When it comes to NCAA Tournament predictions, the Cincinnati Bearcats are as "on the bubble" as a team can get. With 6 games remaining, tonight's contest against the South Florida Bulls - another NCAA bubble team - is nothing short of a must-win contest.
Cincinnati (15-9, 6-6 Big East) heads to Tampa tonight to face the USF Bulls (15-9, 5-7) in a Big East rematch. The Bearcats defeated the Bulls on January 20 by a score of 78-70, but this came is a different matchup altogether. The Bulls have played some of the best basketball in the conference since the last contest, firmly securing their place on the NCAA Tourney bubble. The Bearcats, however, have lost two straight games against the Bulls in the Sun Dome.
USF has lost two straight - at Notre Dame and at Marquette - after putting together its first-ever four-game Big East winning streak, knocking off Providence, Seton Hall, Pitt and Georgetown. They boast one of the conference's best scorers in Dominique Jones (21.6 ppg). When USF loses, its because Jones has been shut down.
The Bearcats are coming off a monumental win on the road against UConn (who this weekend defeated No. 3 Syracuse). Cronin's team, however, has only won two road games all year.
The Bearcats finish the season at USF, home against Marquette and DePaul, and then at WVU, home against Villanova before finishing the season at Georgetown. Realistically, to earn a berth in the Big Dance, the 'Cats are going to have to win the next three games and pull out a major upset in one of their final games.
With such a difficult schedule, coach Cronin looks to avoid the horrible meltdowns his teams have suffered the last two years Last year, the Bearcats lost six of their last seven, including a crushing defeat to DePaul in the opening round of the Big East Tournament, and were left out of the postseason altogether despite being 17-8 with 6 games to go.
Last year was the third straight year under Mick Cronin that UC finished in a deep slump. In 2007-08, the Bearcats lost their last seven games. And in 2006-07, they lost 11 of their last 12.
While Cronin insists that the last two years have no bearing on this season, Bearcats Nation remembers all too well the seasons since Bob Huggins' ouster.
Cronin has a chance at redemption, starting tonight in Tampa.
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