Williams

        Field Williams can hear the buzz, sense that the Shoemaker Center crowd wants him to shoot every time he touches the basketball.

        When he passes, he notices the collective groan. When he fires it up, he hears the anticipation of a 3-point basket.

        “When I go to the scorer's table (to check into the game), I hear fans say, "Be ready to shoot,'” the University of Cincinnati freshman said. “When I get the ball, they're looking for me to shoot the 3. Sometimes I'm not open and they get mad at that. It gives me confidence to know I've got fans and everybody's cheering for me to do good.”

TULANE at UC

• When: 8:05 p.m. today.   • Where: Shoemaker Center (13,176).   • Records: Tulane 7-12 (0-6 C-USA), UC 13-6 (3-3).   • TV: Ch.19.   • Radio: WLW-AM (700).   • Tickets: $20, call 556-CATS.   TULANE   Player-Ht-Yr-Avg   L. Billingsley-6-7-Sr.-17.3   Linton Johnson-6-8-Jr.-13.7   Brandon Brown-6-8-So.-11.6   Brandon Spann-6-1-So.-17.5   Wayne Tinsley-6-5-Fr.-7.4   Coach: Shawn Finney (7-12, first season; same overall)   CINCINNATI   Player-Ht-Yr-Avg   Immanuel McElroy-6-4-Jr.-5.3   Jamaal Davis -6-9-Jr.-8.3   B.J. Grove-6-11-So.-3.2   Steve Logan-6-0-Jr.-15.6   Kenny Satterfield-6-2-So.-14.8   Coach: Bob Huggins (289-92, 12th season; 457-164 overall)   BY THE NUMBERS   • 26: UC's RPI on Sunday.   • 1-4: Tulane's record at Shoemaker Center.   • 15: Combined double-doubles for Tulane's Ledaryl Billingsley and Linton Johnson.

        Williams, a 6-foot-3 guard, has averaged 10 minutes off the bench the past three games, and he's a guy coach Bob Huggins would like to use in order to give starting guards Kenny Satterfield and Steve Logan more rest.

        Especially during stretches like this, when UC plays five games in 11 days. The Bearcats play host to Tulane tonight, their third game in six days.

        Williams scored five first-half points against No.9 Wake Forest on Saturday after not scoring more than three his previous nine games. He hit a

        3-pointer to break a 10-10 tie and hit another jumper to put UC ahead 24-23.

        “They put me in to make shots,” Williams said. “I'm always ready to play.”

        He has scored in double figures twice (16 vs. Youngstown State; 13 vs. Oakland) in the only two games he has played more than 14 minutes.

        “Field is the one guy on our team who consistently, every day, comes in to really get better,” Huggins said. “He's worlds better defensively. He's improved tremendously. He passes the ball better. His understanding of how to play is better. Before, I was worried about him killing us defensively. I don't worry about that anymore. He's really done a good job.”

        Over UC's last five games, Williams is 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. He has attempted only 10 shots all season that were not from behind the arc, where he is 15-of-37 (.405).

        Huggins said Williams has to learn to use screens better and work to get open for shots. Williams said he just tries not to force anything, like in the second half Saturday when he did not attempt a shot.

        “I just didn't have an open look,” he said.

        At 3-3 in Conference USA, the Bearcats are looking to get back on track tonight. They are tied with Saint Louis for third place in the American Division behind Marquette (5-1) and Louisville (4-3).

        Tulane has lost seven games in a row and is 0-6 in C-USA. The Green Wave's Shawn Finney, an assistant to Kentucky's Tubby Smith for nine seasons, is one of three first-year coaches in the league, joining Ray McCallum at Houston and John Calipari at Memphis.

        Finney had been with Smith since 1990 — at Tulsa, Georgia, then UK.

        “He's definitely my mentor,” Finney said at C-USA media day. “I give credit for being where I am today to Tubby Smith.”

        The Green Wave have four starters averaging in double figures, including two of the league's top seven scorers (No.5 Brandon Spann, 17.5; tied for No.6, Ledaryl Billingsley, 17.3). Spann also leads C-USA in steals (2.11), is third in free-throw shooting (.848) and fourth in assists (4.89).

        Billingsley is second in rebounding (9.4), and Linton Johnson is fourth in field goal percentage (.578) and tied for second in blocked shots.

        Tulane's undoing: It is last in the league in scoring defense and 11th in field-goal percentage defense.

        “They're going to press for 40 minutes,” Huggins said, “which we haven't played against. With Satt and Lo, I wouldn't think that would bother us.”
       

UC's Williams makes 3-pointers his long suit Tulane women 83, UC 74

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