Moments after I emerged from my mother's womb, the doctor slapped me on the butt and my play-by-play career began.

"That's a personal foul - unnecessary roughness!" the infant me yelled (ironically sporting the same amount of hair that I have now).

My actual comment at the time was probably a loud "Waaa!", but you get the idea - I've dreamed of being a sports broadcaster for as long as I can remember.

As a kid growing up in Lakewood, NY, I was simultaneously the play-by-play man for the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Braves (now the L.A. Clippers), and New York Mets.

OK, so I was broadcasting the games into a tape recorder in my bedroom, but I took it seriously and probably drove my parents and four brothers and sisters nuts.

I wouldn't be surprised if our dog Penny grew sick of listening to me.

When I got to high school, I figured that I could improve my public speaking ability by joining the debate club (now there's a way to woo the ladies!).  Unfortunately, winning debates required critical thinking more than the gift of gab.  My argument in favor of the death penalty was that it would curb the worldwide crisis of overpopulation.  The judges were not impressed.

My college choice was easy after reading the book "Yesss!" by Marv Albert.  When I saw that he had attended Syracuse University along with Bob Costas, Dick Stockton, and other prominent broadcasters, I knew it was the place for me.

Best decision I ever made.  While I had some outstanding professors, I learned even more from spending four years hanging out with incredibly talented students who shared my obsession.  Several of my classmates have gone on to have phenomenal careers including Sean McDonough (ESPN/ABC), Mike Tirico (Monday Night Football), Greg Papa (Oakland Raiders), Jim Jackson (Philadelphia Flyers), Tony Caridi (West Virginia University), Bill Roth (Virginia Tech), Craig Minervini (Florida Marlins), and Todd Kalas (Tampa Bay Rays) to name a few.

I have been extremely fortunate to do this for a living for 25 years, including my current positions with two first-class organizations - the Pawtucket Red Sox and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.  Additionally, last Sunday I experienced the thrill of broadcasting NFL play-by-play for the first time as I called the Bengals/Broncos game with Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz.  The game was carried on the NFL Network and I've been getting e-mails and text messages from friends I haven't heard from in years.  Mike Tirico watched the game with the Monday Night Football crew and passed along a nice comment from Jon Gruden which I greatly appreciate.

The telecast wasn't flawless and I made some mistakes (note to self:  If it's hard to see whether the receiver is wearing #81 or #85, Chad Ochocinco wears ORANGE shoes), but it was our first broadcast of the pre-season and I know we'll be better in two weeks when the Bengals play at Buffalo.

I'm grateful to Bengals owner Mike Brown and Director of Corporate Sales and Marketing Vince Cicero for the opportunity, as well as PawSox President Mike Tamburro, University of Cincinnati Senior Associate Athletic Director Mike Waddell, and WLW's Darryl Parks for giving me the flexibility in my schedule to be able to do the Bengals pre-season TV package.

In the meantime, I'm back in the PawSox booth for the final three weeks of the season, and will call my first Bearcat football game on September 11 vs. Indiana State.

It sure beats working for a living.

I'd love to hear from you.  Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you're from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Chicago Bears rookie Dan LeFevour is the only quarterback in NCAA history to pass for more than 12,000 yards and rush for more than 2,500 yards in his career.  His combined total of 150 touchdowns (102 passing, 47 rushing, 1 receiving) is an all-time NCAA record, and the 6^th-round draft pick led his teams to a 36-15 record as a starting college QB.

"I feel like I've been watching him since high school," UC junior Zach Collaros told me recently.  "He really understood the offense and knew where to get the ball in certain situations.  I really admired the way that he played because he was a winner."

Collaros is a winner too.  He was 30-0 in two years as the starting quarterback at Steubenville High School, and Zach was 4-0 as a starter last year while filling-in for an injured Tony Pike. 

But that's not all that Collaros and LeFevour have in common.

LeFevour starred at Central Michigan where the two head coaches he played for were Brian Kelly (1 year) and Butch Jones (3 years).  Zach Collaros spent his first two years playing for one, and will spend his final two years playing for the other.

After Jones was hired at UC on December 16^th, one of the first things he did was to begin forming a bond with his new starting quarterback.

"When he got the job, we talked over Christmas," Collaros said.  "He called me to say, 'Merry Christmas' and we started to get to know each other.  When I first got back on campus, we met and really hit it off.  I love Coach Jones.  I talk to him three or four times a week and I really appreciate how he keeps me in the loop with stuff that's going on with the offense.  He really respects my opinion as a leader in the locker room.  I can talk to him about anything."

Like LeFevour, Collaros figures to put up impressive numbers as a passer and runner in Coach Jones' version of the no-huddle spread offense.

"The offense is not all that different," said senior wide receiver Armon Binns.  "We do a lot of the same things with the same concepts.  I think we'll be a lot more vertical down the field and take a lot more deep shots.  I think we'll make more big plays.  Zach's got a lot of targets and will probably put up some crazy numbers this year." 

"His offense allows me to spread the ball to a lot of playmakers and it gets me involved in the running game as well," Collaros said.  "As long as I can get the ball to guys like Armon Binns, D.J. Woods, Vidal Hazelton, and Isaiah Pead, we're going to put up some pretty good numbers.  If they have the ball in their hands, they're going to make me look pretty good."

