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Cincy ends drama early, pounds USF

CINCINNATI 79, USF 57: No. 5 Bearcats lead 19-4 and 47-23 at halftime in the C-USA quarterfinal.

By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 8, 2002

CINCINNATI -- Big, bad Cincinnati is bent on securing a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Poor South Florida stepped in the Bearcats' path Thursday.

Cincinnati was at its snarling, menacing best in the Conference USA tournament quarterfinal. The No.1 seed jumped eighth-seeded USF from the get-go with its nasty, halfcourt, man-to-man defense and steamrolled the Bulls 79-57.

Cincinnati (28-3), ranked fifth in the nation, put it away early, bolting to a 19-4 lead. The Bearcats led 47-18 when most of the partisan Firstar Center crowd gave them a standing ovation with a minute left in the first half

"I think (Cincinnati was) magnificent," USF coach Seth Greenberg said. "Obviously, there's a reason Cincinnati is the No.1 seed and (fifth)-ranked team in the country. It's not by happenstance.

"It's a good lesson. They compete every possession. They were just tougher than us, plain and simple."

The Bulls (19-12), who probably will accept an NIT bid Sunday night, were coming off a 65-62 victory Wednesday over UAB while the Bearcats had a bye. The Bulls couldn't match Cincinnati's searing intensity in the first half.

"(Playing the night before) shouldn't be a factor," said USF forward B.B. Waldon, who had 10 points and seven rebounds. "There's no excuse why we didn't come out and compete with those guys."

In the first half, USF made just 8 of 26 shots (30.8 percent) and was outrebounded 21-13.

"They just dominated us on the glass," said Altron Jackson, who scored just seven of his game-high 21 points in the first half. "They came out very competitive, and we didn't match their intensity."

Said Cincinnati guard Leonard Stokes: "We wanted to come out this first game with everyone watching and send a message."

Aside from the Bearcats' devastating first-half performance, the game will be remembered for a bizarre incident.

With 5:23 left in the first half and USF down 27-14, Cincinnati's Jamaal Davis appeared to leap into the back of Waldon to attempt a tip-in. No foul was called, and Greenberg quickly drew a technical foul for complaining. Sam Croft called the technical, but a few moments later, as Steve Logan (team-high 15 points) was ready to shoot the free throws, official Tom Rucker aggressively accosted Greenberg in the USF bench area.

Rucker was restrained by assistant coach Clyde Vaughan and Jackson, and Jackson, with his hands on Rucker's shoulders, calmly walked the official toward midcourt.

"If a coach attacked an official like that man attacked me, he would get fined or something," said Greenberg, who spoke with league commissioner Mike Slive about the incident. "That man attacked me."

Despite Cincinnati's smothering defense, it was the Bulls who racked up the fouls, committing 24 to the Bearcats' 15.

"When they're that aggressive, they redefine what a foul is," Greenberg said. "That's not disparaging. That's meant in admiration. They make it hard to call a foul."

The Bearcats went on a 20-4 run after the technical. It was 47-23 at halftime, USF's largest halftime deficit of the season. And the Bulls trailed by as many as 30 after intermission before finishing strong. Cincinnati entered the game allowing a league-low 37.7 field-goal percentage (fifth in the nation) and 59.4 points a game (seventh). USF scored 57 on 35 percent shooting.

"(Anybody) who doesn't know we play hard, they must not have a TV," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said. "We play hard all the time."

In the first meeting between the teams, a 78-68 Cincinnati victory Jan.26 in Tampa, USF center Will McDonald had 28 points. The Bearcats limited McDonald to four points in 11 minutes Thursday as foul trouble put him on the bench frequently.

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