Category: Uncategorized

​The University of Cincinnati dance team came home with yet another national title this year. On January 15, 2017, UC won the Division 1A Hip-Hop category.

On the first day, the 16 dancers took the floor during the semi-finals, and placements did not go as planned. The team was given 4th place behind Louisiana State University, the University of Memphis, and the University of Kentucky, who was holding 1st place at the time. This was a very stressful and emotional night after hearing the standings. Many alumni dancers had sent the team videos containing motivational tips and quotes explaining how to pull together and claim the hip-hop title Cincinnati started.

The night before the finals round, the entire team and head coach piled into one hotel room and listened to what some of the former dancers had to say. Tears of joy and the drive to win started to take over everyone in the room and at that point, each dancer knew exactly what they had to do to win the next day. One of the core values the University of Cincinnati Dance Team has is their inherent bond of friendship.

Fifth-year senior, Courtney Dang, explained how she thought the team conquered their goal: “I think we really used a lot of teamwork and A LOT of courage and faith to make the lights hit together. We really set our minds to it and an it ended up in our favor”. All 16 dancers left everything they had in their hearts on the floor and showed the judges exactly what they wanted in the final competition. When awards finally came around in the evening, no one had any idea what to expect. Even teams competing against the Bearcats were making comments about the placements from semi-finals possibly changing.

The announcer was handing out awards and it finally came down to the last two teams in the 1A hip hop division – the University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati. When “The University of…” was announced for the 2nd place award, the team was holding onto each other for dear life. In the end, the Bearcats took back the title and became national hip hop champions. As ESPN was interviewing fifth-year senior, Lauren Hawkins, after the triumphant win, she said, “the University of Cincinnati Dance Team has never jumped from 4th to 1st before.” This is why this win was so special to everyone who was a part of it. Moving up three placements is a very difficult thing to do, but this goes to show the legendary UCDT is capable of accomplishing just about anything.

By Taylor D’Ambrosia

For the 4th consecutive year, the gentlemen at the PIKE house are hosting a cheese coney eating contest.  Here are some of the details…

• Start Time: The event begins at 2 PM.
• Location:  The PIKE house is located at 2711 Stratford Avenue, Cincinnati 45220.

Hundreds of coneys will be consumed, numerous beers will flood the gullets of sweaty bros in salmon-colored chinos, and I’ll be entirely grossed out and grateful I’ve reached adulthood.  In all things, moderation – especially cheese coneys.

The carbohydrate and chili-soaked event will raise money for a good cause.  The event benefits the Karen Wellington Memorial Foundation for LIVING with Breast Cancer, which provides vacations for families living through the nightmare of breast cancer.

Karen’s Foundation was started in 2007 in the memory of Karen Wellington, a young mom diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30 who passed away at age 40.  I work with Karen’s husband, Kent Wellington, who is a terrific person.

Karen’s Foundation has a fun-only mission (#FunNow).  While it was started in Cincinnati, Karen’s Foundation has chapters across the country.  Karen’s Foundation will be selling shirts for $20 and Growlers will be $25 (Venmo and cash only).  

If you want to learn more about Karen’s Foundation, please visit: http://www.karenwellingtonfoundation.com.

All for now.  Go Bearcats!

By Brian Fox

Finally one of these close games goes the way of the good guys! UC beat UConn in Connecticut 58-57, something the Bearcats haven’t been able to do in their last four trips to the XL Center.

​Gary Clark and Farad Cobb tied for a team high 13 points. Clark came up huge going 5 for 9 from the field with what would be the final winning bucket, complete with a swished free throw to secure the 1-point road win. He added 6 boards, 4 blocks, 3 assists, and even a 3-pointer. Clark is now 7 of 12 (60%) from beyond the arch on the year. This prized sophomore is turning into a monster at every facet of the game.

Troy Caupain had an off night and Shaq Thomas went down with what appeared to be a painful high ankle sprain. Nevertheless, the Cats grinded out a win at UConn with classic Cronin defense forcing 14 turnovers despite shooting just 38% for the game.

​This was a very fun game to watch, but in the back of our minds during crunch-time we have to admit it was not fun to think about how the games earlier this season turned against Butler, Iowa State, SMU, and Temple. Thankfully, this one turned out differently and is another quality W for the Mach Madness resume. UC and UConn both led for 17 minutes. The Huskies were held scoreless during the last 1 minute and 44 seconds, even having 3 chances to sink the winning bucket at the end after Clark’s gem.

