Demons' plan: reprise the surprise...

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In their final season in Conference USA, the DePaul Blue Demons will open league play Thursday at Cincinnati as both defending champions AND underdogs.

Last season, DePaul unexpectedly rallied to win nine of its last 10 regular-season games and a share of the league championship. Next season, the Blue Demons (8-3) will move to the Big East. For the time being, they will go into Thursday's game (6 p.m., ESPN2) with the seventh-best record in the league ? and a chip on their collective shoulder.

"The fact that people sometimes look at us as the underdogs, that's our fuel, that's our motivation. That's what got us through last year ? the fact that we believe in ourselves when a lot of people don't believe in us," said sophomore guard Sammy Mejia, who missed one game last week for "personal reasons" but is back and said he "plans to stay."

While the Blue Demons looked dominant in wins over Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago and Rhode Island, they also suffered losses to mid-majors Northern Illinois and Bradley.

"Going into the Conference USA season and going into Cincinnati is going to be a wakeup call," senior forward Quemont Greer said of facing the No. 23 Bearcats. "It's going to determine whether we're ready to play or not. That's why I'm excited to play them right away at their home, to determine whether everybody's ready to play and is going to come out with their 'A' game."

Greer has certainly brought his "A" game so far this season. He leads the conference in scoring (22.4 points per game) and has set a school record by tallying at least 20 points in each of the team's last eight games.

"It's been as long as I can remember that a guy has been this good, this long and done it without being selfish," said DePaul coach Dave Leitao, who normally is reluctant to hand out praise.

The upper echelon of Conference USA so far this season consists of "the same old faces," according to Leitao. Preseason conference favorite Louisville is 11-2, Marquette is 12-1 and Cincinnati is 11-1.

If DePaul is to challenge that group, senior Drake Diener (36 percent shooting, 10.2 ppg) is going to have to pick up his play.

"(Diener) got a lot of attention early, and some of that attention has shifted to Quemont, and I think that might help Drake," Leitao said.

While Diener got attention early, the Blue Demons collectively are flying under the conference radar right now. And that's just the way they like it.

 

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UC aiming to leave C-USA in style

When it comes to Conference USA and the University of Cincinnati, the Bearcats have a tradition to uphold -- a tradition of dominance.

In the nine years of the conference, the Bearcats have won either the regular-season or conference title eight times, and won both four times.

When the Bearcats start Conference USA play tonight against DePaul at Fifth Third Arena, the objective is clear.

"We want to go out like we came in," UC junior guard Chadd Moore said.

The Bearcats christened Conference USA in 1995-96 by winning both the regular-season and tournament titles.

Only one year in the nine years of the conference have the Bearcats failed to win either title -- that was two years ago, the 2002-03 season.

Except for that one season, the Bearcats have been the team to beat.

"We've been the flagship team," UC coach Bob Huggins said. "We've carried the banner. You win eight out of nine championships; you carry the banner. You talk about appearances in the NCAA tournament, seeding in the NCAA tournament, games won in the NCAA tournament and we've carried the banner."

The Bearcats will take that banner to their eighth different conference next season, the Big East. The Bearcats will leave behind a vastly different Conference USA than the one they helped found nearly 10 years ago.

In the 1995-96 season, UC was one of 12 schools to begin play in the conference, which grew out of the Metro and Great Midwest conferences. The move was announced more than a year ago, before the most successful basketball season in league history. UC was one of a record six Conference USA teams to make the 2004 NCAA tournament.

That will be different next season as UC, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida will leave C-USA to go to the Big East. Texas Christian is headed to the Mountain West and St. Louis and Charlotte will move on to the Atlantic 10. Marshall, Rice, Southern Methodist, Tulsa, Central Florida and Texas-El Paso will join the 12-team Conference USA. All 12 C-USA teams will play both football and basketball.

With Cincinnati and Louisville gone, the league will be searching for new marquee names.

"As you look down the road, Conference USA has a tremendous name," UAB coach Mike Anderson said. "There are tremendous coaches. They're already making an impact at their programs. It's going to impact the league. Over a period of time you're going to see some programs evolve and it's still going to be a good conference."

