By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

University of Cincinnati forward Jason Maxiell spent the last few minutes of UC's 85-57 win over Texas Christian on Saturday with his right ankle wrapped in ice and propped up on a chair.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Saturday's game

Maxiell, UC's leading scorer and rebounder, sprained his ankle in the first half, but UC coach Bob Huggins said he expected Maxiell back for Wednesday's game at Louisville.

"He's all right," Huggins said. "Max will get in here tomorrow and rehab and do all the things he's supposed to do."

FAN FRIENDLY: Huggins angrily removed Tony Bobbitt from the game in the second half when Bobbitt stopped to chat with fans seated along the court after he made a 3-point shot while his man was scoring a layup at the other end.

"If that's not the most asinine thing I've ever seen on a basketball floor," Huggins said, "I don't know what is. Why would you want to do that? It's stupid."

NUMBER ONE: Huggins was whistled for his first technical foul of the season by official J.B. Caldwell with 56 seconds left and UC ahead 27.

"You are awful, you are terrible," Huggins yelled at Caldwell.

What set him off?

"Guys aren't supposed to get hurt," Huggins said. "That was . . . I can't say anything because I'll get in trouble."

OUTNUMBERED: TCU held its own against UC for awhile in the first half, but eventually the Bearcats' superior depth was too much.

"I told Kareem (Johnson) that we were going to wear them down," said UC's Eric Hicks. "It was only a matter of time."

That's exactly what UC did.

"What happened to us is what happens to a lot of people that play Cincinnati," said TCU coach Neil Dougherty. "Once you get into your bench because of how deep they go into their bench because of the pace of the game, we began to fall apart."

EARLY APPEARANCE: Walk-on guard John Meeker, who usually enters the game after UC has sealed the victory, was summoned at the 10:08 mark of the first half, with UC leading 17-16. He played three minutes before returning to the bench until later in the game when the UC victory was well in hand.

"He was the only one I hadn't put in," Huggins said. "I tried everybody else."

NOTABLE: The win was UC's 200th in Shoemaker Center/Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats are 200-26 since moving there in 1989.

... Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis attended the game.

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com