Maybe we finally figured out how to win games in the clutch this season? Caupain was given the ball for a designed final play when we were down by 2. The play did not work. We can never forget Caupain’s drive and layup against Purdue last March, but this similar go-to play simply has not worked this season. Going to your sure-handed, 6’ 4”, 205 pound point guard for the final play makes sense logically. But maybe the well has run dry? With Clark easily using his size to make the game winning shot, will Cronin turn to this option in future close games?

​Next up – South Florida at home Thursday, February 4th at 8 pm. The 5 – 17 Bulls should not present any problems, although UC escaped with just a 3-point win earlier in January on the road. The Cats get seven days to rest and recoup.

By Andy Smith

​We are now 19 games into the 2015-2016 UC basketball season. The team stands at 13-6 and a painful 8th place in the American. The season high so far is a toss-up between losing in the final seconds to a highly ranked Iowa State team or beating VCU on the road. The season low has to be getting pummeled by Xavier at the Cintas Center.

​We had very high hopes coming into the season, returning stars like Octavius Ellis, Troy Caupain, and Gary Clark. However, quite frankly I have been more impressed by freshman forward Jacob Evans and three-point phenom Farad Cobb. So far Cobb leads the team in scoring with 227 total points, 12 points per game, shooting 43% from the field. Clark is leading with 9 boards per game. Gary has also made 5 of 9 attempted 3’s. As a team, the Bearcats are also shooting 70% from the charity stripe. However, with Evans shooting at 94% and Cobb at 86% this stat is a bit skewed.

​I hate to say it, but so far it is a season of “what ifs.” UC lost to Butler by a Roosevelt Jones buzzer beater layup. When is that guy ever going to graduate anyways? Likewise, the Cats lost to Iowa State at home and undefeated SMU on the road in the waning seconds. Then came Temple on the road in not one, but two overtime sessions. Indeed, what if the ball bounced a little differently in these games? We would be talking about a top-15 Bearcats squad easily.

This team is tremendously deep, with Cory DeBerry, Kevin Johnson, Jacob Evans, and even Quadri Moore contributing quality minutes. UC is also playing its cutthroat defense, giving up an average of 61 points on 38% shooting.

So what gives? UC has a problem closing out games in the second half. The team does not have a “go-to guy.” Cobb and Evans are tremendous shooters. However, both tend to be streaky, and neither takes shots late in close games. Whenever it comes down to a last shot, a play is almost always designed for point guard Troy Caupain. Caupain can drive and shoot free throws. But this team simply does not have a star player to close out games. We are missing a game changer/closer like Sean Kilpatrick.

All is not lost, however. This team still has plenty of potential for March. The Cats have scratched and clawed their way to very narrow defeats against quality top-15 opponents. Although some of the end results have been disappointing the process in getting there has been extremely fun to watch. Now it’s just a matter of continuing to grow, click, and learn how to capitalize in similar games later in the season and post-season. To make the NCAA tournament, the Cats are going to have to play better, if not flawless, basketball going forward.

Midterm Grade: C

By Andy Smith

The Bearcats cruised to a 76-57 victory against Tulsa today, largely off the precision shooting of Farad Cobb.  Cobb was 5 of 7 from three point range (3 of 4 in the first half) and provided a much needed boost to UC’s offense that has been Christmas-cold since the beginning of December.

 

UC featured a balanced offensive approach this game, distributing the points between Caupain (8 points), Johnson (7 points), and the indefatigable Quadri Moore (hat tip #QuadSquad). The Bearcats are now 11-4 on the season and 1-1 in the conference.

Tulsa limped into this game at 8-5, and 0-1 in the conference. Many expected a closer game, but the Bearcats’ defensive pressure and balanced scoring proved to be too much.

 

After the game, Farad Cobb said the team set a goal to get 40 deflections, and ended up with 38. That hustle statistic was corroborated by the optics on the court. The Bearcats looked hungry and seemed to play with more urgency.

Let’s hope their aggressive play continues against SMU. UC travels to Dallas to play them Thursday night.

By Brian Fox

Remember all those preseason predictions and polls pitting UC against Memphis in the first ever AAC championship game in December?  Yeah, last Thursday night was a big deal – an important road test for the sputtering Bearcats.  A test UC didn’t exactly pass with flying colors. 

Hayden Moore was forced into action last week against AAC rival Memphis in the second quarter when Gunner Kiel went down with a brutal blow to the head and upper body on a routine quarterback keeper. Just the week before Hayden Moore rallied the Cats to victory over Miami (OH) 37-33 after Gunner took a late hit to the shoulder. Sure, UC was favored by 20, had won the last 9 games against its little brother RedHawks, but this wasn’t the same Miami team. Miami played with a vengeance and had every right to win that game based on UC’s game management. It wasn’t pretty, but Hayden came in, rallied the troops, and got the W.  But now, where are we? And who is Hayden?