Memphis coach John Calipari said the new C-USA will be shooting for three or four bids a year. That would be quite a feat, considering the league had just two in 2001 and three in 2002.

"This league will be fine," Calipari said.

Still, the Bearcats are the only current member that has made the tournament in each of the last three seasons -- part of its streak of 13 consecutive tournament appearances.

"I think (C-USA) has been a tremendous vehicle for our basketball program," UC athletic director Bob Goin said. "We've been very successful. Secondly, it's given us the vehicle to move to the NCAA for 13 straight years. It's given us a lot of national recognition."

With the Bearcats gone, it will create a chance for new schools to emerge at the top of the conference standings.

"I knew the conference was going to be changing and I felt there's a chance right here in a couple of years where we might be able to be a serious contender," first-year Houston coach Tom Penders said. "To climb from the bottom to the top is very difficult with the way the league is now, but next year we'll have a chance."

Mostly because the conference's most consistent teams -- UC, Charlotte and Louisville -- will be elsewhere.

During its time in Conference USA, the Bearcats have taken advantage of the opportunities provided by the conference. C-USA introduced Bearcat basketball to several markets, including the South with UAB, Florida with South Florida and perhaps most importantly, Texas, with Houston and Texas Christian. There are more current Bearcat players from the Lone Star State than any other state. Jason Maxiell, Armein Kirkland, Nick Williams and Jamaal Lucas are all from Texas.

The wide-ranging conference has also helped the Bearcats in the polls and in postseason awards. UC has had just five consensus All-Americans in its history and three of those have earned those honors while playing in C-USA. In 1997 Danny Fortson was the Bearcats' first consensus All-American since Ron Bonham in 1963.

All that success has put a target on the Bearcats during their run in the conference, and there's no doubt 13 other teams would like to end the Bearcats' streak of dominance in their last season in C-USA.

"We've got the bull's-eye on our back," Huggins said. "You'd like to think someone else would pick up some of the slack, but it hasn't happened. If you listen to everyone, they say the road to the championship comes through Cincinnati. They don't say any of those other people. So everyone circles us. That's the way it's been; it's not a new thing."

That's not all bad, Huggins said. "It's better than the alternative."

 

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CINCINNATI PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 33 Armein Kirkland, 6-8 Jr., Tyler, Texas......13.0 pts, 3.4 reb, 1.9 ast
F 14 Eric Hicks, 6-6 Jr., Greensboro, N.C........14.3 pts, 9.3 reb, 2.5 blk
F 54 Jason Maxiell, 6-7 Sr., Carrollton, Texas...15.2 pts, 8.4 reb, 3.7 blk
G 21 James White, 6-7 Jr., Kensington, Md.........9.8 pts, 4.4 reb, 2.6 ast
G 1 Chadd Moore, 6-2 Jr., Huntsville, Ala........4.6 pts, 2.2 reb, 3.7 ast

DePAUL PROBABLE STARTERS 2004-05 Statistics
F 44 Marlon Brumfield, 6-9 Jr., Chicago, Ill......4.4 pts, 7.7 reb, 1.0 stl
F 45 Quemont Greer, 6-7 Sr., Milwaukee, Wis......22.4 pts, 8.4 reb, 0.9 blk
G 12 Cliff Clinkscales, 6-1 Fr., Queens, N.Y......3.6 pts, 1.3 reb, 5.3 ast
G 3 LeVar Seals, 6-5 Sr., Chicago, Ill...........9.7 pts, 2.6 reb, 2.2 ast
G 33 Drake Diener, 6-5 Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.....10.2 pts, 3.6 reb, 3.2 ast

SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati launches Conference USA play on Thursday, hosting DePaul at Fifth Third Arena. The 7 p.m. EST contest, which will be televised nationally by ESPN2, is a rematch of last year?s C-USA Tournament championship game, which was played in Cincinnati at U.S. Bank Arena. The Bearcats won that battle, 55-50, to complete a sweep of the league?s regular season and tournament titles as well as extend their dominance in their series with DePaul to 27-11. The contest marks the debut of ESPN2 HD and is the second time this season the Bearcats have appeared in high definition.

