The recorded attendance Saturday afternoon, as Cincinnati beat Bradley 74-57 in the Second Round of the NIT, was 4,732. Besides a small pocket of Bradley fans right behind the Braves bench, Fifth Third Arena’s lower bowl was packed with Bearcats fans Saturday afternoon. And all those fans are clearly invested in this run the Bearcats are making the in this year’s NIT.
Wes Miller took a minute in his postgame interview with Dan Hoard and Terry Nelson to thank all the fans that came to the game Saturday afternoon. He said he deeply appreciated the support even though the Bearcats aren’t playing in the NCAA Tournament. Miller added that he knows the NCAA Tournament is the expectation at Cincinnati, but he talked after the game about how this team is playing for a championship and said how proud of he was of Dan Skillings Jr.’s comment that Cincinnati plays basketball in March.
Cincinnati will now advance to the NIT Quarterfinals for a second straight season, where they will face a really good Indiana State team. The Sycamores just missed in getting to their first NCAA Tournament since 2011 and have 30 wins this season along with a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship.
Here are my 12 Big Things from the Bearcats Second Round win over Bradley in the NIT.
12 Big Things
1. Jizzle James made his first start of his college basketball career on Saturday, and he showed everything we have thought about him this season in a career-high 38 minutes. James scored a career-high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor, including two threes. He also had an assist, block and a steal.
2. What I like most about James is that everything he does on the court helps the Bearcats. He plays smart, he plays hard and aggressive, he can score, he brings tremendous energy and he doesn’t turn the ball over often.
3. James is the most exciting player to wear the Bearcats uniform since… Jarron Cumberland? Ever since Cumberland left, we’ve been waiting for the next dynamic, game-changing player to wear the Bearcats uniform. Maybe James is going to be that guy. It still may be too early to tell, but James’s performance Saturday afternoon could be a sign of what’s to come throughout his Bearcats career.
4. My favorite stat of the season, that I heard from Dan Hoard Saturday afternoon, illustrates how James does little to hurt the Bearcats. James’s lone personal foul Saturday gave him just 36 on the season over 33 games played. Not only does James play hard, but he stays out of foul trouble. That only means more minutes on the court, which the Bearcats need from James.
5. The 17-point win for the Bearcats is their third win by double digits in their last six games. Cincinnati may be playing its best basketball of the season, even if they aren’t playing in the NCAA Tournament.
6. It’s always great when you’re able to put your walk-ons and the end of your bench in postseason games. Landen Long, Chase Kirkwood, Sage Tolentino and CJ Anthony all got into the game in the final minutes.