  
As you know, UC was favored to coast to an AAC championship and possibly get a New Year’s Day bowl bid…with a healthy Gunner Kiel…and assuming the defense was passable.  Those preseason predictions, however, are not reflective of present realities, and have created burdensome expectations. 

After escaping Oxford, Ohio with a win, us fans got a hint of what redshirt freshman Moore, who has never started a collegiate game, is capable of. Most assumed he was supposed to sit his first three years on campus behind do-everything, all-star, 5-star, former #1 QB recruit Gunner Kiel, right? He was supposed to get the Aaron Rodger’s (Favre-back-up) treatment, not the treatment any number of Browns quarterbacks experience, right? WRONG!

  
Last Thursday, against the then 3-0 Memphis Tigers, Hayden got the call again. What did he do? HE BROKE 9 SCHOOL RECORDS, went 31-53, threw for 557 yards, and had 4 TDs. UC lost, but not because of Hayden. Moore literally did everything we could possibly ask from him and more.

During Tuesday’s press conference, when asked about Hayden’s performance, Tubs said “I’m still amazed. In three quarters he did that. I was proud. I talked to him on the sideline and when I went over to him after the second drive and he’s smiling and grinning and I’m thinking: This kid has lost his mind.”

#8 Hayden Moore is calm, cool, and collected. He throws a good ball, loves the deep routes, and can run. In his limited action, the Moore-to-Morrison connection is developing and is fun to watch. Remember Friday Night Lights? Dillon Panthers all-star QB Jason Street goes down and none other than backup Matt Saracen comes in to save the season. The current UC quarterback situation is indeed reminiscent of this fantastic TV series, albeit without Buddy or Lyla Garrity. 

UC stands at 2-2, but there is plenty of room to still salvage this season and have an even better result than last year. Tubs has made it clear Gunner is the best quarterback on this team and will not lose his starting position due to injury. During his extended absence and recovery, it appears we are in good hands. Here is a little more background on this talented, young QB. 

Be sure to tune into ESPN Thursday night at 7:30 pm EDT when the Bearcats take on the Miami Hurricanes at Nippert. The game is the first blackout under the Under Armour era. President Ono is giving away 6,000 “the ruckus” T-shirts to the students beginning at 5:30 pm EDT. These things run $30 retail so show up! This is an hour earlier than the gates normally open. Oh, and UC is finally breaking out the much loved all black uniforms. 

   
 Hayden beat one Miami this year. Can he make it two?

 By Andy Smith

Today’s press luncheon was packed with local media. Obviously the expectations for this season are through the roof. And Nippert has been #remixed, #renovated, and #refurbished!

 
After the pretzel sandwiches (not pictured), Gunner took to the podium to discuss the upcoming game…

But before I talk football, I’ve got to be honest – I’m taken by how normal Gunner seems. He has been a star quarterback much of his life; he’s stood out from the crowd growing up in Southern Indiana; he was the number one pro-style QB recruit in the Jameis Winston class; and his name is Gunner. Gunner. Yet he appears to be down to earth, even boyish and charming. 

Transitioning to football-speak: Gunner emphasized “accountability” and “buy-in” from the team, and said that this year could/should be special. He also said that he’s far more prepared this season than he was last year. Recall that last season was his first season on the field in over two years – so he really was younger than his age (and reputation) may have let on.

  

In a press conference Coach Tuberville jokingly labelled “Truthful Tuesday,” Tuberville spoke candidly about Gunner’s performance last season, saying that his play should have been graded at a C or C+. Tuberville remarked that Munchie Legeaux provided a crutch for Gunner to lean upon in too many games last year. Tuberville emphasized that Gunner must improve and finish games this season.

Tuberville also noted that the defense is better, but that he continues to challenge them in team meetings and publicly in front of the media. He believes the athleticism and talent level of this defensive unit is superior to last season, despite the loss of Jeff Luc and others. 

  
During Truthful Tuesday’s remarks, Tuberville also said that he thinks other large programs will now want to play in remodeled Nippert. He quipped that larger programs might be interested in traveling to Clifton if they aren’t too afraid to schedule the Bearcats. Translation: I doubt we’ll see Ohio State darkening the wrought iron doorways of Nippert anytime soon. 

