January 11, 2007
Associated Press CINCINNATI - At times this season, senior forward Cedric McGowan has looked at the scoreboard and wondered how much worse it can get.
Cincinnati isn't used to such pessimism.
The Bearcats (9-6, 0-1 Big East) are paying the price for the ill-timed ouster of coach Bob Huggins and the decision to use an interim coach for last season. A stripped-bare roster with little height, depth or experience is having trouble keeping up.
"In certain games, you just look up and at the time it seems like it's getting rougher and rougher," said McGowan, the only returning starter.
The roughest part might be ahead.
A 9-3 start led to hope that the Bearcats might not be as bad as expected. They won games with tough defense and the emergence of freshman guard Deonta Vaughn as a scoring threat.
The last three games have reminded everyone of where things stand.
Cincinnati has lost to Ohio, Memphis and Rutgers by double-digits. The 33-point loss at Memphis was their most lopsided defeat since the 1987-88 season, which is becoming a reference point.
The Bearcats finished 11-17 that season, their second-to-last under coach Tony Yates. Cincinnati hasn't had a losing season since then.
Huggins took over in 1989 and led the Bearcats to 16 straight postseason appearances - the first two in the NIT, then 14 straight in the NCAA Tournament. He was forced out shortly before the 2005-06 season, when interim coach Andy Kennedy led the Bearcats to a 21-13 record and an NIT appearance before he was replaced by Mick Cronin.
The Bearcats lost five seniors - four of them starters - from last season. Their inability to recruit - players often won't commit when there's uncertainty over the next head coach - cost them deeply.
Now, they're paying the price.
Another loss on Sunday at South Florida (9-7, 0-2) would give them their first four-game losing streak since that 1987-88 season. Games against the conference's heavyweights await.
Players had two days off to reflect after a 54-42 home loss to Rutgers on Sunday, their worst offensive showing since the 1992-93 season.
"The problem for us is we just don't have the backbone of the team built over time," Cronin said, while watching his players take 3-point shots at the end of practice Wednesday. "We're trying to do it on the run. The key for me to stay focused on is, as we get to next year, that we've got toughness. We'll have new guys, but the returning guys need to be ready to win."
In many ways, the Bearcats are looking ahead to next season while trying to salvage what they can from this one.
Much of their early optimism was provided by their defense and Vaughn, a freshman point guard who moved to shooting guard and made baskets without hesitation. His 33 points against Wofford set a school record for a freshman, and he had 25 points and nine assists in a victory over North Carolina State.
Since then, teams have put their best defender on Vaughn and shut him down. He has scored 6, 4, 8 and 2 points in the last four games, going 1-for-10 from the field in the loss to Rutgers.
"It's real tough," Vaughn said. "When you come in (as a freshman), you don't really see yourself being a threat. You look at yourself as somebody who can help the team out as a role player.
"When you start going good, you've got to learn from it. When things go bad, you've got to learn how to bounce back from it. It's hard to do as a freshman."
The Bearcats have struggled mightily on offense, ranking near the bottom of the league in scoring (65 points per game) and shooting. They've made only 28.2 percent of their 3-point attempts.
At times, the Bearcats look lost because of their lack of senior leadership.
"They're looking around for somebody to tell them it's OK," Cronin said. "They're looking around for some senior to step up and make a play. They're looking around for answers, and the answer is in the mirror. We don't have veterans to go to. That's the problem."
Cronin's priority is getting players to understand how hard they have to work to succeed.
"I'd love to have them to that point by Sunday, but I've definitely got to have them to that point by next year," Cronin said. "That's where I've got to stay focused and stay the course."