Cincinnati, No. 20 in this week?s ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 23 by the Associated Press, enters the game with an 11-1 record. UC fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 67-45 loss to No. 1 Illinois in the championship game of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic on New Year?s Eve. DePaul is 8-3. coming off a 73-60 win over Old Dominion on Jan. 2.

BEARCATS IN THE POLLS: Cincinnati fell to No. 20 in last week?s ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, and No. 23 in the Associated Press poll. In the computer ratings, Cincinnati is No. 13 in the Sagarin Index (1/4/05) and No. 30 in the RPI (1/4/05).

LAST TIME VS. DePAUL: Tony Bobbitt, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 17 points to lead Cincinnati to a 55-50 win over DePaul in the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament last season. The Bearcats opened a 37-23 lead by halftime. The Blue Demons cut that margin to single digits in the second half, but could never get it down to a single-possession game.

LAST TIME IN C-USA OPENER: Cincinnati got 18 points from Tony Bobbitt while the Bearcat defense posted season lows of 44 points and .288 shooting allowed to defeat Tulane, 71-44, in New Orleans on Jan. 7, 2004. In their last C-USA home opener, Cincinnati defeated DePaul, 90-65, on Jan. 10, 2004.

STORY LINES:
? Cincinnati enters Thursday?s game with a streak of nine consecutive wins in C-USA openers, and nine straight C-USA home opener victories.
? The Bearcats will have the challenge of defending the leading scorer in Conference USA when they host DePaul on Thursday. Quemont Greer is tops in the league in scoring, averaging 22.4 points. The multi-talented senior forward is sixth in rebounding (8.4), third in field goal percentage (.564) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (.481).
? Cincinnati?s ability to block shots continues to be a factor in its defense. The Bearcats, who ranked third nationally in blocked shots in the most recent NCAA statistics (12/20/04), lead Conference USA, averaging 8.0 per contest. Jason Maxiell is first in C-USA and ninth nationally in blocks (3.7) with Eric Hicks fourth in C-USA in blocks (2.5).
? Hicks needs two more blocks to reach the century mark in career rejections.
? Maxiell, with 1,242 career points, needs 10 more points to move into 21st place on UC?s career scoring list, currently held by Steve Collier (1975-78).
? Cincinnati has a 212-27 (.887) record at Fifth Third Arena since the building became the Bearcats? home in 1989-90. UC is 66-6 (.916) in C-USA games played at Fifth Third Arena, and is 13-1 vs. DePaul in the building.

COMMON OPPONENTS: Cincinnati and DePaul have played one common opponent, Dayton. DePaul downed the Flyers, 70-59, in Chicago on Dec. 1. UC topped Dayton, 65-55, at Dayton on Dec. 4.

TOPS IN C-USA: Cincinnati is the winningest team in the history of Conference USA, both in league play and overall. The Bearcats have compiles a 111-29 ledger (.793) in the previous nine seasons in C-USA play, winning or sharing the regular season crown in all but one of those years. The Bearcats have posted a 245-63 (.793) overall record during this span. With the inclusion of Cincinnati?s four previous seasons in the Great Midwest Conference, the Bearcats have been regular season champions 10 times in the past 13 seasons. UC has won either a regular season or tournament title in 12 of the past 13 seasons, and six times during that span, UC has claimed both during the same season.

RECAPPING THE ILLINOIS GAME:
? After matching a season high the previous nights by scoring 95 points vs. Longwood, the Bearcats scored just 45 points vs. the No. 1 Illini, their lowest output since a 50-44 loss to Xavier on Dec. 7, 2002 (138 games).
? Cincinnati held Illinois, which entered the game with the nation?s leading field goal percentage (.518), to .393 shooting, the ninth foe held to sub-.400 shooting this season. UC was ranked No. 3 in field goal percentage defense in the most recent NCAA statistics (12/20/04).

