By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

UC forward Eric Hicks averages 5.8 points and 6.1 rebounds a game this season. (Jeff Swinger photo)

Bob Huggins already might have set his personal record for going the longest in a season without descending into a foul humor over the play of his basketball team.

The University of Cincinnati Bearcats are 9-0 and ranked 12th nationally as they await the start of Conference USA play Jan. 7 at Tulane, and Huggins has been all smiles.

He still gets fired up in practice when things don't go well, but even the demanding UC coach has had a difficult time finding anything wrong with the way the Bearcats are playing this season.

"We're a lot better than we were a year ago," Huggins said, when asked for a state-of-the-team summation heading into conference play. "I know a lot of things we have to get better at, but they're playing hard and they're trying to do what we ask them to do. I think we'll get better because of that.

"A year ago we had to come in here and fight with them to play hard."

The UC players don't like to talk very much about last season's 17-12 disappointment, and it's easy to understand why.

From getting thrown out of their locker room to failing to keep alive a string of seven straight Conference USA championships, it was a difficult year for everyone associated with the program.

"Out of my four years here, last year was the roughest because we lost too many close games," senior guard Field Williams said. "I'd rather get blown out than lose by one."

And yes, Williams said, Huggins was difficult to please.

As the season wore on, not only was he dealing with his recovery from a heart attack but with his mother's illness that resulted in her death in May.

"He's only human," Williams said. "Everybody has times like that."

This team is a lot deeper than last season's and a lot closer. Nearly every interview with a UC player ends up with the player talking about how much he likes his teammates, how much they pal around off the court.

Senior guard Tony Bobbitt, who quit the team briefly last season, has developed into a team leader and spokesman, as well as one of the top sixth men in the country, averaging 13.1 points in just 20.1 minutes a game.

UC has won its nine games by an average margin of 26.2 points. Its closest game was a 19-point win on the road at Valparaiso.

The Bearcats are shooting 48.8 percent from the field to 38.3 percent for their opponents, who are committing 23.2 turnovers a game.

UC seamlessly has melded transfer James White into the rotation, and White, who's averaging 11.0 points in four games, has proven his value as both a long-range shooter (7-for-15 from 3-point range) and passer.

Point guard Nick Williams, who struggled early, seems to be getting more comfortable with each game, and when he goes out, Chadd Moore picks up the tempo with his passing skills.

And once 6-foot-10 center Robert Whaley understands what it means to play hard and overcomes the remnants of uncertainty from his Dec. 3 knee surgery, the Bearcats will have still another weapon.

"A lot of people have five guys better than we have," Huggins said. "But I don't know if anybody has 10 who are better than us. We've been seeing the cumulative effect of what happens. We just kind of wear on people."

But questions remain. UC has played a fairly easy schedule.

Its only game against a ranked team was a 29-point beating of Dayton, which was ranked 24th.

The Bearcats still don't know how they'll react when they get into a close game or fall behind.

The closest anyone has come to them after one half was the 13-point deficit that Valparaiso faced.

And their only venture away from Fifth Third Arena was the trip to Valpo, where they prevailed rather easily over a team that has proven to be weaker than expected.

Still, with its depth, athleticism and togetherness, this appears to be a team capable of regaining the conference championship.

"It's just looking good now," Bobbitt said.

Key dates

Jan. 7 at Tulane, 8 p.m. (Conference USA opener)

Jan. 10 vs. DePaul, 8:05 p.m. (C-USA home opener)

Jan. 14 at No. 25 Marquette, 8 p.m.

Jan. 21 at No. 11 Louisville, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 vs. No. 11 Louisville, 1 p.m.

March 10-13, C-USA Tournament at U.S. Bank Arena

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com