Marshall-Cincinnati Preview (Dec 22, 2016)
CINCINNATI - It's often been considered how good the No. 24 Cincinnati Bearcats could be if UC's offense ever caught up to its vaunted defense.
At the moment, the Bearcats are shooting the ball as well as any UC team in recent memory. While it's come against questionable competition, head coach Mick Cronin believes it's just a matter of time for this year's team.
"We are unselfish, we pass the ball, but we just haven't been able to make open shots," Cronin said. "We have a chance to get a lot better, and be a devastating team, when we can shoot the ball."
After comfortable wins over Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson, who they beat by 51 points, the schedule tightens up for the Bearcats beginning this week when they host Marshall (7-4) on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET) at Fifth Third Arena before beginning American Athletic Conference play on Dec. 28 at Temple.
Cincinnati (9-2) is led by junior forward Kyle Washington and sophomore guard Jacob Evans who each average better than 15 points per game. Point guard Troy Caupain averages 10.5 points and 4.4 assists for the Bearcats.
The Thundering Herd comes in averaging more than 86 points per game, but they'll hit a major roadblock Thursday against UC which has held nine of its 11 opponents this season under 70 points and six foes below 40 percent field goal shooting.
Marshall also allows more than 83 points, so there will be more opportunities for the Bearcats to score, coming off a record-setting 119-point performance against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Marshall could welcome back one of its key contributors on Thursday in starting forward Ryan Taylor who's been out with a calf injury. Taylor averages 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds. Thundering Herd head coach Dan D'Antoni told the Herald Dispatch that Taylor's swelling is down and he feels confident that he can play on Thursday.
The Herd might still be without 6-foot-7 forward Terrence Thompson who averages 12 points and 7.8 boards but has missed six games with a stomach injury.
It's the 33rd meeting between the teams with Cincinnati leading the series 20-12. The Bearcats are 15-3 against the Thundering Herd in Cincinnati. It's the first meeting since 2012 when UC won 72-56 at the Civic Center in Charleston, WV.
The gaudy offensive numbers Cincinnati put up last week resulted in a pair of weekly honors. Freshman guard Jarron Cumberland earned AAC rookie of the week after shooting 64.7% and 70% from 3-point range while averaging a team-high 14.5 points. Senior guard Kevin Johnson was named to the league's weekly honor roll after averaging 14 points.
Cincinnati ranks 24th nationally with a .496 shooting percentage. That's UC's best shooting percentage since 1996.
"These guys, they share the ball, we just haven't made open shots consistently," said Cronin. "I think we have a chance to really improve as a team as the season goes on. Obviously, the competition is going to get a lot steeper."