It will be difficult for Collaros to look better than he did last year while subbing for Pike.  Zach completed 75% of his passes and posted a QB rating of 195.5 - which would have easily led the nation if Collaros had enough passing attempts to qualify.  He set a Big East single-game record with 555 yards of total offense vs. UConn (480 passing, 75 rushing) and the 'Cats averaged 35 points in his starts.

"He's a confident, tough kid and he's very strong mentally," Binns said.  "He's a good leader and knows how to get guys going.  I think he'll keep his focus and be ready to go every week."

"I think after the second week of the spring, we really got a grasp of this offense," Collaros said.  "Then over the summer, we ran 7-on-7 with just the players and since we had to coach ourselves, we really got a good feel for it.  I'm really eager to get into camp and see what our work over the summer translated to.  It's been a very good summer for us."

Last season after Tony Pike helped the Bearcats get off to a great start, "Pike For Heisman" t-shirts began popping up in Clifton.

If the Bearcats can win difficult early-season games against Fresno State, NC State, and Oklahoma, could Collaros become a Heisman contender?

"I don't know about that," Zach said with a laugh.  "I think we would need to win every game.  That would take care of it I guess."

I'd love to hear from you.  You can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Now that's what I call, "Representing the C."

All eight Big East head football coaches brought several of their top players to Newport, RI for Big East Media Day this week, and no contingent looked sharper that the UC quartet of Butch Jones, Zach Collaros, J.K. Shaffer, and Armon Binns.

"I think I'm underdressed," Coach Jones said with a laugh.  "Armon Binns may be the best-dressed person in the Big East.  The thing that you look at is pride, and our kids are wearing Red and Black.  We talk about 'Representing the C' and having pride in your football program.  This is just another example of what's going on in Cincinnati."

"We're definitely trying to represent the Bearcat colors," Shaffer said.  "I certainly wasn't going to come in here wearing a blue shirt and a yellow tie."

But nice clothes are not the only way the Bearcats are looking good these days.  New strength coach Dave Lawson and his assistant Mike Szerszen and taken the off-season conditioning program to a new level.

"It's been brutal," Binns said.  "They ran us a lot and lifted us hard, but I think it's going to bring a tougher mentality to our team.  We'll be able to push for four quarters and keep pressure on teams."

"I've put on about five or six pounds of muscle," Collaros said.  "They've really taken us to different levels of work that we haven't seen in the past few years.  No disrespect to Coach Longo - we loved him and his program - but it's a different philosophy that Coach Lawson runs.  Everyone has bought into it and people are in the best condition that I've seen them in.  Our bodies have changed significantly.  They really believe in being the best-conditioned team in the country, and I'd put us up against anybody."

"It's been tough, but I love that stuff," Shaffer said.  "Without that, I'm not as good of a player.  That's the kind of workouts that I used to do in high school and I've missed it.  It's been a tough winter, spring, and summer but we're all benefiting a lot from it."

"They have a lot of confidence coming from our strength and conditioning program," Coach Jones said.  "Dave Lawson and Mike Szerszen have done an extraordinary job of getting these guys going.  They've all had personal bests - not only in running, but in lifting too.  For us to play the up-tempo style of football that we want to play, they have to be in the best shape of their lives and right now you can see it in their eyes."

In their eyes . . . in their bodies . . . and even in their clothes.  It's all about "Representing the C."

"To me, it's about how you carry yourself - on and off the field.," Binns said.  "It's about how you work and the demeanor that you have in anything that you do in life.  You're representing the University of Cincinnati and you're a different breed."

"For me, it's really special because it's not just talking about our team - it's talking about the city and you know how special the city of Cincinnati is to me," Shaffer said.  "So it's more than just representing the Cincinnati Bearcats for me.  I try to live that every day."

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Remember me?

As you probably know, I love broadcasting baseball games, but one of the disadvantages of spending the summer working for the Pawtucket Red Sox is that I miss seeing my friends in Cincinnati and hanging around the UC football and basketball programs.

I will say this - the success of the Bearcat football program over the last few years has increased my standing among minor league baseball players.  I've been getting regular questions about the NFL prospects of guys like Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard, while also being asked about Cincinnati's chances of going to another BCS Bowl in 2010.  You would be surprised to hear how many pro baseball players from all over the country say that they love watching the Bearcats on TV.

I've also been getting a ton of questions about UC's new football coach Butch Jones.  I am obviously still getting to know him, and Butch was kind enough to recently answer some non-football questions to give me a better sense of who he is.

I thought you might enjoy our Q & A.

Where did the nickname Butch come from?

My real name is Lyle.  That was my dad's name and he gave me that nickname at a very young age and it stuck.  What's amazing is that the people who know me would never think of calling me Lyle.  I can tell when somebody doesn't know me because they'll call me Lyle.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small town in southwest Michigan called Saugatuk - right on Lake Michigan.  It's a resort/tourist community - my father was the Chief of Police there for more than 30 years.  In his last year as Chief of Police, they had the largest bank robbery in the United States that year.  They finally caught the guy, but the joke going around was that my dad was going to have a nice retirement. 

Was your dad pretty strict?

I didn't get away with much.  My dad knew anything and everything that went on, but he was a tremendous role model.  Respect for my father kept me out of trouble.  My dad instilled discipline in us.  When my dad spoke, he commanded respect right away.

Did you consider becoming a policeman?

That was initially my goal - to be a police officer.  My uncle was a Michigan state police trooper and he was third-in-charge of the entire Michigan state police operations at one point in time, so it was in our family.  Prior to coaching, that was what I wanted to do.

