Cincy on the Prowl
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Mick Cronin On Loss To UConn “The Game Was Taken Away From Us”

By Chris Bains

Mar 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin yells from the bench in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies during the AAC Tournament at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin yells from the bench in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies during the AAC Tournament at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mick Cronin didn’t mince words or waste much time in his postgame press conference following Cincinnati’s quadruple overtime loss to the UConn Huskies in their opening round of the AAC Tournament 104-97. Sure he was quick to congratulate Kevin Ollie and his team who came away with perhaps the hardest fought victory either team would have had this season.

However, Mick’s criticisms of the refs knew no bounds. Literally his second sentence out of his mouth was “the game was taken away from us” by the zebras, if I’m finishing it for him. He went on to elaborate that the shot Jalen Adams took to tie the game at 88 in the third overtime couldn’t have possibly been done in less than 0.8 seconds. His reasoning, and it’s a good one, is that the clock didn’t start on time and that was the officials didn’t review at the monitor, as they should because, you know, OVERTIME RULES.

Additionally, late in the fourth overtime, those same officials missed Amida Brimah blatantly shoving Kevin Johnson to the floor as he was going for the ball. Mick didn’t speak about that but you have to figure that’s weighing on him as well.

So I get Mick’s beef. As the players tired after multiple overtimes, so too did the officials and the clock operator, it seems, which isn’t something you’d expect in such a high stakes situation as the AAC Tournament. That may also be one of the reasons why, as Mick puts it, “the conference doesn’t get as much respect by the people on TV.”

Regardless, I highly encourage you to watch the entirety of his post game presser because Mick Cronin verbally abusing anyone and everyone in his way is just good ol’ fashioned entertainment.

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