are just everyday people. No need to confuse us .

Coleman Hawkins has a knee issue and will not play today against the Buffs.

As far as yesterday's defense is concerned, it really wasn't bad at all (not perfect, but not bad). The Cats held the #9 team per KenPom in offensive efficiency to just under their season average. They made it difficult on the outside shooters who, as a team, average 39.8% from beyond the arc. Even inside, Roberts, Tugler and Francis, who average over a combined 22 ppg, totaled 20. The baskets that the Cougars largely scored came from the shooters (Cryer, Uzan, & Sharp), who pulled up mid-lane and hit some smooth jumpers and floaters.

All of that came against a team that has lost a grand total of four games, none by more than five points (two of which came against Auburn and Bama). But the Cats played their butts off for 40 minutes.

I'm not suggesting that this is a moral victory. They were simply beaten by one of the best teams in the country on their home floor. Most of us expected it, some with fears of an embarrassment on CBS. That didn't happen.

[leo from jersey]

Coleman Hawkins has a knee issue and will not play today against the Buffs.

As far as yesterday's defense is concerned, it really wasn't bad at all (not perfect, but not bad). The Cats held the #9 team per KenPom in offensive efficiency to just under their season average. They made it difficult on the outside shooters who, as a team, average 39.8% from beyond the arc. Even inside, Roberts, Tugler and Francis, who average over a combined 22 ppg, totaled 20. The baskets that the Cougars largely scored came from the shooters (Cryer, Uzan, & Sharp), who pulled up mid-lane and hit some smooth jumpers and floaters.

All of that came against a team that has lost a grand total of four games, none by more than five points (two of which came against Auburn and Bama). But the Cats played their butts off for 40 minutes.

I'm not suggesting that this is a moral victory. They were simply beaten by one of the best teams in the country on their home floor. Most of us expected it, some with fears of an embarrassment on CBS. That didn't happen.

as the cliche goes "to be the best, you have to beat the best". Since when did Bearcat fans lose their desire to be the best. My first game I saw Oscar and the first on Tv were the two time national Champs. I have never lost that desire. I don't ever expect defeat as it is distasteful. Even with these ragamuffins in Bearcat's uniforms, I expect victory.

[swilsonsp4]

as the cliche goes "to be the best, you have to beat the best". Since when did Bearcat fans lose their desire to be the best. My first game I saw Oscar and the first on Tv were the two time national Champs. I have never lost that desire. I don't ever expect defeat as it is distasteful. Even with these ragamuffins in Bearcat's uniforms, I expect victory.

I don't believe anyone is saying UC players and fans have no desire to win. The Cats just don't have the horses, relative to other top programs. A good part of the reason is insufficient NIL. Chad Brendel did some research with his contacts around the B12 and learned that the Bearcats' available NIL is good enough to put a decent team on the floor, but not competitive enough for the cream of the crop. The best teams have at least one player who can take over a game, if need be.

For instance, CWM had Jayden Quaintance on campus twice. We couldn't outbid John Calipari. When Cal left for the Razorbacks, ASU jumped in with $1.6M, which UC couldn't afford. There are no million-dollar players here. Most of the B12 teams have been in a power league for years, with a corresponding cash advantage and high-roller boosters. Even UH have big-bucks guys supporting them, allowing Sampson to get players like Cryer and Uzan via the portal. Plus, they're not falling off anytime soon. They've signed three incoming frosh who hold a 5* rating per the 247sports.com composite system (a blend of theirs, Rivals and On3).

UC is trying to rectify this and will have their first $1.5M+ freshman, Shon Abaev, whose HS team just won their FL division state title yesterday. I don't know how much they're paying Keyshaun Tillery, or what proportion of UC's available cash these two players are absorbing. There will be portal additions as well. To get difference makers is going to be expensive. Whether the Bearcats have enough to pry away that kind of talent, I have no idea.

This may not be the way we want college basketball to be, but amateurism is dead. It's the Wild West and there's no salary cap.

[London 'Cat]

I don't believe anyone is saying UC players and fans have no desire to win. The Cats just don't have the horses, relative to other top programs. A good part of the reason is insufficient NIL. Chad Brendel did some research with his contacts around the B12 and learned that the Bearcats' available NIL is good enough to put a decent team on the floor, but not competitive enough for the cream of the crop. The best teams have at least one player who can take over a game, if need be.

For instance, CWM had Jayden Quaintance on campus twice. We couldn't outbid John Calipari. When Cal left for the Razorbacks, ASU jumped in with $1.6M, which UC couldn't afford. There are no million-dollar players here. Most of the B12 teams have been in a power league for years, with a corresponding cash advantage and high-roller boosters. Even UH have big-bucks guys supporting them, allowing Sampson to get players like Cryer and Uzan via the portal. Plus, they're not falling off anytime soon. They've signed three incoming frosh who hold a 5* rating per the 247sports.com composite system (a blend of theirs, Rivals and On3).