The Bearcats also revealed the first look at their uniforms for the opener against Alabama A&M. This Saturday, the Bearcats will wear black jerseys with white pants. Tuberville spent a good portion of his remarks describing the beneficial relationship with Under Armour. He advocated that, while the University’s relationship with UA is financially beneficial, it has also provided UC with a local recruiting advantage of late. You may recall that this isn’t Tuberville’s first dance with UA – his Texas Tech Red Raiders wore UA uniforms when UA was a smaller company. 

Here’s the bottom line friends:

(1) Nippert was a jewel before the renovations – now it looks even better; 

(2) Gunner Kiel is poised for a Tony Pike-like season (next fall Gunner could be a Heisman hopeful);

(3) The defense may even be okay; 

(4) Tommy Tuberville might be one of the best salesman I’ve ever met; 

(5) The University of Cincinnati is the #HottestCollegeInAmerica. 

Go Bearcats! Go football! Go September!

By Brian Fox

Culture.  Comraderie.  Collaboration.  Camp.  

For any football team, camp is a bonding experience.  Each year the Bearcats pack up the trailer and hit the road, heading up to the friendly confines of Camp Higher Ground in West Harrison, Indiana, just across the border.  A different state, and this year’s Bearcat squad hopes to feature a different state of mind.

  
Last season the Bearcats played well.  Not great.  Not awful.  Well.  This year they could be great – 2009 great…or even better?

Yesterday the Bearcats Sports Radio squad stopped by to look and listen into the practice.  I won’t regale you with every detail of the sweltering practice, nor will I write an article that helps other squads with their scouting reports.  Instead, I’ll pass along to my most loyal readers a few takeaways…

  
Our older guys are taking ownership of this squad early on.  That’s not good news, that’s great news.  I watched Parker Ehinger, Chris Moore, Mekale McKay, Alex Chisum, and Gunner Kiel all provide direction, reprimand, and encouragement to the younger guys.  While I didn’t personally observe it, Coach Tuberville told me that Silverberry Mouhon is doing that on the defensive side of the ball.  It is critical for any team that wants to be successful to have older players lead. I think this team has that.

  
Gunner looks crisp.  He looks healthy.  He has midseason velocity on his throws.  It is evident that he spent some time working on his game this summer.  More than that, he is leading – he coaches the younger quarterbacks, he cuts up with his linemen, and it looks like he’s pointing out protection package tweaks.  Guess what?  That’s what all of the smart, elite quarterbacks do.  He has even developed some NBA-esque handshakes with some of his linemen.

  
Beyond Gunner, Hayden Moore looks great, too.  He looks like he could start for any other AAC team.  Luke Wright, the apparent number 3 QB, also looks pretty good so far.  

Then, there’s highly touted Ross Trail.  Boy did he get lucky by committing to play for Cincinnati.  He has no pressure to immediately perform, and will get a front row seat to observe one of the best college quarterbacks in the game.  I was watching him throw the ball in drills, and was really impressed at his mechanics.  You can tell he was well coached in high school.  However, like any other freshman quarterback, he had some difficulty adjusting to the speed of the game during the scrimmage portions of practice.  Coach Tuberville told me that it can sometimes take a young quarterback, even one with impeccable mechanics, a year or so before they understand the offensive packages and adjust to the speed.  Bottom line is I’m bullish on young Ross Trail, and think he could develop into a fine quarterback one day.

  
The wide receiving corp on this Bearcats team might be the finest anywhere, in any conference.  Yeah, I just said that.  Chris Moore absolutely blew my mind on a go route yesterday, demonstrating that he has gears defenders will not have this year.  Mekale McKay is big, pretty, quick, and liable to do some real damage to secondaries this season.  Alex Chisum is reliable, mature, and a leader.  Shaq is quick, shifty, and hungry.  Johnny Holton, when he needs to, can outrun a fox through a forest fire.  Max Morrison is steady and a trusty target.  Am I leaving anyone out?  Probably – the depth is unreal.

Oh, and then you’ve got great running backs in Mike Boone and Tion Green.  Both of them looked great.  On an interception, Tion Green flat leveled a member of the defensive squad – I think he wants to compete!  Coach Tuberville was impressed, early on, with young Joshuwa Holloman’s speed.

  
Hope.  It’s a tricky thing because it can absolutely leave you devastated sometimes.  But it’s worth having, and worth fighting for.  I have an abundance of it right now with this team.  

And Tommy Tuberville has me believing in him, his system, and this squad.  I try to not to read too much into every little statement, but, in remarking on the younger guys at camp, he said: “I look forward to watching these young guys grow.”  Sounds like he’s settling into the Queen City.   

Go Bearcats!  Lessssss gooooooo!

By Brian Fox