The cliche speak from coaches about and announcers about "toughness" grates at me. What exactly defines toughness? Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin told ESPN's Jeff Goodman following Thursday's win at Louisville, he had the 3 "toughest seniors" in college basketball in Titus Rubles, Sean Kilpatrick and Justin Jackson. After watching them jump on Lousiville, withstand the Louisville rush and ultimately put them away on defense, I think Coach Cronin isn't full of hyperbole when describing his seniors.
Cincinnati is currently 20-2 and undefeated in conference play (The horribly named The American Athletic Conference). Cincinnati's two losses this year came at New Mexico who was handling nearly everyone in December and a "neutral" court loss to in-city rival Xavier. The Bearcats have won at Louisville and at Memphis in conference and have a win at MSG over Pitt. You may recall that 48 posssession masterrpiece from Cincinnati. They won 44-43 in a game only Dick Bennett could love.
As you might imagine, the Bearcats are one of the nations best defensive teams. Teams effective fg% against is 43.9%, 17th best in the land, built partly on teams shooting only 41% in the paints, 4th best in the nation. They also force turnovers. Bearcats defensive turnover % is 23.9%, 7th best in the land. They also have a block % of 17.2% and a steal % of 12.9%, 6th and 8th best. Cincinnati is going to make you work on offense. They have one issue. They're 241st in defensive rebounding % so teams can get longer possessions against them if they're strong on the offensive glass. They are 5th overall in KenPom adjusted d rankings.
Offensively, they're not as dynamic. They're 92nd in adjusted offense and would rather play in the low 60s. They average 54 possessions per game, 302nd. They're a poor shooting team. They're 215th in effective offensive fg%. They protect the ball okay, just above average in turnover %. WEhile they're soft on the defensive glass, the Bearcats are 7th best at getting 2nd chance points. They have an offensive rebounding % of 40.3%.
I mentioned the 3 seniors earlier and they truly are the heart and soul of this ball club. Sean Kilpatrick is the go-to-guy. He scores 19.5ppg. He's joined by two forwards, Justin Jackson and Titus Rubles. Jackson is a monster in the paint. He "only" gets 11.1 and 7 boards per game but has a block % of 13.7%, 7th best and a steal % of 4.1%, 38th best. His effective fg% is 55.1% and has an offensive rebounding % of 14.3%, 38th best. If you're so inclined, watch him play without the ball on offense and defense. The guy knows the game. He is awful at the foul line, shooting 49% and that'll be a cause for concern. Rubles adds 7 and 6.
If you're looking for a Final Four sleeper in March, the Bearcats might be your team. I have questions about their offense but there isn't any questioning the defense. If you believe in toughness and senior leadership, this is your team.
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