UC is trying to rectify this and will have their first $1.5M+ freshman, Shon Abaev, whose HS team just won their FL division state title yesterday. I don't know how much they're paying Keyshaun Tillery, or what proportion of UC's available cash these two players are absorbing. There will be portal additions as well. To get difference makers is going to be expensive. Whether the Bearcats have enough to pry away that kind of talent, I have no idea.

This may not be the way we want college basketball to be, but amateurism is dead. It's the Wild West and there's no salary cap.

I have not read the legislation - it might be an executive order from the governor - but Ohio limits NIL spending by state funded universities to something like $20-21M across all sports. I don’t know if other states have similar limits. But I believe it was part of the settlement of the case against the NCAA - setting a limit. In addition, UC has a fairly large alumni base. If the alumni demand competitive teams then they need to support the program with donations to NIL. If they don’t want that then they can’t complain about not being competitive in the NIL space. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. They are directly related to each other.

UC has not won a national championship in men’s basketball in 63 years. The game is completely different now than it was then. It has not advanced to the final 4 in 33 years. The game has advanced even further since then. Under Huggins, they advanced to the elite eight only one time - two if you count the final four. Otherwise, UC has been largely irrelevant in the national championship discussion. It’s not an excuse or anything else just facts. Perhaps as fans we need to reassess our expectations or step up the support with dollars to make the team competitive in the new era of college sports.

[longtimefan]

I have not read the legislation - it might be an executive order from the governor - but Ohio limits NIL spending by state funded universities to something like $20-21M across all sports. I don’t know if other states have similar limits. But I believe it was part of the settlement of the case against the NCAA - setting a limit. In addition, UC has a fairly large alumni base. If the alumni demand competitive teams then they need to support the program with donations to NIL. If they don’t want that then they can’t complain about not being competitive in the NIL space. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. They are directly related to each other.

UC has not won a national championship in men’s basketball in 63 years. The game is completely different now than it was then. It has not advanced to the final 4 in 33 years. The game has advanced even further since then. Under Huggins, they advanced to the elite eight only one time - two if you count the final four. Otherwise, UC has been largely irrelevant in the national championship discussion. It’s not an excuse or anything else just facts. Perhaps as fans we need to reassess our expectations or step up the support with dollars to make the team competitive in the new era of college sports.

UC made the Elite 8 in 1993 and 1996, in addition to the Final Four in 1992. But then, they only made the Sweet Sixteen once in Huggs last nine seasons. UC is the only team to lose in OT to the national champion three times, 1963 Loyola, 1966 Texas Western, and 1993 North Carolina.

[Rufus]

Having watched college bball and specifically Bearcat bball since a kid in the late seventies I can't recall ever seeing a team or a coach so content with having just one trey shot attempt to score and getting back on defense. Bearcat teams of the past would do whatever it took to obtain a victory. There were many many bearcat players from the past who were not prolific scorers but earned their place by being unrelenting on getting the offensive rebound, put back, with two or three attempts to score. I don't understand why Miller does not demand this kind of effort from his players. The question is is it that these players do not have the fortitude or the aptitude to do this.

[leo from jersey]

I don't believe anyone is saying UC players and fans have no desire to win. The Cats just don't have the horses, relative to other top programs. A good part of the reason is insufficient NIL. Chad Brendel did some research with his contacts around the B12 and learned that the Bearcats' available NIL is good enough to put a decent team on the floor, but not competitive enough for the cream of the crop. The best teams have at least one player who can take over a game, if need be.

For instance, CWM had Jayden Quaintance on campus twice. We couldn't outbid John Calipari. When Cal left for the Razorbacks, ASU jumped in with $1.6M, which UC couldn't afford. There are no million-dollar players here. Most of the B12 teams have been in a power league for years, with a corresponding cash advantage and high-roller boosters. Even UH have big-bucks guys supporting them, allowing Sampson to get players like Cryer and Uzan via the portal. Plus, they're not falling off anytime soon. They've signed three incoming frosh who hold a 5* rating per the 247sports.com composite system (a blend of theirs, Rivals and On3).

UC is trying to rectify this and will have their first $1.5M+ freshman, Shon Abaev, whose HS team just won their FL division state title yesterday. I don't know how much they're paying Keyshaun Tillery, or what proportion of UC's available cash these two players are absorbing. There will be portal additions as well. To get difference makers is going to be expensive. Whether the Bearcats have enough to pry away that kind of talent, I have no idea.

