In the span of three days, Cincinnati has gone from being on the verge of moving into first place in the Big East to needing to find a way to bounce back from its first back-to-back losses of the season.
Cincinnati lost to No. 3 Syracuse 60-53 at home Monday, two nights after dropping a 77-74 decision at West Virginia.
The Bearcats (15-6, 6-3 Big East) would have been in first place if they had won both games. Instead, they are now in sixth place.
Cincinnati has five days to figure out how to get back on track before it plays at Rutgers on Saturday. Rutgers (11-9, 3-4), which has lost two of its last three games, will host DePaul on Jan. 25 before facing the Bearcats.
Freshman guard Eli Carter is averaging 13.7 points a game and is the only Rutgers player scoring in double figures.
Cincinnati has won five consecutive games against Rutgers, including 72-56 at home last season. Dion Dixon had 14 points and three steals for Cincinnati, and Yancy Gates had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
STAR WATCH: Senior C Yancy Gates had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Cincinnati's 60-53 loss to No. 3 Syracuse. It was one of his best all-around performances since he served a six-game, school-mandated suspension for his role in the Dec. 10 brawl between Cincinnati and cross-town rival Xavier. Gates has played in seven games since returning and is averaging 11.3 points and 9.4 rebounds during that span. He has also had three consecutive double-doubles, averaging 13.0 points and 11.7 rebounds in those games.
NOTES, QUOTES
Kilpatrick comes through on both ends of court
--When Sean Kilpatrick buried a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining to clinch a victory at Connecticut, it earned him plenty of play on the national highlight reels. But during the streak in which the Bearcats won 10 of 11 games, the game-winner at UConn was just one of many big shots for the sophomore guard. Kilpatrick has provided UC with plenty of spark at both ends of the floor.
Kilpatrick scored 12 points in Saturday's loss at West Virginia. It was his 18th double-figure scoring game this season and 35th of his career.
Since the Xavier brawl, Kilpatrick has averaged 17 points and nine rebounds to spearhead UC's resurgence. He also has 19 assists in that stretch and has hit at least one 3-pointer in each of those games, and in 19 straight contests overall.
Head coach Mick Cronin also noted the defensive play of Kilpatrick, who helped shut down Hollis Thompson in the second half of a win at Georgetown.
"That's where he's really evolving into an all-around player," Cronin said. "He's scoring on one hand and doing a great job defensively."
Add to that the fact that Kilpatrick has been nursing a groin injury. He limped off the court in the final seconds of Saturday's overtime loss at WVU. The severity of the injury was not yet known following the game. One thing's for certain: If the Bearcats are going to continue their run toward a Big East Conference title, Kilpatrick will be at the center of the quest.
--Assistant coach George Jackson returned to the bench on Saturday after being on medical leave since Dec. 14.
--Yancy Gates, Cheikh Mbodj and Octavius Ellis served six-game suspensions for their roles in a brawl with cross-town rival Xavier on Dec. 10. G Ge'Lawn Guyn was suspended one game for his role in the fight. Gates, Mbodj and Ellis returned for the Jan. 4 win over Notre Dame.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's very clear who the best team in the country has been all year. But you have to play the games" -- UC head coach Mick Cronin on Monday night's matchup with top-ranked Syracuse at Fifth Third Arena.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
--at Rutgers, Jan. 28
KEY MATCHUPS: UC will be looking to win its eighth Big East Conference road game in its past nine attempts, but it will face a tough environment at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are led by freshman Eli Carter, who averages 13.7 points per game. Junior F Dane Miller leads Rutgers with 37 blocks.
FUTURES MARKET: Junior C Cheikh Mbodj began his career at UC with a lot of hype. But a high ankle sprain and a six-game suspension for his role in the brawl with Xavier has limited the 6-10 junior-college transfer. He's still limited by the injury, but the Bearcats hope that come March, Mbodj's scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking ability will emerge in time for a postseason push.
PLAYER NOTES
--Junior G Cashmere Wright scored a team-high 17 points and made five of nine shots from 3-point range in the loss to Syracuse. His ability to shoot from the outside could become very important in the weeks to come, as Cincinnati might see more zone defenses after Syracuse held the Bearcats to 34 percent shooting. Wright is shooting 40.2 percent on 3-pointers this season.
--Sophomore G Sean Kilpatrick played 32 minutes Monday against Syracuse and showed no ill effects from the groin injury that forced him to limp off the court two nights earlier in a loss at West Virginia. Kilpatrick had eight points, nine rebounds and four assists vs. the Orange.
--Highly touted four-star recruit Shaq Thomas was ruled ineligible due to alleged academic discrepancies at NIA Prep in New Jersey. Thomas, a 6-fot-7 forward, is practicing with the team.
