It’s beating a dead horse stating that Mick Cronin’s offense is perhaps the most vanilla in college basketball let alone the Big East. I know it, you know it (or at least you should), and at this point I’m pretty sure even Mick knows it. As such the Bearcats have zero margin for error with the ball in their hands. So when you gloss over the box score it’s no surprise that the 21 turnovers will stand out to you as the driver of this beatdown at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals. Cincinnati gave the ball away more tonight than they have in over two years when they turned the ball over 22 times against St. John’s on January 13th, 2010. Not surprisingly, UC lost that game too.
This evening on Big Monday the Bearcats laid a dinosaur-sized egg on national television and the entire country was able to witness a team that was outclassed in nearly every aspect of the game. UC lost by 16 to a Cardinals squad that understands how to generate points, plays opportunistic full-court defense, and whose ebb and flow on offense far surpasses what Cincinnati has to offer. It’s no wonder that in over a month one has maintained their status near the top of the Big East and the other has plummeted.
The silver lining tonight was that Cashmere Wright, despite behind hampered by a shoulder tweak late in the first half, seemed to have returned to his old self. He was 3 – 5 from three point land and shot 55% from the field, the highest percentage since shooting 73% against DePaul on January 15th. Cash is banged up but he’ll battle through it and do what it takes to lead this team to victory.