Sunday, February 27, 2000

Johnson back to face Louisville

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Suspension served, frosh will start today

BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DerMarr Johnson hit his first eight shots against Louisville Jan. 27 and scored all 21 of his points in the first half. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        DerMarr Johnson wasn't gone long. One game, 40 minutes — however you care to measure it, it wasn't a lot. In the context of the Cincinnati Bearcats' season, though, his absence seemed an eternity.

        A 6-foot-9 freshman shooting guard who is UC's No. 3 scorer, Johnson was ordered to sit for one game for what the NCAA determined to be a violation of its amateurism rules. The Bearcats won that game easily, 95-69, with Johnson sitting on the bench in street clothes.

        “We took it like he was hurt or something,” center Kenyon Martin said, as if the Bearcats would know anything about that experience.

        In 27 games, that was the first time a UC regular missed a game for any reason other than finding himself on coach Bob Huggins' bad side. Ryan Fletcher, Donald Little and Jermaine Tate each sat out games for minor disciplinary reasons, but the Bearcats have not been forced to deal with any severe injuries. Kenyon Martin, Pete Mickeal, Kenny Satterfield and Steve Logan have played in every regular-season game.

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LOUISVILLE at UC

• When: 7:30 p.m. today   • Where: Shoemaker Center (13,176)   • Records: UC 25-2, 13-0; Louisville 17-9, 8-5   • TV: ESPN2   • Radio: WLW-AM (700)   BY THE NUMBERS   • 2: Teams other than UC with perfect league records — Utah State (Big West) and Penn (Ivy)   • 6: Consecutive UC wins over Louisville   • 20: Points averaged by U of L guard Marques Maybin in the past six games

        And that is one very important reason for the success that includes a No. 3 national ranking and a Conference USA regular-season championship.

        “It really doesn't seem like I was gone,” Johnson said. “It was just for that one game, and they played a good game. It doesn't really seem like I took any time off.”

        The Bearcats (25-2, 13-0) will continue their drive toward a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed with a league game against Louisville (17-9, 8-5) tonight at 7:30 at the Shoemaker Center. Johnson will return to the lineup, which will be welcome with the Cardinals more likely to provide a competitive challenge than Southern Miss.

        Louisville is on a six-game winning streak, which followed a four-game losing streak that began with UC's 75-65 victory at Freedom Hall last month. The Cardinals have placed themselves in position to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

        Huggins is pleased to have Johnson return for Louisville because “he sees over zones, and I would fully anticipate they would play some zone against us.”

        Against Temple's matchup zone Sunday, Johnson hit four 3-pointers. When Louisville

        played zone in the first meeting with UC, Johnson scored 21 points in the first half.

        For the season, Johnson has 42 threes and a .382 success rate, and he has hit more on the road (24) than at home (18).

        This is particularly important given that neither the NCAA Tournament nor the Conference USA tournament will be played at the Shoemaker Center. UC was evicted from the Conference USA tournament and NCAAs last March after shooting a combined 7-of-39 on threes in losses to UNC Charlotte and Temple. The Bearcats suffered particularly because shooting guard Melvin Levett was so much less proficient on 3-pointers away from the Shoe; he was 8-of-37 in his final six games, including 2-of-10 in the Temple game.

        Since he visited Freedom Hall one month ago today, Johnson has made 18-of-34 from 3-point range, a .529 percentage that is precisely what the Bearcats dreamed he could manage on the day he signed his letter of intent last spring. They desperately needed the sort of versatile scoring threat Johnson offers from the wing.

        When Johnson arrived in Louisville, he was riding a 1-of-14 long-range shooting slump, but the Cardinals' zone defense gave him the openings he needed to break loose. He scored 21 points in the first half, including five 3-pointers. “It wasn't anything about their team,” Johnson said. “They were in a zone, and I was just hitting my shots.”

        Johnson does not see any reason why missing Wednesday's game should interrupt the progress he has made in building confidence. With the growth of his understanding about the demands of college basketball, Johnson is less hesitant about when to make a particular move.

        “He doesn't have to think about what he's supposed to do,” Huggins said. “He knows what he's supposed to do.”

        The first Louisville game was an important step forward at both ends of the floor. In addition to his scoring success in that game, Johnson held Cardinals shooting guard Marques Maybin to two shots and four points. Maybin has averaged 20 points during Louisville's win streak.

        “I'm getting more comfortable with everything,” Johnson said. “I don't know that I'm doing anything differently. I was recruited as a shooter, and that's what I have to bring to the team. Just playing more games, you get comfortable. I was always able to shoot the ball, but right now, I'm a little more comfortable.”

       

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