Cincinnati 72, Marshall 56: Bearcats Corral Thundering Herd

Scouting this game the word on the Thundering Herd was that they were strong on the glass behind dominating seniors Dennis Tinnon and Nigel Spikes who each average close to 10 boards per game. They play very physically in the paint and make it tough on other teams to match up with them man-to-man. But Cincinnati shut them down behind excellent ball movement that kept them out of position. On the night Tinnon and Spikes picked up 7 and 6 boards respectively, both among their lows for the year. Overall Cincinnati out hustled them on nearly every possession and made them non-factors. That was a huge part of the win today.

Even more impressive is that UC didn’t shoot nearly as well from beyond the arc as they usually do and still put up 72 points. Sean Kilpatrick shot just 25% from three point land and Cashmere Wright was just 5 – 13 from the field. Still strong defense, a suffocating press, and excellent passing allowed the Bearcats to overcome some rough shooting to down Marshall on the road.