Are your parents still living?

My father passed away in August.  On the first day of training camp, he went into the hospital and he passed away two weeks later.  That kind of became a rallying cry for our Central Michigan football team and the seniors all showed up at his funeral.  I always carry his ID band in my pocket and at the Michigan State game, every individual held his ID band before we kicked the game-winning field goal.  I told our kicker that, 'All you have to do is worry about kicking the ball and my dad will take care of the rest.'  My mom is still alive and living in Saugatuk and she found some direct flights out of Grand Rapids, so she's fired out about coming to Cincinnati a lot.

Aside from your father, who was your childhood hero?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams.  As a child - don't ask me why - I grew up a big Tampa Bay Bucs fan.  When I had the opportunity to work for them (as an intern, 1987-89), that was something that I treasured very much.  I have an aunt and uncle that are like my second family and they live down there, and in 1976 when the Bucs started, they became my team and I've been with them ever since.  It was a great thrill when I started to work for them and got to be a little part of their history.

Who are your biggest coaching mentors?

I've worked for so many great coaches - not only head coaches, but assistant coaches.  I think that's really helped me.  Doug Graber, who was the Defensive Coordinator at Tampa Bay, took me under his wing.  Rich Rodriquez - the two years that I spent with him in the Big East Conference at West Virginia really helped me.  I've worked with a lot of great individuals like Brian VanGorder who is the Defensive Coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons . . . Willie Martinez who was the Defensive Coordinator at Georgia and is now at Oklahoma.  I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of great coaches. 

Are you the type of guy who studies coaches and reads their biographies?

I study coaches each and every day.  I'm also a big fan of John Maxwell, the business author, and a big reader of all of his books.

Have you had any other jobs besides football coach? 

At the age of 14, my parents wanted me to start working, so I went to work in the restaurant business.  I was a dishwasher and then I worked in the restaurant for a good six years as a short-order cook and I love cooking breakfast.  Outside of football, I've been a cook and a dishwasher. 

Who is your favorite entertainer?

I like Adam Sandler.  With as much time as you spend in the office, and as stressful as the job can be, I like to go watch a good movie and laugh a little bit. 

Any hobbies?

I'm a shopper - I like to shop for some reason.  Clothes, gear . . . I've already found Koch's Sporting Goods downtown and I bet that I spent a good two hours down there.  I love to go to a good sporting goods place and do some shopping.

Describe the perfect day?

A sunny Saturday morning . . . getting up with the family (wife Barb and sons Alex, Adam, and Andrew) and eating breakfast before going to the ballpark and watching the Cincinnati Reds.  Then coming home and grilling out as a family and sitting out on the deck and having some friends over.  I love to go to baseball games and get my mind off of things.  Just sitting at a ballpark with all of the green around is very serene.

* * * * *

As many of you have probably seen, I have been offered a tremendous opportunity to broadcast three of the Cincinnati Bengals pre-season games on TV.  It will be a thrill to do NFL play-by-play for the first time, and I'm looking forward to working with Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz. 

Unfortunately, because of the Bengals final pre-season game at Indianapolis on September 2^nd, and the final weekend of the Pawtucket Red Sox regular season, I will miss the Bearcats opener at Fresno State on September 4^th.

I appreciate Mike Thomas and Mike Waddell from UC, WLW's Darryl Parks, and Mike Tamburro of the PawSox for allowing me to adjust my schedule.  And I'm grateful to Mike Brown and Vince Cicero from the Bengals for giving me this opportunity.

Ironically, my first NFL game will also be Tim Tebow's pro debut when the Bengals host the Broncos on August 15^th.

Let's hope he's not as good as he was on January 1^st.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And if you want to follow my baseball adventures, check out my PawSox blog at danhoard.mlblogs.com.

First and foremost, I obviously hope the Bearcats win their opening round NIT game tonight against Weber State.

But almost as much, I hope Dion Dixon has a good game.

As frustrated as we all were by Dion's costly mistake at the end of the West Virginia loss in the Big East Tournament, you have to have some sympathy for a 20-year-old kid whose anguished reaction has been replayed approximately one billion times on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and any other ESPN platform that I'm forgetting.

"You feel terrible for him obviously," Mick Cronin told me.  "In sports, things like that happen - it's an unfortunate thing.  Whether it's a kicker that misses a field goal to win the Super Bowl . . . you don't forget, but things like that happen.  It's over, you have to deal with it and move on."

I understand why ESPN kept cutting to Dixon with his head buried in his hands at the end of the game - it was compelling video that summed up a heartbreaking loss better than anything the announcers could say. 

There's been abundant analysis of why Dixon got the ball in that situation.  To review, the game was tied at 51 with 6.4 seconds to go when Deonta Vaughn inbounded the ball to Dixon.  Dion was supposed to feed it right back to Vaughn to dribble up the court and try to make a game-winning play.  Instead, Dixon thought that his defender went too far to one side trying to steal the ball, giving him a wide-open path to dribble up the sideline.  The mental mistake of ignoring the intended play was compounded by a physical one when Dion dribbled the ball off of his leg and out-of-bounds with 3.1 seconds remaining. 

I asked Coach Cronin on Monday night's radio show to outline what he drew up in the huddle.

