Cincinnati Basketball: UC Beats George Washington 61-56, Wins Barclays Center Classic

UC’s defense clamped down for the second straight game to deliver a 61-56 win over the George Washington Colonials and the Bearcats the Barclays Center Classic trophy.

Cincinnati struggled early keeping George Washington in check from beyond the three point line. The Colonials hit a remarkable 8-of-10 shots from three to propel them to a 30-27 lead at halftime. But that was just about all they were doing. The Bearcats’ tall and physical front court made mincemeat of George Washington’s big men, forcing them to take outside shots. It was simply unfortunate that they were able to knock them down at the rate they did. Or it was simply poor UC defense.

Either way, Cincinnati made the necessary adjustments after halftime to stymie the Colonials from long range. George Washington managed just three more treys in 12 attempts in the 2nd half. Of course the Bearcats’  continued their merciless ways in the paint, allowing them to shoot just 29% from inside the arc.

All of that combined to prevent the Colonials from expanding their lead, allowing Cincinnati’s offense to finally overtake them at the seven minute mark by way of Farad Cobb’s three. From that point onward it was a good ol’ fashioned rock fight, like against Nebraska last night, during which UC and George Washington traded points until the Bearcats clamped down late. With a minute and a half to play, Cincinnati forced three poor shots from the Colonials, allowing the shooters to complete their win at the free throw line and a walk away with the Barclays Center Classic trophy.

Seven games into the season it’s clear the Bearcats are better offensively than last year but they’ll still have times where they will struggle with the ball in their hands, especially against the zone. But the fact that they can always lean on their defense, especially to clamp down late, should instill a calm in the fan base.