Friday, March 17, 2000
Five keys for the 'new' UC
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
If the Cincinnati Bearcats are to succeed in the NCAA Tournament without All-American center Kenyon Martin, these are five key areas they will need to address:
• 1. Limit penetration. UC's guards have never been gamblers; Kenny Satterfield had 36 steals in 31 games; Steve Logan had 21. So it's not like they've been reckless in guarding the backcourt, but teams generally chose not to attack the lane because of Martin's dominance. The Bearcats guards are likely to see opponents trying to advance the ball inside now, and they'll have to move their feet and use their strength to keep penetration from breaking down the defense.
• 2. Screen sharply. The perimeter screens the Bearcats set this season generally have been halfhearted, and that's made it tougher on guards Logan and DerMarr Johnson in looking for open 3-pointers. Both of them shoot high percentages, but they often had trouble getting clear looks at the goal.
• 3. Find DerMarr. Few teams win in this tournament without someone they can rely upon for a big basket. Whether the Bearcats balance their scoring or take advantage of the openings defenses present, they need Johnson to be an offensive star for their tournament run to last.
• 4. Run. The Bearcats were running toward a sizzling fastbreak in the season's first six weeks, then backed off when conference play began. They're not going to get a consistent break going in the tournament, but they'll need the occasional easy baskets Satterfield can create on the run.
• 5. Believe. If the Bearcats do not enter each game knowing they still are the better team, they'll instantly lose the intimidation edge that was such a weapon for them with Martin in the lineup. They need to keep every advantage they can.
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