This may not be the way we want college basketball to be, but amateurism is dead. It's the Wild West and there's no salary cap.

I see lack of desire by many of our players. Just not under the board or in passing to the teammates, but a lack of desire to get better. I see little desire after losses. Since they are pros then their desire for money should compel them to desire to be better. I don't see it as it has gotten worse as the season went on. I trace that to the one who called himself the leader in the interview with Terry N. a few games ago. Let him go to the NBA. Why did CWM pump his ego with such talk last year. We see the fruit of that and just a smidgen of what a real NBA player will make. I also see a totally different attitude from teams like Houston. They are playing in this era also, but only losers make excuses.
“Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.” ―John Wooden

[bearcatlifer]

Unfortunately, the athletic departments' current business model seems to be,"Come on down to the arena and have a great time.Winning is irrelevant.Just let us entertain you You'll have a great fan experience"
As an aside I have noticed at the home games when they announce the coaches and they say, "Wes Miller" they now quickly start back up with music to drown out the boos.

[leo from jersey]

A really big off season is coming up. It must not be a repeat of the last off season.


“What you do in the off season determines what you do in the regular season.”

George Allen

[swilsonsp4]

A really big off season is coming up. It must not be a repeat of the last off season.


“What you do in the off season determines what you do in the regular season.”

George Allen

That's already started with two Top 50 recruits, including a McDonald's All-American. Abaev and Tillery are the top combined HS recruits for any year of Miller's tenure, by far. There are positions that need to be upgraded via the portal, including an expensive commodity these days: an experienced big who poses major problems for the opposition. That begs the question, does UC have enough cash to pull that off?

[swilsonsp4]

I see lack of desire by many of our players. Just not under the board or in passing to the teammates, but a lack of desire to get better. I see little desire after losses. Since they are pros then their desire for money should compel them to desire to be better. I don't see it as it has gotten worse as the season went on. I trace that to the one who called himself the leader in the interview with Terry N. a few games ago. Let him go to the NBA. Why did CWM pump his ego with such talk last year. We see the fruit of that and just a smidgen of what a real NBA player will make. I also see a totally different attitude from teams like Houston. They are playing in this era also, but only losers make excuses.
“Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.” ―John Wooden

There's no doubt that Dan Skillings has been disappointment this season. But I wouldn't paint any other players with that brush in terms of effort. Simas is a poor rebounder and not quick, so that he has difficulty guarding on-ball. But beyond that, I don't think it's because of effort.

Reed is light-years better. Day Day busts his butt at both ends. Mitchell has become a more complete player. He just isn't a good shooter. Jizzle had a bad January but has played much better in February. His best shot, unfortunately, is inside the arc, but away from the rim. That's not effort. CWM has said Jizzle is the first one in and the last one out, working on his shooting. I don't know that anyone knew what to expect from Page, and he hasn't shown much. Hickman, Fredrick and McKinley have missed either significant or complete time because of injuries, which reduced depth. Hickman, for one, was all over the court, never slacking. Then, he was done for the year.

A team that isn't putting forth effort doesn't scrap to get back into a game against a national championship contender that was slipping away, as was the case in Houston. There were two games this season in which the team appeared to quit: at Baylor in early January and at BYU in the second half. While there were losses following that, it wasn't because of effort. It was more a case of lineup construction. Inserting Reed and pairing Day Day with Jizzle as starters, in place of Skillings and Simas, improved the team's defensive capabilities dramatically. That, in turn, gave the team more offensive opportunities, as more fast break chances occurred. The offensive efficiency went from a woeful #150+ at the end of January to #85 now (per KenPom). #85 isn't where we want to be, but the #150+ really included being in the 30's for most of the earlier games. The offense really was much worse than that during January. Over the last eight games, the Cats are in the Top 20 in offensive efficiency. That's why they've been winning, as well as competitive in the three losses.

This season's not over. The team put themselves behind the proverbial 8-ball but they're not out of it. They are now playing one-game tournaments. K-State happens to be next up. If the Cats play as they did against the Cougars, they'll live to fight another day.

[London 'Cat]

UC made the Elite 8 in 1993 and 1996, in addition to the Final Four in 1992. But then, they only made the Sweet Sixteen once in Huggs last nine seasons. UC is the only team to lose in OT to the national champion three times, 1963 Loyola, 1966 Texas Western, and 1993 North Carolina.

One sweet sixteen under Cronin too. And no NCAAs since Cronin. UC has much work to do to become relevant again and even more work to become a national title contender.

