Thursday, January 06, 2000
Practice making UC just about perfect
UC NOTEBOOK
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Bearcats are playing so well in the past several weeks, they almost don't need to practice. Almost.
UC coach Bob Huggins cut Monday's workout short because the Bearcats performed so well it seemed redundant to continue.
“Monday was the best practice I've ever been involved with,” Huggins said. “We moved the ball so well, and we were kind of in the right spots.”
Since the Bearcats lost to Xavier Dec.18, they have won their five games by an average margin of 29.4 points. None of those opponents reached .400 shooting from the field, and UNCC's .275 was a season low for a UC opponent.
The Bearcats have shot .500 or better in seven consecutive games. They reached that mark 11 times all last season.
“It's clicking for us right now,” forward Pete Mickeal said. “I think the Xavier loss, it was kind of a wake-up call. The Xavier loss was like a bad practice for us.
“When we lost, that was it. There was no more talking about it. We were getting back to work. That's the kind of senior leadership we have on this team.”
Long-distance connection
UC point guard Steve Logan had not made two 3-pointers in a game since Dec.11. He was 1-of-13 since, including an 0-for-8 streak in the Bearcats' four straight victories.
More teams were taking away Logan's shots by running at him. He responded by driving past and picking up 28 assists during that four-game drought, but against UNCC he was 2-of-3 from 3-point range in the first half. He also passed for five assists, which gives him a season average of 5.1 a game and an assist/turnover ratio of 3.7-to-1, the best in C-USA.
“I just stopped thinking about it,” Logan said of his shooting. “In past games, I was thinking about shooting the ball, but this time I just caught it, was open and put it in.”
Stat stuff
UC, shooting .513 from the field, ranks No.2 in Division I in field goal percentage in the most recent NCAA statistics. The Bearcats are No.22 in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot .376.
• The 49ers had 19 field goals, making them the fourth UC opponent to make fewer than 20.
• UNCC scored more points from 3-point range (27) than on two-pointers (20).
• Mickeal was 6-of-6 on two-point attempts.
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Michigan 3, Cyclones 2