BEARCAT DATA:
? Cincinnati has beaten 10 of their first 12 opponents by 10 or more points, and nine of those foes by at least 16 points.
? The Bearcats have held nine opponents to sub-.400 shooting, five to 32 percent or less. UC held two opponents, Detroit (.293) and Jackson State (.239) under 30 percent.
? Six UC?s first 12 opponents appeared in postseason play in 2003-04.


SHARING THE LOAD: A key to Cincinnati?s success this season has been the team?s balanced scoring attack. At least four Bearcats have reached double figures in seven of the 11 games. UC has had four double-digit scorers in three games, five in two games and six in two others. Eight different players have scored in double figures a total of 46 times.


ABSENCE DOESN?T CHILL KIRKLAND: Armein Kirkland was playing the best basketball of his college career when an ankle injury sidelined him for two games. The 6-8 junior had been the team?s scoring leader in four of the previous five contests, which included a career-high 23 points in the win over Dayton (12/4/04). Kirkland returned to action during the Dec. 27 win over Miami (Ohio), and returned to his offensive form. He scored 18 points, sinking 4-of-5 treys.

game at 56 with 1:23 to play and send it into overtime. He was 5-of-6 at the foul line in the second overtime to help clinch the victory.

 

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Leitao happy with DePaul's progress
By Tim Sassone Daily Herald Sports Writer
Posted Thursday, January 06, 2005

There have been a few bumps in the road for DePaul during the nonconference portion of its schedule.

Ugly losses to Northern Illinois and Bradley come quickly to mind.

But as the Blue Demons prepare to open their Conference USA season tonight at Cincinnati, coach Dave Leitao believes his team finally is in the right frame of mind to make a run to the NCAA Tournament.

"We've grown," Leitao said. "You'd rather be moving forward, and I think we are, based on where we started.

"If you go back to the Northern Illinois game, if you go back to the Bradley game, I like to think ... my eyes tell me we're a different team. We may not be as consistent as I want them to be, but we're a different team that faced Northern Illinois than we are today. And we're more defined."

A date with 23rd-ranked Cincinnati to start the conference season figures to be DePaul's stiffest test yet. The Bearcats are 11-1, having lost only to Illinois, the nation's top-ranked team.

On top of that, Fifth Third Arena has been a house of horrors over the years for the Blue Demons, who have lost their last 14 games in Cincinnati dating to 1992.

"We've got to prepare for a major, major battle," Leitao said. "We have to get it in our guys' minds the toughness we need."

The Bearcats defend as well as any team in the country. They ranked fourth nationally through Monday's games in field-goal percentage defense (35.8) and block an average of 8 shots per game, led by athletic forwards Jason Maxiell and Eric Hicks.

Even in their 74-45 loss to Illinois on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, the Bearcats held the Illini to a season-low 39.3 percent from the floor.

"They defend everybody like gangbusters," Leitao said.

Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins thinks there's plenty of room for his team to be even better.

"We have to play a whole lot better than we did against Illinois," Huggins said. "Defensively, we've played well, but we have to do a better job offensively.

"We've played hard at times, but I don't think we've played as consistently hard as some of our teams in the past. We have too many breakdowns mentally. That's what we need to get better at."

Leitao wouldn't say if sophomore guard Sammy Mejia would be back in the starting lineup following his one-game leave of absence last week for personal reasons. Mejia did return to the team for Sunday's 73-60 victory over Old Dominion, scoring 11 points off the bench.

"We'll probably continue to fit him in and hopefully he'll help us win some ballgames," Leitao said.

Huggins knows his team will be in for a tough night trying to contain Blue Demons senior forward Quemont Greer, who has scored 20 or more points in the last eight games.

"He gives you such mismatch problems because he can step out and score from the perimeter and he can put it on the floor," Huggins said. "He's as versatile as anyone in the league."

The Blue Demons need the likes of Mejia, Drake Diener and LaVar Seals to chip in offensively so as not to become too dependent on Greer.

"I believe that we have enough balance," Leitao said. "Against good defense, we can still get quality shots if we are aggressive and if we move the basketball."