Bearcats Sports Radio

Beale Street is a feast for the eyes. Neon pinks and blues mark entryways to noisy watering holes. House bands led by smoky-voiced singers serenade bar rooms filled with mostly out-of-towners. The names of legendary blues musicians like B.B. King are scrawled across building facades, forming a prominent part of the iconography of Memphis proper.

The main drag of bars and restaurants along historic Beale are situated right around the corner from the FedExForum, where the University of Cincinnati hoped to defend its conference title. Gary Clark, Jacob Evans III, and Kyle Washington notably absent for this year’s conference run, few believed the Bearcats stood much of a chance of repeating.

This being my first trip to Memphis, I found the City surprisingly small. For a Mississippi River city of such historical significance, it’s more deep than dazzling, more personal than impressive.

Like the host city, basketball is a personal game. Even with large crowds in the arena, the spectator experience is intimate. Whenever there’s a small crowd viewing a game, it feels awkwardly intimate to watch, like you’re intruding upon another family’s dinner. Fans (and their shouted opinions) get grafted into the action on the court. With conference foes converging on the FedExForum from afar, the crowds were small in Memphis except when the Tigers played.

I love how basketball feels. In a close basketball game, you can literally feel the temperature of a gym rise when a team gets hot. Amazingly, this is the case at nearly every level of the sport. I’ve sat in bleachers for middle school games where momentum swings and spectators lose their minds, swept away by the energy and passion of their tribal moment.

There’s a rhythmic symmetry to basketball, as well. Cheerleader chants and pep bands are out front, leading the assembly. Sneakers squeak as loud as electric guitars on Beale Street. Balls bounce to the timbre of the kick drum; rims clang like a snare.

At one point during the SMU game, UC big man Nysier Brooks lost his footing and landed awkwardly on the hardwood. In that small crowd, Mick Cronin audibly expressed his frustration, which cut through the arena, “Come on, Nas! Come on?!” Brooks looked at Cronin, who shrugged in a pleading fashion. His coach wasn’t mad; he was disappointed. And we all knew about it.

Cronin’s disappointment dissipated as the Bearcats ultimately overwhelmed SMU in the second round (82-74). Adding to Jarron Cumberland’s 26 points and 8 assists, both Tre Scott and Justin Jenifer scored 17 points. In the third round, “Nas” Brooks led UC to a win against Wichita State (66-63), scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.

Traveling down to Memphis, there was little mystery about what it would take to win the tournament. Most knew that to defend 2018’s conference title, the Bearcats would have to defeat a two-loss Houston Cougars team that swept the regular season series, their last victory in Clifton spoiling UC’s home winning streak. Headed into the final pairing on championship Sunday, the stage was set for yet another Bearcats/Cougars battle.

Familiar as old sparring partners, Houston and Cincinnati know each other inside and out. Despite that, Houston still seated a couple of scouts near me during the Wichita State game. After UC’s third round win over the Shockers, Houston’s scouts aired some personal jabs about Jarron Cumberland’s level of effort to each other. I overheard their conversation and somewhat reluctantly shared their comments (you know, in the name of #journalism).

In Sunday’s tournament final, Jarron responded.

Cumberland flat dominated the Cougars. Scoring 33 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, he led the Bearcats to a repeat American Athletic Conference title, the University’s first back-to-back conference championship since the mid-90s. UC also smothered Houston’s customarily-prolific offense. Corey Davis, Jr., the Coogs’ all-world senior leader, was limited to only 12 points.

Beyond the pre-game criticisms of Jarron, UC’s redemption over Houston felt personal, largely because this year’s team is such a tight knit group. It’s evident UC’s players have grown progressively closer as the season has stretched on. Maybe that increased unity is attributable to the low expectations most had for them coming into the season. Maybe it’s attributable to the many close games they managed to eke out. Or maybe it’s a combination of those factors, or something else. Regardless of the catalyst, UC will need to be personally cohesive as they face Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Personally, I think the City of Memphis grows on you. As Gus’s fried chicken and Central Barbecue settle onto your ribs, the river city’s charm embraces. Upon exiting the FedExForum, sounds from different house bands and bars along Beale Street fight for your attention. After UC bested SMU Friday night, Andy and I made our way toward the noise and some usual suspects.

For what felt like my tenth meal of the day, I met up with Chad Brendel (Bearcat Journal) and his pops, Justin Williams (The Athletic), and Michael Shults (a UC/CCM alum who landed in Memphis, teaching music at the University). At The Green Beetle, I devoured a catfish po boy and an enormous slice of strawberry cake. My goodness, the cake was a revelation.

Making our way farther away from Beale, up Main Street past the Lorraine Motel, Shults guided us to Earnestine & Hazel’s. Built in the late 1800s, E&H is a quirky dive bar that may or may not be haunted. It’s rumored that at least 13 people have died in the bar, though that number still seems low to me. There’s a small, secluded bar on the second floor overlooking Main Street. Nate tends bar upstairs and he has a “Ray Charles used to hang right there” story he’s always eager to share with patrons.

