Busting Brackets
Fansided

Cincinnati Basketball: 3 reasons why the Bearcats will be better than Xavier in 2018-19

By TJ Miller

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 18: Trevor Moore #5 of the Cincinnati Bearcats high fives Jarron Cumberland #34 against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the first half in the second round of the 2018 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 18, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 18: Trevor Moore #5 of the Cincinnati Bearcats high fives Jarron Cumberland #34 against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the first half in the second round of the 2018 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 18, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Jarron Cumberland #34 of the Cincinnati Bearcats drives to the basket against Malik Benlevi #2 of the Georgia State Panthers during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Jarron Cumberland #34 of the Cincinnati Bearcats drives to the basket against Malik Benlevi #2 of the Georgia State Panthers during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

2) Speed and versatility

There was talk going into last season about how this last year’s team would bring more offensive firepower than past Bearcat teams. Despite the claims, Cincinnati actually regressed slightly in Adj-O (114.9 to 113.4) last year and never quite found the offensive groove hoped for.

Even so, the loss of Jacob Evans is a blow. He was a dynamic all-around star for the Bearcats and he won’t be replaced easily. Gary Clark and Kyle Washington gave the UC lots of extra chances by consistently grabbing offensive boards. Cincinnati will look to several returning familiar faces in their absence.

Jarron Cumberland will return for his junior year and is not exactly shy about shooting the basketball. The 6’5 guard averaged 11.5 points per game with his shooting for the year hovering around 40%. Cumberland had some big-time performances in 2017-18 and will be asked to create a lot this season. Though inconsistent at times, Cumberland has the potential to be one of the top scorers in the AAC if he shoots the ball well and picks his spots.

Justin Jenifer and Cane Broome will hope to bring stability to the backcourt as both shared time playing the point position. Jenifer showed he can make solid decisions with a 3.5 assist to turnover ratio. Broome, on the other hand, has more of a scorers mindset (7.9ppg) and uses his quickness well on both ends of the floor.

Trevor Moore, Tre Scott, and Keith Williams are three players who averaged around 10 minutes a game last season that will be asked to play larger roles. All three have the size, length, and quickness to be very good defenders for Cronin.

With a smaller projected lineup, Cronin could decide to increase the tempo of play just a bit. The Bearcats are unlikely to play too quick as Cronin’s teams almost always have a deliberate pace. But, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cincinnati press more after makes to get some easy buckets when possible. The combination of dynamic do-it-all athletes on this roster should give Cronin the kind of hard-working team he loves to see.

Home/Cincinnati Bearcats