All is good in the Queen City with Bearcats basketball. The Bearcats bounced back Sunday with a real solid win over Wichita State, and the victory really shouldn’t be underappreciated. Cincinnati is the first conference opponent to sweep the Shockers since the 2012-13 season, which shows how solid of a program Gregg Marshall and the Shockers have had, and still do have, since their Final Four run that season. The victory also gives the Bearcats their 47th home win since the start of the 2016-17 season- the most in the nation in that time span- and their 82nd win overall, which is the third in the nation behind Villanova and Gonzaga.
Speaking of the Bearcats home record since 2016-17, one of their only two losses came to the Shockers last year. That’s another reason why this was an important win for the Bearcats: because they got revenge at home on the Shockers. In doing so, Cincinnati’s defense held the American Athletic Conference’s second-leading scorer, Markis McDuffie, to just 13 points on 4-15 shooting and held the Shockers, as a whole, to just 26 percent shooting from the field. That’s the Bearcats defense I, and the entire Bearcat Nation, know.
Offensively, Jarron Cumberland had another 27-point performance. The role players also fulfilled their roles to the max on Sunday with 15 points from Keith Williams, 12 from Cane Broome and eight rebounds each from Tre Scott and Rashawn Fredericks. That’s been a typical Bearcats performance this season. Cumberland putting together another dominant performance and role players contributing in a substantial way.
Last night I noticed in the postgame notes from Bill Koch’s recap on GoBearcats.com that Cumberland has 1,188 career points, which leaves him him 45 points away from tying Jacob Evans III for 30th on the Bearcats all-time scoring list. He very well might tie, and ultimately pass, Evans this week and if he keeps scoring like he is, he may even end up in the top 20 by the end of the season. That means he would pass guys like Kenyon Martin, Cashmere Wright and Troy Caupain. And if he returns for his senior year, he very well might end up overtaking Sean Kilpatrick for No. 2 on the list. Let that sink in. It’s remarkable what Cumberland is doing this season.
As for this week, I am very confident in the Bearcats going 2-0. I acknowledge UCF is a very good team, and I have a lot of respect for what Johnny Dawkins has done in less than three years with that program. But they haven’t played in a game like this since probably the 2017 AAC Tournament semifinals against SMU and maybe even ever in the Johnny Dawkins era. This is Dawkins’s best and most experienced team, but I don’t think they’ll have the toughness to win tomorrow night’s game. Playing away from home against a team who hasn’t lost a conference game at Fifth Third Arena since December of 2015, I am very confident saying the Bearcats will take care of business tomorrow night.
I’m not at all concerned about the UConn game on Sunday. The Huskies will be without two of their most important players in Jalen Adams and Alterique Gilbert, and they both gave the Bearcats fits when UConn came to Fifth Third Arena back on Jan. 12. The Bearcats are a much better team than they were on that night, and they still won then. Dan Hurley will have the Huskies fighting hard, but I don’t think the Bearcats will have too much trouble in the Constitution State on Sunday.
Alright, shall we get to the saga that is the Bengals seemingly inability to find a defensive coordinator? Well, I’m actually not concerned. Sure I wanted Jack Del Rio and was puzzled, at first, when Zac Taylor said that he wasn’t the right fit for the position. It was the only answer he really could have given, and, yet, it actually makes sense.
I took note of Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer mentioning last week how the offensive staff has been filled. That’s because in today’s NFL, that’s the priority. Defense wins championships, but offense wins games. After all, teams have to win games to have just a shot at winning a championship. So, naturally, Taylor being an offensive-minded coach was going to prioritize the offense first. And as an increasingly number of younger, forward-thinking, offensive-minded coaches are being awarded head coaching jobs in the NFL, maybe older defensive-minded head coaches are not, in fact, great fits. Funny how that’s exactly who Marvin Lewis is, and he’s now no longer here in Cincinnati.
So, who is going to be the next Bengals defensive coordinator? NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported yesterday that he understands if all goes well in his interview tomorrow, current Giants defensive backs coach Lou Anarumo will be the guy. But one never knows for sure, so who really knows at this point who the next defensive coordinator will be?
Tonight, one of the best rivalries in all of sports returns in the Tar Heel State. I repeat, the TAR HEEL STATE. Remember, I grew up on the good side of the Tobacco Road Rivalry. This game is going to be phenomenal. There is so much talent on both sides with several top 10 draft picks going to be on display tonight. Most of the talent is on Duke, and they have been impressively mature throughout the season. They have faced a lot of tests and have passed almost all of them. Their only two losses this season include a two-point loss against Gonzaga in Maui- a game where they nearly came back from a huge double-digit deficit to win- and at home in overtime against Syracuse in a game where Tre Jones injured his shoulder.
But as great as this Duke team is, they haven’t played in this rivalry yet. All the pressure is on them with their immensely-talented team now being No. 1 in the country and playing at home with the cheapest tickets being at least $2,500 according to ESPN. This is the first real big game in the rivalry, I feel like, since March 3, 2012 when UNC was No. 6 and Duke was No. 3 in the country, respectively. That game was for the ACC regular-season title, and North Carolina crushed the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Call me crazy, call me delusional, ask what medication I’m on- I’m not on any for the record- but I go with my gut in life, and I’m feeling gutsy with this pick. I firmly believe North Carolina with the more experienced team and not as much pressure on them as Duke will win this game tonight. Remember the game in Durham in 2006? This game, I think, will have that exact feel to it.
Tar Heels 77 Blue Devils 74
Tonight also marks the return of my all-time favorite television show outside of any sports program: Survivor. The 38th season is Survivor: Edge of Extinction, for those who did not know already. I cannot wait to see what that means, and this is a great cast with a lot of different backgrounds and a wide range of age among the castaways. But I am convinced that Kelley Wentworth is not playing the game for a third time just to walk away empty-handed. From reading her responses to questions asked to her in an article on Global TV that previewed all 18 of this season’s castaways, I think she is so laser-focused on claiming the game’s ultimate prize: the title of “Sole Survivor.”
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 