By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

There are two ways to view the University of Cincinnati's recent tendency of blowing big second-half leads.

It's a disturbing trend that could catch up with the Bearcats as they head into the toughest part of their schedule. But they've also demonstrated a remarkable knack for staving off those late-game challenges.

UC (13-3, 6-0 Conference USA) takes an eight-game winning streak into tonight's 8:30 game against DePaul (10-6, 2-3) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. In six of those games, the Bearcats lost most or all of a double-digit lead in the second half.

It was the Blue Demons who first figured out that UC was vulnerable to second-half comebacks. On Jan.8 at Shoemaker Center, the Bearcats led DePaul by 19 points with 11:17 left, saw the lead whittled to two with 3:25 to go, then rose up to put away a 64-56 victory (STORY).

"A lot of it was our offense," said UC coach Bob Huggins. "We threw them the ball about three times for layups and we missed five free throws in that stretch."

Since then, the Bearcats have failed to preserve substantial leads over TCU, Saint Louis, Tulane, East Carolina and Charlotte, but each time have found a way to win.

"When we get a double-digit lead, we start to slip, like we think it's going to be an easy game," said UC sophomore forward Jason Maxiell. "But teams want to beat us. They're not going to quit."

So far, UC has survived every charge mounted by the opposition. In fact, it seems the more close calls the Bearcats have, the more resilient they become.

It's a characteristic this program has displayed under Huggins for some time and one that figures to serve it well as it prepares to face No.18 Marquette on Saturday, followed by No.8 Louisville and No.9 Oklahoma State.

In a way, maybe blowing those big leads has made UC more battle-tested.

"Teams are going to make runs," said senior point guard Taron Barker, whose 3-pointer with 1:52 left erased Charlotte's one-point lead Saturday. "All teams make runs. That's how basketball is played. When it's time to suck it up and really tighten the screws, that's when we really play.

"When the game is on the line, we're like, `OK, fellows, it's do or die. This is what we live for. This is what we practice for, situations like this.'"

Senior forward Leonard Stokes, who scored five points in the final three minutes to hold off DePaul in their first meeting, said the Bearcats' three-hour practices toughen them for crucial situations.

"When you panic, that's when you lose," Stokes said. "You've got to keep your composure. Teams in the past have done it. We're just trying to follow the tradition they set for us. All those guys in the past, all the blood and sweat that they left on the court, that's what we're trying to do."

The Bearcats are expected to win tonight, providing they don't look ahead to Saturday's showdown against Marquette. UC has beaten DePaul 23 of the last 24 times they've met and the Blue Demons have lost four of their last six games.

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

LINEUPS

CINCINNATI	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Leonard Stokes	Sr.	6-6	16.9
Jason Maxiell	So.	6-7	11.9
Rod Flowers	Jr.	6-8	3.4
Field Williams	Jr.	6-3	12.1
Taron Barker	Sr.	6-1	6.9

Coach: Bob Huggins (345-103, 14th season; 513-175 overall).

DePAUL	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Quemont Greer	So.	6-7	9.4
Andre Brown	Jr.	6-9	9.4
Sam Hoskin	Sr.	6-9	13.5
Marlon Brooks	Sr.	6-1	2.9
Drake Diener	So..	6-5	7.6

Coach: Dave Leitao (10-6, first season; 32-41 overall.)