"Lance was the first option (to receive the inbounds pass) . . . Cashmere was the second option . . . and Dion was the third option.  If you get four guys up there, you're not going to have any space.  Lance was double-teamed and I thought we checked off of Cashmere a little early - because he did break wide-open after a second-and-a-half in reviewing the tape.  But I understand what Deonta was thinking.  When a guy (Dixon) is sprinting up from half-court, he usually has enough room to get open and Deonta thought he was going to be able to get it to him and get the ball right back."

Keep in mind that Cincinnati had just used its final time out to avoid a 5-second call, meaning Vaughn undoubtedly felt pressure to get the ball inbounds quickly.

"His clock was definitely clicking a little bit faster," Mick said, "and he looked at Cashmere for a second and thought, 'I see Dion running up here, he's going to be open so I'll just throw it to him and get it back.'  They had nobody guarding Deonta in that situation.  But your internal clock is running pretty fast if you're the guy inbounding the basketball, there's no doubt about it.  Things happen - it's a crazy world sometimes.  You feel bad for Dion . . . but the guy didn't have to bank a shot in."

TV viewers saw a bunch of replays of Da'Sean Butler's 24-foot game-winning bank deposit, followed by a similar number of replays of Dixon regretting the biggest gaffe of his athletic life.

Wouldn't it be great if we saw numerous replays of a great Dion Dixon highlight tonight?

* * * * *

So the e-mails and texts have been pouring in since last Friday night asking me why David Letterman did a series of Chuck Machock gags throughout his show followed by shots of yours truly laughing hysterically in the audience.

If you missed it, you can see the opening monologue at http://tiny.cc/QaRio

Here's the untold story.

Last year I attended a taping of the Late Show With David Letterman with Bill Koch from the Cincinnati Enquirer and learned that Dave comes out and takes a question or two from the audience before the show begins.

Well, I returned last week and was picked to ask a question before Friday's show, so I asked Dave if he would like to join me as a guest color commentator on 700-WLW radio during the Big East basketball tournament.  When Dave started laughing, I told him that I was serious because my broadcast partner Chuck Machock was kicked out of a game once for yelling at the refs and I might need Dave's help if it happened again in New York.

Here's a photo of Chuck being escorted off the court by a cop in the 2003 NCAA Tournament game between Cincinnati and Gonzaga.

And here's a photo of CBS using a telestrator to point out where my color analyst was supposed to be sitting.

Letterman was amused to learn about Chuck's infamous moment and turned it into a running bit.

However, one key segment didn't make the broadcast.  Just before doing the Top 10 list, Dave read a card that explained what happened to Chuck and introduced me in the audience.  I was a little surprised that it got edited out because the whole gag (including numerous shots of a certain bald guy in the crowd) would have made more sense to somebody watching at home.

Still, I must admit that it was pretty cool.  And if the Bearcats make it back to New York for the NIT Final Four, Dave has a standing invitation to join us on the broadcast.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Greetings from the Bolt Bus - my preferred mode of transportation when traveling between Boston and New York City.  Cheap + abundant leg room + wireless internet is a winning combo.  Especially the cheap part when I turn in the receipt to Dave "Yid" Armbruster at WLW.

Unfortunately, I'm on the bus two days too soon after Thursday's kick-to-the-onions loss to West Virginia in the Big East Tournament.  Oh well, at least I'll be home in time to watch Letterman tonight (hint, hint!).

For the 2^nd straight day, here's a Letterman-inspired Top 10 list from New York.

1.  The Big East Tournament

When a former US President and one of the 5 coolest people on the planet attend the quarterfinal round of a conference tournament, you know it's a big deal.

Seeing Bill Clinton and Denzel Washington at Madison Square Garden last night was a reminder that we ain't in Conference USA anymore (didn't run into either of them in Hattiesburg or Birmingham).

A lengthy stay in New York is painfully expensive, but if you have the dough and the time, attending the Big East Tourney is as good as it gets for a college basketball fanatic.

2.  The future of the Big East

I hope the schools the schools that are being courted by the Big 10, consider the prestige of the Big East Tourney before bolting and destroying the league as we know it.  Of course, the fate of the 16-team Big East will obviously come down to one thing - money.  Doesn't everything?

Here's the obvious fix - do whatever is financially necessary to get Notre Dame to join the league for football - even if it's a ridiculously one-sided deal.

Notre Dame wants to remain an independent in football, but probably doesn't want its other athletic teams to get stuck in a Big East that no longer includes the likes of Pitt, Rutgers, or Syracuse.

The Fighting Irish could join the Big 10, but there's no way they would get a sweetheart deal from Ohio State, Michigan, etc.

If the Irish join the Big East for football, the league's problems are solved.  It would forever guarantee a spot in the BCS, and give the Big East leverage with the TV networks (or help the league to form its own).  It would give the league a 9^th football member to make scheduling easier, without forcing the league to add to its already hefty number of 16 basketball schools.

So do whatever it takes:  Allow the Irish to keep a bigger chunk of the TV money and all of its bowl money (they already do anyway) . . . move the league offices to South Bend . . . make Catholicism the official religion of the Big East . . . you get the picture. 

I don't care how you do it - just save the league.

3.  Dion Dixon

I feel really, really badly for the kid, but in my opinion he probably shouldn't have handled the ball.

I know what Mick was trying to do.  Since West Virginia wasn't guarding the player throwing the ball inbounds, he put Deonta Vaughn in that spot to pass it in and then get it right back while racing toward the basket.  It's a concept that worked to perfection last year against Eastern Kentucky, when Deonta sprinted up the court and threw an alley-oop to Yancy Gates for a dunk that forced OT with 0.1 left in regulation.  Vaughn was wide open last night and waiting for the pass when Dixon had a brain-cramp and decided to dribble.

