[h=2]Larry Ness' 10* LEGEND Play-CBB (1st TY in CBB!)[/h]
My 10* LEGEND Play is on Cincinnati at 10:30 ET.
Cincinnati won its first four games by an average of 34.5 points while scoring 91.5 PPG, though those opponents weren't expected to present much of challenge. This marks Mick Cronin’s seventh season as Cincy’s head coach and last year, he led the Bearcats to the school’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2001. Cronin knew his team would be playing much stiffer competition in Las Vegas this weekend and Iowa St (entered 4-0) gave the Bearcats all they wanted last night. Iowa State was even with the Bearcats at halftime and stayed close throughout the final 20 minutes, before Cincy won 78-70. Gone from LY’s team are the 6-9 Gates (12.2-8.9) plus guard Dixon (13.0) but in swingman Kilpatrick, the Bearcats have one of the Big East’s top perimeter players. He had 32 points last night and leads the team scoring (22.0 PPG) while grabbing 6.4 RPG. Joining him in the starting backcourt are PG Wright (16.4-3.4 APG) and fellow guard Parker (9.4-4.6). The 6-10 Mbodj (5.50-5.0) and the 6-8 Jackson (4.8-7.6) start up front but Cincy has solid depth with the 6-7 Rubles (7.4-5.6) and the 7-1 Nyarsuk (6.6-4.8) contributing up front and Davis (5.5) in the backcourt. The Bearcats expected to meet No. 18 UNLV (the host team) in tonight’s final but the Rebels (an 11-point favorite), lost 83-79 to Oregon. Dana Altman is in his third season in Eugene and no one questions this guy’s coaching ability. Amazingly, the Ducks (now 5-0 just like Cincy) pulled off the upset despite hitting only 3 of 19 (15.8 percent) from three-point range. Oregon’s starting-five consists of guards Dotson (12.4-4.6), Artis (10.2) and Loyd (2.6), joined by the 6-6 Singler (11.6-4.4) and the 6-11 Woods (11.0-3.2). As the season progresses, expect more and more from the 6-7 Kazemi (4.7-7.7), who transferred from Rice where in three seasons, he averaged between 10.3 and 15.2 PPG plus between 9.1 and 11.0 RPG. I have no problem with the Ducks or Altman but after upsetting No. 18 UNLV, taking down Cincy a night later is too much to ask. The Bearcats are averaging 88.8 PPG while allowing 59.6 plus rank THIRD in the nation in defensive FG percentage (32.3). The Bearcats passed their first real test of the season last night with flying colors as they shut down Iowa State and held the Cyclones to 37.3 percent shooting after they had come in making 49.6 percent of their field goal attempts. The Bearcats didn’t shoot particularly well but converted 23-of-25 attempts at the free-throw line, scored 26 points off turnovers, and netted 18 fast-break points.Oregon used a full-court press to rattle the young Rebel backcourt in the first half to take a lead. The Ducks then overcame some foul difficulties to pull off the upset in a game which featured 16 lead changes and five ties in the second half. That kind of effort takes more than a little out of a team. Oregon pays the price here, as the Bearcats roll!Good luck...Larry
Good luck guys!