Looking at the rest of the schedule it does have some spots that will be tough, especially the next five games starting Tuesday, when they get SMU at home, followed by Houston at home, at Wichita State, at UCONN, and home against Memphis. That is the epitome of brutal. Call me naive, but minus the weird exception that is Colgate, the Bearcats are just a different animal at Fifth Third Arena compared to on the road, and because of that I just can’t convince myself that they will lose at home to anybody. If that stands true then were looking at wins over SMU, Houston, Memphis, Wichita State, Temple and UCF those home wins would go along way towards March Madness. I don’t think the Bearcats get tripped up at UCONN, ECU, or USF. What would these future scenarios mean? It would mean the Bearcats would sit at 21-7 without taking into account the road games at Houston and at Wichita State. Those are both the biggest road games remaining on the schedule and both places look to be very tough on opponents. If UC could find a way to win either one of those games they’d enter the American tourney with a 22-8 record. With the current state of college basketball and everyone losing to everyone all season, I have to believe 22-8 with the ability to add to it during the tournament, and signature wins over Houston, Memphis, Tennessee, and Wichita State, the Bearcats would once again be dancing in March.
Yes, I know with the minimum 12 games remaining (11 reg season, 1 AAC tournament game) absolutely anything can happen and it’s possible UC drops a game they shouldn’t like South Florida on the road, or they stumble at home against Houston like they did last year and all of this will have been for nothing.
I will end on this, regardless of how this season finishes, tournament no tournament, and regardless of the insanity of the Colgate/Bowling Green/Tulane losses, how fun was that Temple game? With Brannen’s system offensively and defensively becoming more and more potent by the game and a finally 100% healthy and locked in Jarron Cumberland (more on his resurgence in a soon the be written post) this Bearcats team is finally starting to feel like years past where they can play with anybody in the country. My only wish for UC fans, my wife included, is that they appreciate what this program has gone through in the last 6-7 months and recognize how crazy it is that this entirely new staff and taped together roster even has a chance at another 20 win season and post season appearance. Basketball is supposed to be fun, and as maddening as it can be on Twitter when everyone acts like the world is ending on every missed opportunity, when Jarron is throwing alley-oops of the glass at Fifth Third Arena, its a beautiful game. Here’s to a great final month and a half of basketball.
