When the NCAA tournament pairings flashed over the television screen Sunday, Cincinnati players started celebrating.
Not because they had earned a No. 3 seed and drawn 14th-seeded Butler in the first round. Not because they’d be playing in Grant Hill’s house at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan.
The Bearcats rejoiced because Xavier, their bitter crosstown rival, had been placed in the same half of the Midwest Regional. That meant they could meet in the Sweet 16 in San Antonio.
It’s hard for Cincinnati players not to be consumed by thoughts of retribution. After suffering through a disappointing season, Cincinnati has several axes to grind.
“We realize now it’s do-or-die,” All-American forward Danny Fortson said. “We talked a lot at the beginning of the year. Now it’s time to put up.”
The Bearcats finished the season with 25 victories and seven losses. But four of the seven were double-digit defeats, and one was a home-court loss to Xavier. And of the 25 victories, not one came against a ranked opponent. Not too impressive for a team that was ranked No. 1 in some preseason polls.
Add the fact that seven Bearcats have been suspended or benched during the season and it makes you wonder if coach Bob Huggins could use a dose of Prozac.
“One day we’re on the same page, the next day, it’s bad,” guard Melvin Levett said. “If we’re on the same page, I don’t think there’s a team in the country that can beat us.”
Butler (23-9) shouldn’t put up much of a fight, but the winner of Illinois State-Iowa State will have different ideas. The Cyclones (20-8) led the Big 12 in scoring defense (59 points a game), and the youthful but savvy Redbirds (24-5) are coming off a Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship.
Youth is a trademark of the other side of the bracket. Seventh-seeded Xavier (22-5) is led by first-team all-Atlantic 10 guards Gary Lumpkin and Lenny Brown. Both are sophomores.
UCLA, driven by four members of its 1995 NCAA championship team–Charles O’Bannon, Toby Bailey, Cameron Dollar and J.R. Henderson–is experienced, except on the bench. First-year coach Steve Lavin, 32, is a mere decade older than some of his players.
Lavin and the Bruins (21-7) managed to save their season after a 48-point loss to Stanford, but the real work lies ahead.
As Fortson said, it’s time to put up.