Associate head coach Larry Davis told us after the game that Dixon was put in because they trusted his ability to get open and catch the ball.  The coaches know which of their players can do that better than I do.  Still, if at all possible, I would have liked to see the 'Cats draw something up to get it to Lance Stephenson.  If he can't get open (and he was double-teamed), one of the point guards would be my next choice in case they were forced to handle the ball.

Not for nothing, but Rashad Bishop would have probably been the inbounder if he hadn't been suspended.  WVU wouldn't have been able to double-team both Vaughn and Stephenson.

4.  Darnell Wilks

If you've listened to our radio broadcasts, I've probably been more critical of Darnell than any other player this year.  But he was terrific in all three games in New York, and I'll give Mick credit for sticking with him.  Wilks proved he can be a valuable piece to the puzzle if he's willing to attack the offensive and defensive boards.

"The most important thing was that his defensive was pretty solid," Coach Cronin told me.  "He has always struggled on the defensive end.  He's made shots for us when open all year, but his rebounding was what I was proud of the most."

5.  Mick Cronin

One of the most frequent criticisms leveled at Mick is that his players don't always play hard enough.  Nobody could say that in New York.  If wasn't always pretty, but the 'Cats laid it on the line for 40 minutes every night.  It's an encouraging sign moving forward.

"It was tremendously gratifying," Mick told me.  "My biggest challenge all year was to impress upon the guys to play with heart, passion, and toughness.  We had a team meeting before we came up here and basically talked about exorcizing the demons of our season.  We've lost a lot of close games to some tough teams and we tried to wipe the slate clean.  It's been liberating to just worry about effort and fight.  Never stop fighting until the bell rings - that's been our M.O."

6.  The NIT

It's not what we hoped for going into the season, but I enjoyed the NIT games during Andy Kennedy's season as head coach, and if the 'Cats are picked for that tournament this year, I'm looking forward to seeing if they can continue to play like they did in New York.  If so, they could be back at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, March 30^th.

7.  Bob Huggins

Thursday's win was the 664^th of his career, pulling Huggs even with John Wooden for 21^st on the all-time list in Division I.  I hated losing last night, but with UC and Syracuse out, I'll be rooting for the Mountaineers to win their 1^st Big East Tournament title in 15 tries.

8.    Rich Chvotkin

The legendary radio voice of the Georgetown Hoyas is a hoot.  If you think my man Chuck is excitable, he's Garrison Keillor in comparison to Chvotkin.  Rich is famous for screaming "Hoyas win" multiple times whenever Georgetown pulls out a big game.  When the clock was winding down on the Hoyas upset over Syracuse yesterday, several media members stopped watching the court and turned toward Chvotkin to observe his hysterics.  He yelled "Hoyas win" nine times.  I'm setting the over/under at 10 for tonight's game against Marquette.

9.  Sean Kilpatrick

When the Bearcats took the floor last night, six players walked out to the center of the court - the five starters and redshirting freshman Sean Kilpatrick who enthusiastically tried to pump up his teammates.

It's too soon to say if he's going to be a great college player, but SK is one of the most likeable kids I've seen in 15 years of covering Bearcat basketball.  His personality reminds me a bit of my all-time favorite Bearcat Melvin Levett.  I think he's destined to become a fan favorite.

10.  The Late Show With David Letterman

Tonight's the night.  Since Dave's P.R. person confirmed a few details for the Cincinnati Enquirer's John Kiesewetter, I guess I can share a few more.

On Monday, I attended the taping of tonight's episode of the Letterman show.  Before each taping begins, Dave takes a question or two from the audience.  I was picked and asked Dave is he would like to join me as a guest color commentator on 700 WLW during the Big East Tournament.  When he laughed, I informed him that I was serious because my partner Chuck Machock was kicked out of a game for yelling at the refs once and I might need help if it happened again.

A running gag quickly developed.  You can see for yourself tonight.   

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Good afternoon and greetings from the Big Apple.  I'd love to be here for a few more days - especially since somebody else is paying for the hotel room.  A cup of coffee in the lobby is $6 . . . WLW will be happy to know that I've been willing to walk a block to get my morning caffeine fix at a diner. 

I arrived in New York on Monday and had the opportunity to attend a taping of the Late Show With David Letterman (more on that later).  In honor of Dave, here's a Top 10 list of observations after Cincinnati's wins over Rutgers and Louisville.

1.  Lance Stephenson. 

He may not have been "Born Ready" but he's certainly "been ready" here in New York.  Lance has relentlessly been taking the ball to the basket.  Of his 26 shots in the first two games he's only attempted two 3-pointers, and when Lance goes strong to the bucket good things generally happen.

I was thrilled for him when he was named the Big East Rookie of the Year on Tuesday because Lance has a burning desire to be great and understands that he has still has a ton of room for improvement.   

"Lance has been a guy that we've relied upon a lot and it's been tough on him this year because so much was expected of him," Mick Cronin told me.  "He's played well of late and I'm proud of him.  He's had to deal with a whole lot of pressure - probably too much at times - but I like the frame of mind that he's in right now.  He's playing really strong, physical basketball of late, and really rebounding the ball.  He's evolving as a player and hopefully he'll keep it up because we need him to play well."