In the neon glow of E&H’s lights, I found myself surrounded by acquaintances who’ve become close personal friends, almost family. Several domestic beers and even more stories later, the night broke up. Headed separate directions for the night, we’d all be reunited the next day to cover a team that has matured into a cohesive unit, a team in which we all feel personally invested.

By Brian Fox

For more real-time coverage of the Bearcats, food takes, and dad jokes, follow along on Twitter – @BearcatsRadio.

Last Saturday, the University of Cincinnati basketball team won another home game in front of a sold out crowd. 12,256 patrons filed through the doors of Fifth Third Arena, took their seats, and watched the Bearcats defeat another conference opponent. After some late game heroics (and bad shot choices from the Southern Methodist University Mustangs), the final buzzer sounded and fans vacated the arena. Unfortunately for many of spectators (and frequently for me), the significance of yet another strong conference performance went unappreciated, or at least under appreciated.

Sure, SMU did not present as the greatest team arriving in Cincinnati that evening. But don’t short another win (now 19) assuming SMU didn’t have any talented players. They have guys that can score, and top 100 and 200 recruits like others in the AAC. Mick Cronin’s Bearcats, however, did what they‘ve grown accustomed to doing — they won the game down the stretch. Relying on defensive pressure and streaky scoring from role players, Cronin’s guys battled to another win.

Jaron Cumberland led all scorers with 24 points, and he added nine rebounds and five assists. In the post-game press conference, SMU Coach Tim Jankovich remarked he didn’t recall Cumberland being as good a player as he was Saturday. While I’m not certain what scouting report Jankovich read, Jaron has taken an elite leap forward this season. Against the Mustangs, he did what he’s done much of the season, he imposed his will on the opponent. Saturday was unique inasmuch as UC shot the ball with far better accuracy than is customary. Precision shooting less our forte, the Bearcats shot nearly 53% from the field and 47% from three.

This team has confounded me for much of the season. For me, it’s been difficult to fall in love with this squad like I have with teams past. UC graduated some guys who were gems on and off the court. Gary Clark competed like few who’ve ever worn the red and black, and he was an equally incredible person. He wasn’t just a good guy; he was one of the greatest human beings I’ve had the pleasure of covering in college athletics. It’s tough to outshine a player like Gary Clark, the functional equivalent of Mother Teresa in high tops chasing down blocks. Jacob Evans III and Kyle Washington were also tough losses, exciting players and lovely people to boot.

Yet this team now has me in its grip with its youth, wide-eyed hustle, and endearing unpredictability. What’s more, Mick Cronin has dazzled. Coach Cronin’s detractors have described him as a “high floor/low ceiling” coach. In other words, some have posited his teams will always be pretty good (because they defend, rebound, and hustle), but they can never be NCAA Tournament contenders (because they can’t light up the scoreboard). Admittedly, I have expressed similar sentiments myself.

But this year I have been made anew, repentant and washed clean of that belief, if you will. Sanctified!

This season is Cronin’s finest stalking the sidelines of Fifth Third Arena. Beyond Jaron, the scoring solutions are so unpredictable they give many heart palpitations, UC’s defensive metrics have slid, and here they sit at 19-3 with one of those losses coming the first game of the year. Nineteen and three. Even after losing three NBA-caliber players and his longtime assistant Larry Davis, Cronin continues to put players in a position to be successful and the team is succeeding. I’m now a Cronin-convert; I’m a believer.

Mick Cronin is not a “high floor/low ceiling” coach. He is a “really high floor/who knows how high the ceiling” coach. Hear me out…

The biggest knock on Coach Cronin is his teams don’t go deep in the NCAA tournament. But Cronin’s teams do make the tournament every year (eight straight – 2011-2018) and are well-seeded enough to advance despite the AAC’s inherent weaknesses as a basketball conference of late. Essentially, it’s an odds play, and few families know as much about odds as Mick Cronin’s (his father Hep worked at River Downs and his brother Dan is a professional horse racing handicapper). How do you increase your odds of being successful in the NCAA Tournament? Simplistic to say, first you have to make it in the Tournament each season.

In other words, you cannot make a deep run if you’re minimally not in the Tournament regularly. Once you’re in, a number of breaks and circumstances have to conspire to help you avoid defeat. There’s a reason the phrase “survive and advance” is used to describe Tournament success. I’m not saying it’s a game of chance, but plenty of luck is involved. Can anyone say with a straight face the Final Four is consistently comprised of the best four teams in college basketball? Of course not! Just look at the Loyola Rambler’s success last season, South Carolina’s the year before, Wichita State’s in 2013, or VCU and Butler’s in 2010-11. In order to be fortunate, you have to at least be present.

Put another way, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket. And this year’s Bearcats appear well on their way to having their ticket punched to a ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. There are only four other programs with longer streaks of consecutive Tournament appearances — Kansas, Duke, Michigan State, and Gonzaga.

So in this “rebuilding year,” the University of Cincinnati is now ranked 25th in the AP Poll and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Tonight they face Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers on the road. Tune in tonight (7 PM on ESPN2) and try to appreciate this team’s turnover of talent from last season, while also observing how few turnovers they commit. And tune in down the stretch heading into March and let’s just see if a few twists of fate don’t break UC’s way.

By Brian Fox