By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

While the University of Cincinnati played just one of its first nine games on the road, league rival Charlotte played seven of its first 12 games away from home.

The 49ers (9-3), who won at DePaul on Tuesday, have won five of those seven road games, including a victory over defending national champion Syracuse and a win over Southern Illinois that ended its 31-game home winning streak.

Last season, Charlotte was 2-11 on the road.

• Memphis, which knocked off Villanova on the road Tuesday, opens conference play today at Southern Miss. Though the Tigers nudge closer to the Top 25, the trip figures to be perilous. Southern Miss has beaten Memphis eight of 10 times in Hattiesburg.

Why has Southern Miss handled Memphis so well at home?

"If I knew, I wouldn't tell them because they night correct it before they get here," said Southern Miss coach James Green. "We typically play well at home. It's a hard place to play. Sometimes the crowd is pretty rowdy when we get one. Sometimes you catch people off guard."

• Louisville coach Rick Pitino added another win last week to his list of victories over his former assistant coaches when he beat former Louisville and UC assistant Mick Cronin, now the head coach at Murray State. Pitino is 4-0 this season against his former assistants. He also has beaten Ralph Willard (Holy Cross), Billy Donovan (Florida) and Tubby Smith (Kentucky).