"(Winning the award) means a lot," Stephenson said.  "Without my teammates, my family, and coach, I don't think I would have won this honor.  I'm just going to keep working hard and try to get better every day."

2.  Ibrahima Thomas

When the 6'11" junior transferred from Oklahoma State we were told he was a good athlete and decent shooter but wasn't much of a rebounder.  I'm not sure if the scouting report was lousy or if Ibrahima has drastically improved, but he is rapidly becoming a force on the glass.

"His length allows him to be a good rebounder and also his pursuit of the ball," Coach Cronin said.  "He has good energy and he's not afraid to go get the basketball - in particular on the defensive end.  Yancy is not the best defensive rebounder - he blocks out but isn't as quick to the ball because of his size.  Thomas plays above the rim with his length and he can go and get the ball out of his area.  He's become one of the better defensive rebounders in our conference over the last month and that's been big for us."

The next step for Thomas is to score in the paint.  He's making 27% of his 3-point shots, but he's only making 39% of his 2-point shots.  The second number has to get better.

3.  Yancy Gates

The big guy can be extremely frustrating to watch.  After he went 4-for-13 from the floor against Rutgers - and only 1 of the shots was from more than 5 feet from the basket - I was tempted to remind Yancy that the dunk was legalized in college basketball in 1976.

But I'll give him credit.  I thought that Gates played with as much energy and emotion against Louisville as he ever has as a Bearcat.  His defensive work on the perimeter in slowing down the pick-and-roll in the second half was a big key to why the Cardinals only scored 25 points in the last 20 minutes.

4.  Jaquon Parker

You can't win in the Big East without warriors, and I think Parker fits that description.  He continually ripped the ball away from Louisville players in traffic to grab 7 offensive rebounds last night, and he's averaging 10.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in the tournament. 

Not for nothing, but the Bearcats are 4-1 in the games that Parker has started this season.

"Jaquon is still making the adjustment to being a primary ball-handler and hasn't always been able to get consistent minutes," Mick told me.  "From here on out, he's going to get consistent minutes because of the situation that we're in (Rashad Bishop's suspension).  I'm committed to playing him and he's going to continue to battle.  The one thing that's great about Jaquon is that he's always going to battle for you.  He finds a way to stick his nose in there and make plays.  He may not be the best shooter in practice, but he's not afraid to make a shot in a big-time atmosphere like the Big East Tournament."

5.  Rashad Bishop

I don't know the details of what he did or didn't do, but I was very surprised by his suspension.  Unlike Alvin Mitchell who was an obvious pain-in-the-neck before being booted from the program, I haven't heard many complaints about Bishop over the last three years.  The 'Cats haven't needed him so far in the tournament, but Rashad certainly could have been helpful tonight to defend West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler.

I hope he learns from this and is reinstated after the Big East Tournament.  Mick made no guarantees when I asked him about Rashad's future.

"I'll meet with him when we get back, but right now I'm worried about the Bearcats and the guys that are here," Cronin said.

6.  Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery

I obviously haven't heard their work during the first two games of the tourney but I'm sure it's been terrific because I think it's the best broadcast team in any sport. 

(In the interest of full disclosure, Sean was one year ahead of me at Syracuse and is a close friend.  I think he's as good as any play-by-play announcer in the business.)

When Raftery does a UC game, he always approaches me before tipoff and asks, "What's the number?"

That has nothing to do with gambling . . . it's a reference to how many consecutive games Chuck has done since being ejected.  The "number" is up to 225.

7.  Officiating in the Big East Tournament

I'm not sure if it's as easy to tell on TV as it is in person, but it is all-out war in this event.  The officials are letting just about anything go.

That's been good for UC.  It's hard to get 28 offensive rebounds (as UC did against Louisville) if the officials are calling the ticky-tack stuff.

8.  Nick Lachey

UC's most-famous celebrity fan was in the front row on the baseline last night and then spent a few hours hanging out with Bearcat fans at a New York City watering hole after the game.

I can't say that I'm a huge fan of his music, but he showed me something last night with his willingness to pose for pictures and sign autographs.

Lachey also spent some time talking to my pal Doug Zang from Skyline Chili about having some authentic Cincinnati chili shipped to California.

9.  Larry Crawford from Mason.

Larry is this year's winner of the online version of the Struggle for the Steak (at struggleforthesteak.com).  He's gets a $500 gift pack, autographed Bearcat gear, and an invitation to next year's steak dinner. 

Thanks to Plante Moran, the official auditing firm for the contest, for making it happen.

10.  The Late Show With David Letterman

I can't say why, but I strongly encourage Cincinnatians in general and Bearcat fans in particular to watch and/or record Friday night's show.  Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

I ran into former Bearcat Kevin Youkilis on an airplane in Cincinnati a few days before Christmas and barely recognized him because he was clean-shaven.  The bushy goatee that inspired its own website - Beard of Truth Dot-Com - was nowhere to be found.

(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

I didn't ask Boston's two-time All-Star first baseman and 2007 Gold Glove Award winner why the chia pet on his chin was gone, but my guess is that he shaves it in the off-season to be a little less recognizable.  Having achieved rock star status in Red Sox Nation, I'm sure that Youk has a hard time going anywhere in public (especially in New England) without being engulfed by autograph seekers and cell-phone camera picture takers.

