The Cincinnati Bearcats are easily the most disrespected, unnoticed team with a 12-0 record in recent memory. Don't expect them to complain, though.
Admittedly, many of the Bearcats' (12-0/0-0) wins thus far have come against teams that sound more like high schools (St. Francis) than NCAA caliber basketball programs. Apparently beating weak opponents, however, is only a blemish on the record of Cincinnati. Louisville lost to Drexel (not Clyde Drexler...Drexel University) but they are ranked #22. Illinois lost to the University of Illinois-Chicago but remains ranked #23. (Note: UIC has lost to Valpo, Illinois State, Akron, Charleston and Northern Illinois. Apparently the only Illinois team that it can beat is the Illini).
But still, the University of Cincinnati remains unranked. Not just unranked; the only undefeated, unranked team.
Nevertheless, no amount of lobbying or protestations by UC players or fans will change the Cats' unranked status. The only way back into the good graces of the "all-knowing" members of the AP is to win in the Big East Conference.
Starting tonight, the Bearcats have the chance to show the nation that their 12-0 record is really as impressive as it looks on paper. Cincinnati faces DePaul University (6-6/0-0) tonight in their first Big East matchup of the season. The Blue Demons are starting over under first-year coach Oliver Purnell, the former Clemson and Dayton coach who won his 400th career game last week. He takes over a program that has won only two Big East games in the last two years.
Bearcats players see tonight as their first chance to bolster their reputation. “We’re just taking it as we have to earn respect,” UC forward Yancy Gates said. “We know that some of the teams that we beat aren’t known. Some of the team that we beat, we didn’t know of.”
But they know the Big East. And they know that DePaul has had a tough two years. They also remember losing to a Blue Demon team two years ago in the Big East tournament that had gone 0-18 in the league during the regular season.
A win by UC over DePaul tonight might just be enough to resume their position as a ranked team. Another loss like two years ago? Well, maybe that schedule wasn't so strong after all.
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