Takeaways from the Bearcats win over UCF

With the game clock winding down inside 30 seconds and Jarron Cumberland dribbling the ball, I was thinking he was going to drive into the lane and do one of three things: pull up, drop in a one-handed jumper or take it all the way to the rack. This is exactly how it was supposed to be: Cumberland, despite having a serious off night, has the ball in his hands with a chance to put a dagger into the opponent’s hearts. In this case, the AAC preseason favorites: the UCF Knights.

But Cumberland didn’t do anything associated with even attempting to score. Instead, he calmly found Justin Jenifer on the left wing who nailed a three to send Fifth Third Arena into a state of delirium. It was a moment reminiscent of Michael Jordan’s game-clinching assist to John Paxson in game five of the 1991 NBA Finals, and it gave the Bearcats a six-point lead that eventually culminated in a thrilling, and much-needed, 60-55 win. The win also gives the Bearcats sole possession of second place in the American Athletic Conference, keeping their hopes alive for a second consecutive regular-season title.

Takeaways from the Bearcats win over the Knights

1. As I mentioned, and I’m sure most people know who watched the game, Cumberland didn’t have his best of nights with just 11 points on 3-13 shooting. But he still had six assists- the final of which came on Jenifer’s three- and he also pulled down seven rebounds, blocked two shots and created a steal. All of those stats tied or led the Bearcats. Plus, his final two points were extremely crucial when he stepped to the free-throw line and nailed both attempts to tie the game at 48 with 4:13 to go.

2. Speaking of those two free-throws, the Bearcats were excellent, to say the least, at the charity stripe last night going 11-12. That makes them 33-40 over their last two games, a solid 82.5 percent. Cincinnati is now just a tick under 70 percent for the season from the free-throw line at 69.9. Even when the Bearcats won eight in a row, free-throw shooting was a major struggle for this team. It’s been much better over the last two games, though, and hopefully that continues into the best calendar month of the year.

3. Another element that’s been an improvement lately for the Bearcats, and I know it sounds weird to talking about it as an improvement, but their defense has been just that. As I mentioned earlier in the season, this team is younger and not as experienced as Cincinnati teams like last year and others that have come before. Therefore, I also mentioned it was going to take time for the defense to play like the ones we have seen prior to this season. Well, their last two games have been vintage Bearcats defense. After holding Wichita State to 26 percent shooting from the field on Sunday, they held UCF to 55 points in a rock-fight of an AAC battle. Cincinnati out-rebounded UCF 19-8 in the second half, when the game mattered most. That right there is toughness, and UCF looked inferior to it. Tacko Fall, UCF’s 7’6″ giant, only pulled down four rebounds. Nysier Brooks and Jarron Cumberland each pulled down seven. Toughness exemplified. The Knights did go 9-20 from beyond the perimeter but when the shots didn’t go in, they didn’t get a lot of second chance points- six to be exact. Yup, that’s right. A mere six. The Bearcats needed to win the rebound battle against UCF’s size, and they did by showcasing their Nasty Nnati-like toughness..

4. Basketball truly is a game of runs. Runs in the game from last night include:

First half: 11-0 UCF run from 18:39-16:13, 13-0 UC run from 16:13-6:54

Second half: 12-0 UCF run from the start of the second half to 15:52, 14-4 UC run from 12:42-5:23, and 12-7 UC run over the final 4:13 of the game.

5. Keith Williams’s toughness cannot be emphasized enough. When he went down early in the first half, it effected Cincinnati on the defensive end. That was when UCF went in front 11-3 courtesy of three threes. But as soon as Williams came back into the game, it re-energized the Bearcats. One of the most important shots of the night, as Mick Cronin said on the 700 WLW postgame show, was the three he hit with 6:21 remaining in the game. That brought the Bearcats to within 46-43 at the time, and it was a much-needed basket at a time when the Bearcats, it felt like, were just trying to hang around in the game. Williams finished the night tied for the team-lead in points with 12 and scored the final two Bearcats points on two free throws to ice the game.

6. Justin Jenifer last night showed why he’s my MVP on this team after Jarron Cumberland. His nine points in the second half were imperative for Cincinnati, especially when UCF didn’t allow anything to come easy for Cumberland. It was good to see Jenifer get back into double-digit scoring. He only had one such game in his last five overall, but sometimes it’s better to have a slump in the middle of the season than when it matters most. The three he hit off the assist from Cumberland will one play I definitely remember from this season.

Next-game mentality

Cincinnati will be on the road Sunday to take on the UConn Huskies, who will most likely be without two of their top players in Jalen Adams and Alterique Gilbert. I’m not really worried about this game, even though I know Huskies coach Dan Hurley will have his guys ready to battle. A win would have the Bearcats at 23-4 at 12-2 in the AAC, the exact same position they were in last year through 27 games overall and 14 conference games.