[DesertFog]

[QUOTE=swilsonsp4;n424059]

For instance, CWM had Jayden Quaintance on campus twice. We couldn't outbid John Calipari. When Cal left for the Razorbacks, ASU jumped in with $1.6M, which UC couldn't afford. There are no million-dollar players here. Most of the B12 teams have been in a power league for years, with a corresponding cash advantage and high-roller boosters. Even UH have big-bucks guys supporting them, allowing Sampson to get players like Cryer and Uzan via the portal. Plus, they're not falling off anytime soon. They've signed three incoming frosh who hold a 5* rating per the 247sports.com composite system (a blend of theirs, Rivals and On3).

UC is trying to rectify this and will have their first $1.5M+ freshman, Shon Abaev, whose HS team just won their FL division state title yesterday. I don't know how much they're paying Keyshaun Tillery, or what proportion of UC's available cash these two players are absorbing. There will be portal additions as well. To get difference makers is going to be expensive. Whether the Bearcats have enough to pry away that kind of talent, I have no idea.

Re Quaintance and Abaev, really interesting info. Can you tell us where info like this is available?

[swilsonsp4]

[QUOTE=DesertFog;n424074]

For instance, CWM had Jayden Quaintance on campus twice. We couldn't outbid John Calipari. When Cal left for the Razorbacks, ASU jumped in with $1.6M, which UC couldn't afford. There are no million-dollar players here. Most of the B12 teams have been in a power league for years, with a corresponding cash advantage and high-roller boosters. Even UH have big-bucks guys supporting them, allowing Sampson to get players like Cryer and Uzan via the portal. Plus, they're not falling off anytime soon. They've signed three incoming frosh who hold a 5* rating per the 247sports.com composite system (a blend of theirs, Rivals and On3).

UC is trying to rectify this and will have their first $1.5M+ freshman, Shon Abaev, whose HS team just won their FL division state title yesterday. I don't know how much they're paying Keyshaun Tillery, or what proportion of UC's available cash these two players are absorbing. There will be portal additions as well. To get difference makers is going to be expensive. Whether the Bearcats have enough to pry away that kind of talent, I have no idea.

Re Quaintance and Abaev, really interesting info. Can you tell us where info like this is available?

From Chad Brendel via his 247sports.com website, bearcatjournal.com ($). He divulges only information that he has confirmed through his sources, as a journalist should. If a UC staff member indicates to him that they would prefer that he not provide the information, he will not release it publicly. In this case, he contacted as many of his sources from around the B12 and elsewhere to gauge the amounts of various schools' NIL capabilities, as well as what certain players are being paid.

Brendel has mentioned, for instance, that BYU has a massive war chest, fueled by a wide array of donors who are willing to pony up. Next year, the #1 2025 HS recruit, AJ Dybantsa, will play for the Cougars before likely becoming the #1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. For his services, Dybantsa will receive a reported $8M! UC made some initial contact with Dybantsa, then realized what was happening and quickly dropped the idea.

[leeraymond]

Coleman Hawkins has a knee issue and will not play today against the Buffs.

As far as yesterday's defense is concerned, it really wasn't bad at all (not perfect, but not bad). The Cats held the #9 team per KenPom in offensive efficiency to just under their season average. They made it difficult on the outside shooters who, as a team, average 39.8% from beyond the arc. Even inside, Roberts, Tugler and Francis, who average over a combined 22 ppg, totaled 20. The baskets that the Cougars largely scored came from the shooters (Cryer, Uzan, & Sharp), who pulled up mid-lane and hit some smooth jumpers and floaters.

All of that came against a team that has lost a grand total of four games, none by more than five points (two of which came against Auburn and Bama). But the Cats played their butts off for 40 minutes.

I'm not suggesting that this is a moral victory. They were simply beaten by one of the best teams in the country on their home floor. Most of us expected it, some with fears of an embarrassment on CBS. That didn't happen.

Come on man. UC played some terrible defense Saturday. Remember that Houston was up on UC by 18 points at one time in the second half of the game. Where I am from, if one team is up on another team by 18 points in the second half, we would say the losing team was being blown out. Now UC made the final score respectable, but once Houston took the lead late in the first half (on a 14 or 15 to 0 run) the game was no longer in doubt.

UC did not make it tough on Houston's three-point shooters. Houston's strategy was to attack UC in the paint. Houston outscored UC in the paint 40-24. The guards alone accounted for 20 paint points. Where was the defense?

I must give UC credit for fighting until the end. However, UC was better than Houston for only 10 minutes in a 40-minute game. UC's scoring defense, along with 9 first half turnovers, doomed the team.

Think about this for a second. Miller has now lost to Sampson 9 (nine) straight times. I have been keeping up with UC basketball a long time. I have never known any UC coach to have such a record against one other coach.

Not to ramble, but from what I saw Saturday, UC took somewhat of a beatdown. UC is just not good enough right now. That is the truth.