Friday is a big day for Creighton Bluejays basketball. Like every other team in the NCAA tournament, the Jays will begin a quest for a national championship. It starts with a game against Cincinnati, an ironic choice of opponent given today’s impending announcement.
The Bearcats are currently in the Big East Conference. And by lunch time Wednesday, the Bluejays will seemingly take Cincinnati’s place in the conference, thanks to the shifting landscape in televised college athletics. UC plays D-I football; the schools in the newly reconfigured Big East do not. One of the most notable conferences in the country will bring Creighton, Xavier, and Butler into the fold; those schools join holdovers Marquette, Providence, Georgetown, Seton Hall, DePaul, St. John’s, and Villanova in a hoops-first league July 1, 2013.
ANYWAY… back to the NCAA tournament. While we prepare for the game on Friday afternoon (approx. 1:45 p.m. CT, CBS), we turn to Bill Koch, who covers the Bearcat beat for the Cincinnati Enquirer. He helps us get a little more information about Cincinnati.
White & Blue Review: Cincinnati got in as a No. 10 seed. Do you think they received a fair seed? How consistent has this team been this season?
Bill Koch: A No. 10 seed is probably about right for Cincinnati considering that it lost seven of its last 11 games. The Bearcats were very consistent in the pre-conference season when they won their first 12 games, but were 9-9 in the Big East, so I guess that indicates a lack of consistency. Of course, the competition in the Big East is among the best in the country, so that must be taken into consideration.
WBR: What kind of expectations were there when the season started? Did they meet or exceed those expectations?
BK: Expectations were high as the season started considering that Cincinnati returned three starters from a Sweet 16 team and was ranked as high as No. 8 nationally at one point in December. The Bearcats were picked to finish fourth in the Big East and finished ninth, so yes, the results were disappointing.
WBR: Who do the Creighton fans need to look out for that will likely make a big impact in the game?
BK: Junior guard Sean Kilpatrick is Cincinnati’s leading scorer. When he gets hot from long range he can be a scoring machine, but lately he has had trouble finding open looks because opposing defenses know that if they shut him down they have an excellent chance of winning.
WBR: What kind of weaknesses does Cincinnati have that Creighton could take advantage of.
BK: Cincinnati endures long scoring droughts that have been very costly as they were in the Big East tournament against Georgetown. In that game, the Bearcats recovered from a 14-point deficit in the first half to take a two-point lead early in the second only to be outscored 31-10 the rest of the way. The biggest problem offensively is a lack of front-line scoring.
WBR: Are there any indications that the Bearcats could be looking past Creighton and thinking more about a possible matchup with Duke on Sunday? How hard is it to take things one game at a time?
BK: Having finished the regular season on less than a high note, it’s doubtful that this team would overlook anyone, especially a team with a player as talented as Doug McDermott.
WBR: With the conference realignment things going on, how are people reacting to the way the Big East was split up and what are your thoughts on Cincinnati and the teams that are left to have a different league name? What kind of impact will this new group (new Big East or the other remaining teams) have on the game in the next few years?
BK: Cincinnati fans are distraught over the breakup of the Big East, which has been a boon to the entire athletic program but in particular the football team, which played in two BCS bowl games because of its affiliation with the Big East. I think it would be safe to say there is a sense of panic among the fans about which league Cincinnati will end up in, with the hope that the ACC eventually will come calling.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What will the Bearcats need to do in order to advance to the Round of 32?
BK: This is a tough game to get a handle on because of McDermott, but I think Cincinnati will win because its offense might get a chance to score in transition, which is where it’s at its best. The Bearcats have a very good defense and are an excellent rebounding team that has faced better competition throughout the year than Creighton. That could pay off in the tournament.