'Cats in Big Apple

by B. Clifton Burke | The News Record


Updated: Wednesday, January 21, 2009


The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team is learning that wins in the Big East don’t come easily.

Head coach Mick Cronin and his troops look to get the ball rolling again Thursday, Jan. 22, with a win against a beatable St. John’s team.

“It’s a big game for us. We probably gave [a win] away and we’re trying to make one up,” Cronin said. “We’re to the point now where every game is a big game, especially on the road.”

Cincinnati (12-7, 2-4 Big East) and St. John’s (10-7, 1-4 Big East) both have numbers that jump out when comparing the two teams.

St. John’s has struggled from beyond the arc this season, shooting a dismal 29 percent, which is second to last in the Big East.

Missed shots play to the strength of the Bearcats, as they have been a solid rebounding team this season, ranking third in the conference with a rebounding margin of 7.4.

The Red Strom also has difficulties stopping the 3-point shot and is ranked last in the Big East in 3-point field goal percentage defense. St. John’s allows the opposition to convert 35 percent from long-range.

The Bearcats haven’t been bad from long-range this season, shooting a modest 36 percent from downtown. UC may find more open looks from 3-point range than they normally do in a physical, defense-first conference like the Big East. The question remains, can Mick Cronin find another shooter outside of Deonta Vaughn?

“When teams try to take me out of my scoring and, if I’m not hitting that night, then [my teammates] should try to be more aggressive and don’t be so passive,” Vaughn said. “They should try to do things that they don’t do in practice.”

Senior forward Mike Williams has helped with the scoring load, racking up more than 15 points a game in conference play – including a career-high 21 points against Providence on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

“It’s no coincidence that [Williams] is our most experienced player at a time of year when experience players tend to excel,” Cronin said.

Sophomore swingman Rashad Bishop has also helped by shooting 42 percent from 3-point range since conference play has begun, but fellow long-range threats, Alvin Mitchell and Dion Dixon, have both struggled, each shooting under 30 percent from deep.

“I feel Dion [Dixon] needs to start shooting earlier in the game so he can be more aggressive,” Vaughn said. “That takes some slack off me once [Dixon] starts being more aggressive and Mike [Williams] starts to hit his jump shot. So we need one or two more players to step up.”

After St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts lost last year’s leading scorer, Anthony Mason Jr., to a foot injury in November 2008, the team has had to look elsewhere to fill that void.

Wide-bodied sophomore forwards, Justin Burrell and Sean Evans (each more than 240 pounds), have helped pick up some of that slack underneath; both averaging just under 10 points per game.

“They don’t shoot the ball very well, but they have great size at all positions and they’re very tough and athletic,” Cronin said of St. John’s.

Sophomore Paris Horne is St. John’s best shooter, averaging 34 percent from beyond the arc this season.

The Bearcats will conclude their three-game road trip when they face St. John’s on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.