UC: Washington back to his old self
Tom Groeschen , tgroeschen@enquirer.com 3:21 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2017


It was starting to get into Kyle Washington’s head.

The University of Cincinnati junior basketball forward got off to a flying start this season, when he became eligible after sitting out 2015-16 as a transfer from North Carolina State.

Through the first eight games this season, the 6-foot-9 Washington averaged 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds. Included were five double-doubles (points, rebounds).

Then, opponents began clamping down. Through his next six games, Washington topped 10 points only once. His rebounding also regressed so that, entering Saturday night’s game at Houston, Washington was averaging season lows of 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Washington busted out of his slump Saturday in a 67-58 win, as he led UC with 19 points and nine rebounds. The No. 22 Bearcats (13-2, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) walked off with a win over a strong Houston team (12-4, 3-1 AAC).

Afterward, Washington acknowledged that the past month was difficult. His signature shot, a short left-handed pop from the lane, was not falling. His defense and rebounding also suffered, as his offensive woes affected his entire game.

“It was a little bit of a confidence thing, but it was making sure that my teammates knew that I was going to be there on the defensive end, that’s where the confidence was coming from,” Washington said. “Now that I was able to get some stops and be in the right place at the right time, everything started flowing.”

UC coach Mick Cronin said opponents began designing ways to stop Washington, after the player’s early season dominance.

“You’ve got to cut Kyle some slack,” Cronin said. “The other team has scouted you. You’re not just some guy off the bench. Who is this guy scoring? They know who you are, they know what you’re good at. They’re doing everything they can to be physical with you, to stop you.”

Washington also is a sensitive, thoughtful person. He admittedly needs to sometimes keep his emotions from overcoming him.

“When I committed here, I really tried to surround myself around the game,” Washington said. “When that’s not going well, everything in your life is going bad. It was really tough for me to accept not being there for my teammates and performing how I knew I could perform. I just said to myself that I was going to try to put out maximum effort every night, and then everything will flow into itself.”

Cronin said Washington is one of the most determined, hardest workers he has ever coached.

“Just managing your emotions and your breathing,” Cronin said. “He’s so intense that he works himself up into hyperventilation. He’s now learning to calm it down over an extended period of time.”

SMU next: The Bearcats face another big challenge Thursday, when SMU (14-3, 4-0 AAC) visits Fifth Third Arena at 9 p.m. (ESPN).

UC was picked to win the AAC in a preseason vote of league coaches, with SMU voted third.

SMU is led by 6-7 junior forward Semi Ojeleye, a Duke transfer who averages 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Tim Jankovich is in his first year as SMU head coach, promoted when Naismith Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown resigned this past July. Brown departed after a disagreement over contract extension terms, with Brown wanting more years than SMU would offer.

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Up next

No. 22 Cincinnati vs. SMU

Tipoff: 9 p.m. Thursday at Fifth Third Arena (13,176)

TV/Radio: ESPN/700-WLW AM

Records: UC 13-2 (3-0 AAC), SMU 14-3 (4-0 AAC)

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../96318184/

UH falls short against No. 22 Cincinnati

By Joseph Duarte Updated 1:19 am, Sunday, January 8, 2017


After a missed opportunity to make an early statement, coach Kelvin Sampson lamented what's missing for the University of Houston.

It begins with the lack of a consistent third scoring option and almost no production from the starting frontcourt.

No. 22 Cincinnati exposed those weaknesses, leading from start-to-finish to send the Cougars to their first loss in American Athletic Conference play, 67-58, before a crowd of 4,875 on Saturday night at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Cincinnati (13-2, 3-0 AAC) won for the 28th time in 30 meetings between the two schools. UH (12-4, 3-1 AAC) had won its first three AAC games.

"No shame in losing to them," Sampson said. "We've got to get a third scorer, but right now it's a struggle for us to get somebody else that can be consistent that we can count on."

Guard Rob Gray, the AAC's leading scorer at 20.4 points per game, returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with the flu. Gray finished with a game-high 21 points but went 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

Gray wasn't alone in his struggles from beyond the arc, as the Cougars shot a season-worst 15.8 percent (3-of-19).

