Of all the coaches who have faced the Cincinnati Bearcats this season, Massachusetts' Bruiser Flint is unique in two respects: He is the only one named Bruiser, and the only one who concentrated on stopping Ryan Fletcher during pregame preparation.
UC vs. UMass
When: 9:30 p.m.
Where: Gund Arena, Cleveland.
Records: UC 6-2, Massachusetts 6-4.
TV: ESPN.
Radio: WLW-AM (700).
Line: UMass by 1.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Cincinnati
P Player Ht. Yr. Pts. Reb
F Melvin Levett 6-3 Jr 16.6 5.6
F Bobby Brannen 6-7 Sr 18.6 10.0
C Ryan Fletcher 6-9 So 5.9 8.0
G Brent Petrus 6-3 Sr 7.0 2.6
G Michael Horton 6-1 Jr 5.3 2.8
UMass
P Player Ht. Yr. Pts. Reb
F Tyrone Weeks 6-7 Sr 12.1 9.5
F Mike Babul 6-6 So 3.5 2.9
C Lari Ketner 6-10 Jr 14.9 7.7
G Monty Mack 6-3 So 14.1 2.7
G Charlton Clarke 6-3 Jr 12.4 2.6
Noteworthy: Wideout/guard Brent Petrus did not accompany the UC football team when it traveled to Idaho for the Humantarian Bowl. He will join the football team after tonight's game. LB/F Brad Jackson will travel to Cleveland today to be available for basketball duty . . . UC sophomore forward Brian Bland has not yet returned from Christmas break. He is unable to practice because of surgery to repair a broken nose . . . This will be the seventh different state in the past six weeks in which UMass has played. . . . UMass guard Monty Mack fell out of a 25-for-41 shooting streak with a 2-for-9 game Tuesday in a loss to Connecticut . . . Ronell Blizzard, a 6-foot-9 freshman who chose UMass over UC, did not make the trip and is likely to redshirt.
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''He hasn't played much because they've had the other guys there, but he had 17 against Xavier, so you know he can do some damage,'' Flint said. ''Those guys get in there and they bang you around. I told our big guys, you've got to bring the boxing gloves.''
''A wounded animal is always the most dangerous. Those guys are down right now, but the guys that are there are looking at this as an opportunity. They've been without guys all year, and they're still 6-2.''
Fletcher, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound sophomore, entered UC's lineup as a result of the three-game suspensions of center Kenyon Martin and shooting guard D'Juan Baker for making impermissible telephone calls. Brent Petrus, a wide receiver for the Bearcats football team, has become the starter at shooting guard.
UMass stands out as the principal beneficiary of this development, with Eastern Kentucky and Winthrop, the other UC opponents in this stretch, ranking among the nation's poorest teams.
The Minutemen (6-4), who play the Bearcats (6-2) at 9:30 p.m. today in Cleveland's Gund Arena, do not have to worry about Baker's perimeter shooting or Martin's ability to block shots in the lane. It was long since concluded UMass would not be up against Bearcats forward Ruben Patterson, whose suspension for NCAA rules violations has another six games to run.
''We're confident about our chances,'' said Bearcats forward Melvin Levett, a Cleveland native who enjoys the homecomings UC's annual appearances in the Rock 'n Roll Shootout provide. ''We know we have to scrape for every loose ball, try to get every rebound we can, because they've got some big guys and it's a good team.''
If it seems the Bearcats should not be challenged by a 6-4 team, even without three of their best players, perhaps that ''4'' requires a more detailed explanation.
Despite an interior defense that can be suffocating, the Minutemen lost their opener at Fresno State, which entered the season ranked in the top 15. They've since fallen to No. 7 Purdue, No. 2 Kansas and No. 11 Connecticut. Those teams have a combined record of 40-8, and the latter three rank as clear favorites to win conference championships.
''It's been tiring. I know that much,'' Flint said. ''I'm exhausted, so I can imagine how the players feel.''
Flint's approach to scheduling was something he learned as an assistant to former coach John Calipari.
''I learned one lesson from my first year: a good schedule got us in the NCAA Tournament,'' Flint said. ''If there's one thing I could change about this year, I think we traveled too much too early.''
UC, XU ready for second Shootout
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