Winners of 12 straight, Bearcats wary of Golden Hurricane (Feb 01, 2017)
If Cincinnati's Kyle Washington is to be believed, there will be no letdowns for the 14th-ranked Bearcats for the remainder of the season.
"We know what's at stake," he said Sunday after a 94-53 rout of hapless South Florida. "We want to make a long run in March. We're always focused. Every team says that, but we live it. We push each other."
The Bearcats' pushing and prodding has resulted in 12 straight wins, a 19-2 overall record, and an 8-0 American Athletic Conference mark going into Wednesday night's key conference contest with Tulsa at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
This is a different Cincinnati team from the ones that Mick Cronin has coached for most of the last 12 seasons. While the Bearcats still defend fiercely, allowing opponents to make just 36.8 percent of their field goals and score only 61.8 points per game, they have added offense to their arsenal.
With six players averaging at least 7.5 ppg, led by sophomore swingman Jacob Evans' 14.3, Cincinnati is piling up 78.5 ppg and shooting 48.1 percent from the field. In the last four games, the Bearcats are scoring 84.8 ppg, including Sunday's game, in which they topped 90 for the sixth time this season.
How deep is Cincinnati? Jarron Cumberland, who hasn't started a game this season and plays just 16.5 minutes per game, is the reigning AAC Player of the Week. Cumberland went off for a career-high 26 against South Florida after tallying 13 second half points Thursday night in the Bearcats' comeback win over cross-town rival Xavier.
Depth has also been a staple for the Golden Hurricane (12-8, 6-2), which have fashioned a surprisingly good season despite returning only three players from last season's team. Their 77-66 win Saturday over Central Florida featured 42 points off the bench, tying a season high.
"We had that next-man mentality," Tulsa coach Frank Haith said. "I know that our bench wasn't as great the other night down at East Carolina, but it has been good throughout most of the year and I think that is the strength of our team."
Picked to finish in the middle of the AAC pack, the Golden Hurricane are in third place with a big chance to make a statement this week. After Cincinnati leaves town, Tulsa welcomes second place SMU for a Saturday night showdown.
Junior Etou paces the balanced Golden Hurricane at 12.7 ppg, with Pat Birt - the only returning starter from last season's 20-12 team that reached the First Four - next in line at 10.2 ppg. Tulsa has made nearly as many free throws (336) as its opponents have shot (360).
The Golden Hurricane figures to have to do some real work at the foul line if it's to make headway against Cincinnati's staunch defense. They shoot just 43.4 percent from the field and 33.1 percent at the 3-point arc.
"That is a big part of what we try to do," Haith said of his team's ability to draw fouls. "We want to put pressure on the basket to force how soon we get to the one-and-one. We are a good free throw shooting team."
