Even after the firing of Bob Huggins this was a game I had circled — and not just because the wife is a Cinci alum. This would be a match-up between two teams known for strong, physical defense and general play. If there was really going to be anything beyond contrivance to the “River City Rivalry,” it would start with the basketball teams.
Then of course, after Huggy-bear got fired things managed to keep getting worse. The team had a couple kids not qualify academically (or have issues with law enforcement). The school just brought in a new Athletic Director after the old one retired. Adam Kennedy has the interim head coach label, and knowing he won’t get the job and that recruiting isn’t going to happen, has done a fantastic job of circling the wagons and getting this team not to quit (even more amazing when you contrast that to the St. Bonaventure adventures a few years ago — culminating on the players quite literally quitting the team).
The team has continued to keep playing despite the continuing shrinking of depth — the loss of one of their best players and leader Senior Forward Armein Kirkland to a blown ACL in early January. They now have 2 players from the football team playing regular minutes, and they still have depth issues.
The depth-challenged Bearcats received another blow when Scott Benken suffered an elbow injury in practice requiring surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Benken, a non-scholarship player at Wake Forest in 2002-03 and 2003-04 prior to transferring to UC, joined the Bearcats as a walk-on on Jan. 17. Two members of the Bearcats’ football program, Connor Barwin and Angelo Craig, joined the team as walk-ons on Jan. 11. Barwin, a tight end in football, has been the most productive.
Craig hasn’t played yet and Barwin averages around 8 minutes a game. Cinci has its five starters averaging a minimum of 24 minutes a game. Only one bench player plays double digit minutes. Heck, a walk-on Freshman actually saw some time in their last game.
On top of that, the other top assistant and recruiter, Keith LaGree, had been busted for drunk driving in the fall. Considering what had gone down the year before with Huggins, LaGree was pressured to resign. This led to breaking in a new assistant, former Bearcat star, Corie Blount.
Cinci won their last game against Louisville at home, but with costs. Two starters — #1 and #2 in scoring — James White and Eric Hicks had to leave with injuries. Hicks is also the leading rebounder and White is #3. Hicks suffered a concussion just before halftime, and White sprained his ankle late in the game. Both had to sit out practices, but both have been cleared and are expected to play.
Before Wednesday’s practice, Hicks passed an impact test, clearing him for practice. He participated in the Bearcats’ light practice, despite suffering from headaches on-and-off since Monday night.
“I passed all the tests,” Hicks said. “They’re tests where you see if you’ve got your memory and reaction time. They give you a list of colors, then make you click on numbers back from 25 and then you have to remember the colors and words.”
James White, who left the game late in the game with a sprained ankle, sat out the practice.
UC coach Andy Kennedy said both should be ready for Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh.
Hicks suffered a sprained ankle last month at Marquette and it has been aggravated several times since then.
“It’s still swollen; what can I do?” Hicks said. “I don’t have time to rest. I’ve got to walk to class. It just needs time to rest, but I’ve just got to deal with.”
White was in the locker room getting treatment before Wednesday’s practice and was unavailable to the media. Hicks said White’s ankle was “as big as a grapefruit.”
“It was like mine was after Marquette,” Hicks said. “Plus he’s so skinny, so it looks bigger. The top half of (my ankle) is still fat.”
Pitt meanwhile is healthy and looking to continue it’s run of perfection at home. Since Kirkland went down for Cinci, the road has been extremely inhospitable. They are 0-5 on the road including the UConn game.
Big East Basketball report favors Pitt, because of the depth, home and the nagging injuries to Hicks and White.
I have to admit a lot of unease. I guess it’s because there is no excuse for Pitt not to win this game. At the same time, it feels something like a trap game. I guess something about the situation feels a bit like the St. John’s game. A tough, physical team with little depth looking to make a statement. Luckily, this game is at home. Pitt is favored by 8.5 points.