Perhaps a winter without whiskers was the inspiration for his latest charitable endeavor called "Facial Hair Frenzy."  Here are the details, courtesy of the Red Sox media relations staff:

FACIAL HAIR FRENZY: Kevin Youkilis' Hits for Kids charity began the "Facial Hair Frenzy" on Thursday, March 4^th...For every dollar given to Hits for Kids, donors will get a chance to vote on how Kevin's facial hair will look on Opening Day...The "look" that receives the most votes (and donations) is how Youk will take the field on April 4...Voters choices are goatee, mustache, clean shaven or Fu Manchu...For more information visit youkskids.org or call (781) 444-9685.

If you go to the website, you'll see this box labeled "Mirror Mirror On The Wall" that shows what Youk would look like with each of the four choices.

I'm planning on voting for the Fu Manchu.  It costs $1 to vote.  You can vote as many times as you want if you're willing to spend $1 for each vote.  All of the money goes to Youk's charitable organization.

Hits for Kids teams up with children's charities and medical research programs in New England and in Kevin's home town of Cincinnati, to help them raise money and awareness.

In this case, Youk is putting your money with his mug is.

At some point, somebody has to make a shot.

The Bearcats were 7-for-30 from 3-point range against Villanova and I'm sure a common complaint after the game was that they shot too many threes.  Especially since the Bearcats are only making 29% of their shots from outside the arc this year to rank 325^th out of 347 Division I teams.

In this case I respectfully disagree.

There have certainly been games this year where the Bearcats offense was too stagnant, resulting in forced 3-pointers with the shot clock winding down.  That was rarely the case on Tuesday night.  Villanova doubled-teamed UC's big guys when they caught the ball in the paint and dared the 'Cats to make jump shots.  As far as coaching strategy is concerned, that would qualify as a "Duh."

Most of Cincinnati's treys were wide open.  Larry Davis - who was recruited as a Field Williams-type shooter - went 0-for-5.  Cashmere Wright - who opened Big East play by making 7 of his first 8 treys - went 0-for-3.  If they go 2-for-8 (instead of 0-for-8), UC probably wins the game.

It would be great if the Bearcats shot layups on every possession, but if the opposing defense doesn't have to respect the threat of an outside shot, it's difficult to get the ball close to the basket.  With the size and athleticism that Cincinnati faces in the Big East, it's tough to finish in the upper echelon with a lousy shooting team.

And that's a big challenge moving forward.

UC has a strong nucleus of returning talent led by Rashad Bishop, Yancy Gates, Ibrahima Thomas, Lance Stephenson, Cashmere Wright, and Jaquon Parker.  But who is going to make outside shots?

Larry Davis and Dion Dixon are shooting a combined 32-for-130 (25%) from outside the arc.  That number drops to 20% in Big East play.  Sean Kilpatrick - who is redshirting this year - is more of a penetrator than a jump shooter.  Every perimeter player on the team needs to put in serious time this summer trying to become the best shooter he can possibly be.

If there are shooters available in the late signing period, I suspect that Mick Cronin will be holding a "Help Wanted" sign.  Having recruited the likes of Steve Logan, Francisco Garcia, and Taquon Dean in the past, Mick knows the value of having a consistent outside threat.

Cincinnati is not far from turning the corner.  That's one of the reasons why this season has been so frustrating.  What would UC's record be if the 'Cats were just an average shooting team? 

Mick has rebuilt the program from ruined to respectable. 

Unfortunately, it's been "one brick at a time" in more ways than one.

* * * * *

March 2^nd is National Sportsmanship Day.  To recognize it, the Big East is holding an online vote to choose the best act of sportsmanship in the Conference this year.

One of the three choices involves a Bearcat:

Nomination #2:  Big East Most Outstanding Swimmer Josh Schneider Greeted With Unusual Welcome.

Cincinnati's Josh Schneider was awarded with the 2010 Big East Most Outstanding Swimmer by the league's coaches, and was greeted with a special entrance en route to receiving his award.  By virtue of his team's deck position, Josh had to walk past several other teams before making it to the podium.  In an impromptu gesture of respect, the other teams put their arms in the air to create a dramatic entrance similar to what you would see at a wedding when the bride and groom are announced.

You can vote for Josh here.

* * * * *

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Deonta Vaughn has not had a great season.

His 11.3 scoring average is the lowest of his Bearcat career.  After making 40% of his 3-point shots as a sophomore when he was named 1^st Team All-Big East, Vaughn is only making 33% of his treys as a senior (including 3-for-22 in nail-biting losses to Gonzaga, Xavier, St. John's, and Marquette).

So how should we react when Deonta takes the court on Senior Night against Villanova?

If you're in attendance, I hope you'll join me in giving him the longest and loudest ovation a Bearcat has received since Eric Hicks' senior year.

Vaughn is the 4^th leading scorer in UC history behind Oscar Robertson, Steve Logan, and Danny Fortson.  He's started more games and played more minutes than any other player in school history.  And he did it - at least initially - when the program might have been at the lowest point in its history.

"What he's meant to the program is hard to describe," Coach Cronin said.  "You just have to think back to how bad it was.  He allowed us to have a player to try to build to a point to where you could at least have a winning team.  He and I are both probably the most disappointed guys that we're not already locked in to the NCAA Tournament and that he hasn't had a better senior year.  But that being said, we're both very proud of what we've been able to accomplish in getting the program back on its feet.  I know we wouldn't have been able to do it without him."

Vaughn is the only player who has been with the team for all four of Cronin's seasons as head coach and both were hoping that Deonta would end his UC career in style.

