One team that may be a bit underrated this season are Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati Bearcats. With their head coach sidelined for a significant portion of last season for health reasons the Bearcats still managed to reach the NCAA tournament, falling to Kentucky in the round of 32, and many of the key contributors are back.
Sunday afternoon the Bearcats moved to 2-0 on the season with a decisive 106-44 win over Robert Morris, using the combination of a balanced offensive attack and some stifling defense to get the job done. Guard Farad Cobb led eight double-digit scorers with 15 points, and point guards Troy Caupain and Justin Jenifer were responsible for nine points and one turnover apiece.
Thirty-two of their 38 field goals were of the assisted variety, and the Bearcats scored 52 points in the paint while also converting 29 Robert Morris turnovers into 36 points.
Two of those 36 points came on an impressive Shaq Thomas windmill during the second half, which can be seen above. While SMU and UConn have received an ample amount of attention when it comes to projecting the American Athletic Conference race, Cincinnati will be heard from as well. They’ll face tougher opposition than Sunday (or Friday’s win over Western Carolina, for that matter), but the Bearcats have more than enough talent and experience to make a statement nationally this season.
Video credit: Cincinnati Bearcats
