Clark leads No. 12 Cincinnati against Western Carolina (Nov 13, 2017)
CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bearcats senior forward Gary Clark might be a "Problem" for opponents, but he's hardly been that for head coach Mick Cronin. Clark became the 51st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in Friday's season-opening win over Savannah State.
"Anything Gary does, I'm happy for," Cronin said. "Guys like Gary Clark, you can't not root for them. I can only hope the good Lord thinks I'm half as nice as Gary Clark. And, that's a stretch to get to half, because Gary Clark is a really good person."
Jon Rothstein, a college basketball insider for CBS Sports, coined the phrase "Gary Clark is a problem" two seasons ago and it has become a popular slogan among UC students.
Clark and the 12th-ranked Bearcats host Western Carolina on Monday night at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. Cincinnati is playing its games at NKU while Fifth Third Arena undergoes an $87 million renovation.
Cincinnati leads the all-time series 3-0, winning the last meeting 97-72 on Nov. 13, 2015 at Fifth Third Arena. In 2007, the Bearcats escaped with a 66-64 win over the Catamounts.
Monday's game is not expected to be that tight with the Bearcats coming off a 107-77 win over Savannah State in which they shot 33 percent from 3-point range and had a massive 65-32 advantage on the boards, 25-7 on the offensive end. Clark had 13 points and 11 rebounds with one block.
"I don't think we'll take 39 3s the rest of the year, at least I hope not," Cronin said. "We've got a lot of things to work on. A whole lot. Our attitude is great. Guys are trying."
Western Carolina (0-1) is coming off an 85-57 loss at Clemson.
Six-foot-five guard Haboubacar Mutombo, nephew of former Georgetown Hoyas and NBA center Dikembe Mutombo, led Western Carolina with 10 points.
The Catamounts recorded 20 turnovers in the loss to Clemson, which coincidentally matches the total produced by Cincinnati in Friday's win. Savannah State had 11 steals, something the Bearcats want to clean up on Monday
"It comes from everyone," said Clark. "Guys not making themselves available for the passer, then it's on them to not turn it over. As bigs, we have to make ourselves more presentable in the high post. Our guys have to take better care of the ball."
Top transfer Cane Broome made his Bearcats debut on Friday and scored 17 points with four assists. The lightning-quick guard also had six turnovers, four coming in the second half, which Cronin dubbed a "turnover exhibition.
Bearcats sophomore Jarron Cumberland played 24 minutes on Friday and scored 10 points after missing practice with an ankle injury. Cumberland was 4 of 11 shooting and 1 for 5 from 3-point range on Friday. Not his usual shooting production.
"It's early, so we're trying to be conservative with him," Cronin said.
Cincinnati has won 27 consecutive home games, including an 18-0 record last season at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats' last loss at home was a 77-70 defeat to Temple on Dec. 29, 2015. UC expects to return to a refurbished Fifth Third Arena next year.
