New Mexico 63, Cincinnati 54: Lobos Give Bearcats Fits In The Pit
By Chris Bains
Nov 26, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin instructs his team during the first half of the game against the Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bearcats were exposed this afternoon. With Justin Jackson as UC’s only real threat in the low post on the roster, this team had a whale of a time slowing down New Mexico’s Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk. The pair combined for 39 points and 18 rebounds for the Lobos and completely dismantled anything the Bearcats threw at them in the paint. Unfortunately Justin Jackson was just outmatched today. He couldn’t guard both Bairstow and Kirk at the same time and got very little help from Titus Rubles defensively. New Mexico’s dominance down low essentially proved what we had feared this season; Cincinnati’s lack of post depth would create major problems for the Bearcats when they faced a team with a legitimate front court presence. That’s what happened today and UC lost.
Additionally the Bearcats just couldn’t get anything going offensively, much of it attributed to UC’s inability assert themselves down low. The first half was defined by errant threes, layups that would bounce around the rim, and missed jumpers. Cincinnati shot a season-low 29.5% from the field and 25% from three overall today. That’s just not going to get it done against a team the caliber of New Mexico. We saw some good things out of this team offensively such as fluid ball movement and selective shooting during their 7-game winning streak to start the season. Hopefully this performance against the Lobos is simply an outlier.
The Bearcats have a week off before taking on those dastardly Xavier Musketeers at US Bank Arena in the Crosstown
Classic
Shootout next Saturday night.