Other than Gray, Wes VanBeck came off the bench for 11 points and Damyean Dotson had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Galen Robinson Jr. chipped in 10 points.

Before the season, the Cougars envisioned their top three scorers as Gray, Dotson and forward Devin Davis. Those plans have been scrapped the past month with Davis out indefinitely with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Forward Danrad "Chicken" Knowles, a 6-10 forward, continued his recent struggles, going scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting in 15 minutes. Kyle Meyer, a 6-10 center, missed his only shot attempt and had two rebounds in 12 minutes.

Center Bert Nkali came off bench to give the Cougars help inside, finishing with six points, five rebounds and four blocks in 31 minutes.

Kyle Washington had 16 of his 19 points in the second half for Cincinnati. All five Bearcats starters scored in double figures.

"The Washington kid really hurt us," Sampson said.

The game pitted two teams making an early case for inclusion in the NCAA Tournament.

Cincinnati, the preseason favorite to win the AAC, has been mentioned as a No. 6 or 7 seed in latest tournament projections. UH, which hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2010, entered the game with a No. 60 Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and mentioned by at least one national website to make the 68-team postseason field.

The opportunity to make an early statement slipped out of the Cougars' grip as Cincinnati hit six 3-pointers (10 for the game) in the first half to build a 12-point cushion.

The Bearcats, however, went cold, missing 10 of 12 shots to allow the Cougars to pull within 30-25 at halftime. UH, third in the AAC in 3-point shooting, was 1-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first half.

After the opening five minutes, the closest UH got the rest of the way was 30-27 on a layup by Robinson Jr. 71 seconds into the second half.

"It just seemed like we were playing uphill all night," Sampson said.

UH later closed within five points on a 3-pointer by Dotson but never got closer as Washington caught fire.

Washington, a 6-9 forward, scored 10 straight points for the Bearcats to push the lead 45-34.

UH made one last run on back-to-back buckets by Gray and a 3-pointer from VanBeck to get within 57-50 with 4:04 remaining.

With no production from the frontcourt, Sampson said the Cougars were forced to go with a smaller lineup.

"Probably a little more than I would have liked to," he said.

http://www.chron.com/sports/cougars/arti...842852.php

Thanks ctip! I really appreciate you posting the opposing teams article. Good stuff!

Typical of the paper... the caption under the photo states; Cincinnati's Kevin Washington (25) holds the ball on the perimeter while being defended by Houston's Rob Gray (32) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston."

That's obviously Kevin Johnson

(01-09-2017 08:47 AM)Crewdogz Wrote:  Typical of the paper... the caption under the photo states; Cincinnati's Kevin Washington (25) holds the ball on the perimeter while being defended by Houston's Rob Gray (32) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston."

That's obviously Kevin Johnson

That's Houston's paper...so I'll give them a pass.

(01-09-2017 10:02 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-09-2017 08:47 AM)Crewdogz Wrote:  Typical of the paper... the caption under the photo states; Cincinnati's Kevin Washington (25) holds the ball on the perimeter while being defended by Houston's Rob Gray (32) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston."

That's obviously Kevin Johnson

That's Houston's paper...so I'll give them a pass.

That makes sense, thanks

Hey, at least they got half KJ's name correct. They could have identified him as Pharrell Williams.

(01-09-2017 10:37 AM)Crewdogz Wrote:  

(01-09-2017 10:02 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-09-2017 08:47 AM)Crewdogz Wrote:  Typical of the paper... the caption under the photo states; Cincinnati's Kevin Washington (25) holds the ball on the perimeter while being defended by Houston's Rob Gray (32) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston."

That's obviously Kevin Johnson

That's Houston's paper...so I'll give them a pass.

That makes sense, thanks

That is my whole point about opposing teams articles. Fun read. Great insight into what other media thinks about the Bearcats. And yes, coverage of their team is often worse than Cincinnati.com!