Thursday, January 13, 2000
Half-court trap gets 'Cats going
UC NOTEBOOK
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEW ORLEANS — If the key to UC's second-half comeback against Tulane Wednesday was its renewed mental focus at halftime, then a strategy change at least should get an assist.
The Bearcats unveiled a half-court trap in the second half that helped turn a nine-point intermission deficit into a 72-59 victory. It forced Tulane into nine second-half turnovers and took the Green Wave out of the comfortable rhythm they enjoyed in the first half.
UC forward Pete Mickeal called it “a great coaching decision.” Coach Bob Huggins responded by dead-panning, “I'm glad Pete's starting to recognize my expertise.”
Actually, Huggins believed the mental adjustment his players made was bigger. But the trap helped.
“What the trap did was got them playing conservatively, backing up,” Huggins said. “It got us in transition, got the floor spread a little better for us.”
Bad practices
Huggins said the previous two days of practice had been the team's worst all season but said all the focus on the No.1 ranking didn't contribute to the lack of intensity.
“We played a lot of games in a short period of time and took Sunday off,” Huggins said. “I don't know why it seems every time you take a day off, the next practice is bad. I told them, "We've got to go tomorrow,' and the next day was just as bad or worse. If they're fatigued, it's their own fault. It's not from practice, it's from doing other things.”
'Cat scratches
Mickeal, the C-USA player of the week for the second straight week, worried Tulane coach Perry Clark, and for good reason. Mickeal had 22 points and 12 rebounds against the Wave in UC's win last year, and he scored 18 Wednesday. He also played all 40 minutes Wednesday.
• Freshman guard DerMarr Johnson responded from his worst game (five points against Marquette) by hitting a pair of big 3-pointers. He finished with eight points, though he shot just 3-of-9 from the field.
• The Bearcats held Tulane to 39 percent shooting, the eighth straight game and 12th of 16 they've held an opponent under 40 percent.
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