Cincinnati 65, SMU 57: Bearcats Corral Mustangs At Free Throw Line

Jan 1, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Justin Jackson (5) reacts after getting a basket and a foul during the first half of the game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports /

For the second straight game, Cincinnati buried their opponent by hitting clutch free throws. That would have been darn near miraculous a couple of seasons ago but this UC team really knows how to put away a team. The Bearcats will always play great defense and, as frustrating as it sounds, reliably unreliable offense. But if Cincinnati can consistently drive hard to the rim, draw fouls, and shoot almost 75% from the free throw line (and 83% like against Nebraska), UC is going to win a lot of “grind ’em out” games this year.

The MVP this evening, as has been the case several times this season, was Justin Jackson. The 6’8″ lightning bolt had an amazing 5 blocks in the first half, tying a season high, and paced all players with 17 points. He was a rock for Cincinnati in the low post, keeping Yanick Moreira in check. The 6’11” center had just 2 points tonight.

As a team, Cincinnati got it done by shutting down SMU’s offense. The Bearcats forced an incredible 17 turnovers due to a tight half-court defense and an extremely disruptive press. The Mustangs are a solid offensive team and really looked out of sorts with the ball in their hands trying to dissect UC’s defense. It was a performance we’ve come to expect out of Mick Cronin’s squad which is, by the way, appearing to gel nicely this season.

Up next for the Cincinnati Bearcats are the Memphis Tigers at noon on Saturday.