How much can you take away from one game? In football, you can take away a lot. But not in basketball. There are so many games.
That’s why the ugliness, at times, of tonight’s grinding-it-out win for the Bearcats over UIC is okay because a win is a win.
But even in just one game, I have some takeaways from just this game alone that some, hopefully, will develop into characteristics of this team.
Here are five takeaways from tonight’s 69-58 Bearcats win over UIC.
1. CJ Frederick is as advertised
I remember the first time I saw CJ Frederick was when the Bearcats played Iowa in the Legends Showcase in December 2019. Frederick led the Hawkeyes with 21 points in a 77-70 Iowa win, and I remember thinking how much I wished the Bearcats had a player like him on their team. A sharp shooter that could be the reason why the Bearcats win games.
On Monday night, he was just that for the Bearcats. He swished his first bucket attempt (a three from the right corner) as a Bearcat with 11:30 left in the first half, and that was a sign of what was to come for the rest of the night. The Covington, Kentucky native finished with 11 points (all in the first half) on four of eight shooting (including 3-6 from three) while also adding two rebounds, assists and steals.
