Bearcats coach Mick Cronin checked his cell phone to get the result of the Big East tournament's opening game in New York on Tuesday afternoon.
''Just glad not to be there,'' he said. ''Much nicer.''
For the first time in their seven-year history in the league, the Bearcats (22-9, 12-6) can be late arrivers.
The Bearcats earned the fourth seed and a double bye in the tournament, their best showing since they joined the league for the 2005-06 season. They'll have to win only two games to reach the finals.
For the first time, they think they have a legitimate chance of winning the tournament.
''I think it's different,'' senior guard Dion Dixon said. ''We've had a better year. You go in there with great expectations.''
They're even breaking out new uniforms that are a major change from their traditional black, white and red look. The new uniform features an ''infrared'' accent color that's more orange than red.
The players love it.
''It's a new look, especially going into the Big East tournament,'' guard Sean Kilpatrick said. ''You want to feel refreshed and everything going in. I think the new uniforms will give us a new attitude.''
They've never felt so good heading into a Big East tournament.
Last season, the Bearcats took their first significant step to get past years of angst over coach Bob Huggins' ouster. They earned a first-round bye in the tournament - a first for the program - and reached the quarterfinals, where they lost to Notre Dame 89-51. They then went on to play in the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years.
They were No. 21 heading into this season - the first time they'd made the preseason poll since 2003 - but struggled through one of the nation's easiest nonconference schedules, losing at home to Presbyterian and Marshall. Then, they lost by 23 points at Xavier, a game that ended in a brawl and brought suspensions.
With senior power forward Yancy Gates gone for six games, Cronin reinvented the offense into a four-guard, shoot-away attack that worked. The Bearcats quickly found their footing against overmatched opponents - Wright State, Radford, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Chicago State - and carried the momentum into Big East play with Gates returning.
Considered an on-the-bubble team because of their soft schedule, the Bearcats played their best in the closing weeks of the regular season, winning seven of their last nine, including victories over Louisville and Marquette.
Gates, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward, has played his best down the stretch, embracing Cronin's admonition to work on his rebounding. He's gotten nine or more in 10 of the last 13 games and has averaged 9.4 rebounds per game this season, far above his previous best.
''The thing I'm most proud of about him, right now, is for four years, I've tried to turn him into a rebounder, and he's embracing being a rebounder,'' Cronin said. ''If he continues to do that, it takes our team to another level. His rebounding has been excellent lately.''
With everything in place, the Bearcats are entering tournament play with a lot of confidence.
''I think we're together right now, together as a team,'' Dixon said. ''Everybody's got one thing on their mind: winning. That's the main thing right there. You don't want to crumble. Let's keep it going.''
By finishing fourth in the conference, they get to sit out the first two rounds. They'll play either fifth-seeded Georgetown or 13th-seeded Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals on Thursday. They beat Pitt with Gates still suspended 66-63 on Jan. 1, and won at then-No. 11 Georgetown 68-64 on Jan. 9.
If they win the quarterfinal, they could face regular season-champion Syracuse in the semifinals. They lost to the Orange 60-53 in Cincinnati on Jan. 23.
The Bearcats have never moved beyond the quarterfinals in the tournament.
''I think our players would probably say you think you have a chance to win it when you only have to play three games,'' Cronin said. ''It's tough when you know the other teams only have to play three, and you have to play four or five - not to say someone's not going to win it playing four or five.
''Only playing three gives them a realistic chance of winning the thing, instead of just trying to get to Friday night.''