"It hurts me that he hasn't had the best senior year because I feel for him," Cronin said.  "You hear people take shots at him and you take it personally, because if anybody deserves the benefit of the doubt around here it's him.  What people don't realize is that most guys in his situation after he had the freshman year that he had . . . and we were 2-14 in the Big East and he's facing massive rebuilding . . . and his friends Mike Conley and Greg Oden are in the National Championship game . . . he could have easily transferred to Indiana or Purdue and went home.  If you don't think those things were options for him, we're all kidding ourselves."

Fortunately for Cronin and the program, Vaughn stayed and he led the team in points and assists in each of his first three seasons.

With a minimum of three games left in his college career, Deonta is 88 points behind Fortson for third on the all-time scoring list, and 13 assists behind Eddie Lee for the UC career record.  At a news conference on Monday, Fox 19's Ron "Rufus" Millennor asked Coach Cronin if Vaughn should be considered one of Cincinnati's all-time greats.

"Oh absolutely," Mick said.  "I'll say this.  Who else on that list played in the Big East and played against the level of competition that he's played against night in and night out?  And under the circumstances that he had to do it.  You have to give him his due.  He hasn't been Nick Van Exel who played here for two years, had great success and a wildly successful NBA career.  He's done it in a different way, but he's probably meant just as much to the program as any Bearcat, because you have to factor in where the program would have been without him.  If anybody ever deserved an ovation on Senior Night it's him."

I look forward to giving him one.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you twitter, you can follow my tweets at twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Random interesting nuggets going into today's game here in Morgantown:

UC enters the game ranked 335^th out of 347 teams in free throw shooting (yes, there are actually 11 teams that are worse!).  What team ranks dead last?  DePaul at 57.8 %.  Go figure - the Blue Demons went 11-for-13 vs. UC on Wednesday night. 

For those who criticize Mick Cronin for UC's free throw shooting woes (I maintain a college head coach has little impact), it's worth pointing out that UCLA (Ben Howland) ranks 330^th, Texas (Rick Barnes) ranks 331^st, and St. Louis (Rick Majerus) ranks 339^th.

UC enters the game ranked 328^th in 3-point shooting percentage, meaning there are 16 teams that are worse including USF.

Perhaps the biggest key to last year's win over West Virginia was Yancy Gates, who finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.  In that game, Gates had 9 defensive rebounds.  Did you know that before grabbing two defensive boards vs. DePaul that Yancy had not had a single defensive rebound in the previous two games?  He has a total of five defensive rebounds in his last five games.  Gates has to do better than that today.

As everyone knows, Bob Huggins is 0-2 vs. UC since taking over at West Virginia, but the Bearcats aren't the only Cincinnati-area team that Huggs has had trouble with.  Two years ago, his Mountaineers lost to Xavier in the Sweet 16.  Last year, WVU was knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tourney by Dayton.

Huggs was ejected in the waning moments of West Virginia's game at UConn on Monday night.  Unlike my man Chuck Machock in 2003, WVU radio analyst Jay Jacobs did not get the boot as well.

Deonta Vaughn needs 11 points to tie Roger McClendon for 4^th on UC's all-time scoring list behind the Big O, Steve Logan, and Danny Fortson.  Vaughn has been struggling lately, hitting just 18% from 3-point range in his last 7 games.

Cashmere Wright made 7 of his first 8 3-pointers in Big East play.  He's 1-for-15 since.

Darnell Wilks is the only scholarship player at UC who has not started a game this year (not including Sean Kilpatrick who is redshirting).

Lance Stephenson leads the Bearcats in turnovers with 66, but does not rank in the Top 100 nationally.  John Wall ranks 15^th with 109 turnovers, Jerome Dyson ranks 23^rd with 103, and Devan Downey ranks 35^th with 96.  I'm not suggesting that Wall, Dyson, and Downey aren't terrific players - the turnovers are largely due to their team's fast-paced style of play - but it's interesting isn't it?

I had a fun time getting here yesterday.  Left Boston at 10:45 in the morning.  Got stuck in the Detroit airport for 5 hours.  Sat on a plane on the tarmac in Detroit for another 2 hours.  Finally got to the hotel in Morgantown at 12:40 am.  Well worth the wait if the Bearcats pull off the upset.  UC is a 12-point underdog.

Tipoff is at 2:00.  Pregame coverage at 1:30 on 700 WLW.

Go 'Cats!

I guess it should come as no surprise that a bunch of college guys were excited to get somebody's phone number.  But in this case, the coveted "digits" didn't come from an attractive coed; they came from a 41-year old man.

When Butch Jones held his first team meeting as Cincinnati's head football coach, he wrote his cell-phone number on a blackboard and told his players that they could call him at anytime - day or night - if they needed to talk.

"That made a huge impact," linebacker J.K. Schaffer told me.  "The guys on the team were looking at the board and saying, 'Is that really his cell phone number?' because previously we had never had our head coach's cell phone number.  That was a pretty cool thing.  That showed us right there that he has an open door policy that we can come talk to him anytime that we want, and that means a lot to the guys."

Brian Kelly's 34-6 record at Cincinnati and back-to-back Big East Championships makes it silly to question his methods.  His former players knew that BK would help them win games and potentially get to the NFL.  But if they had one common complaint, it's that it was a business relationship and they didn't feel much of a personal connection.

That is not the case with Butch Jones.

"As soon as he came in, we could tell that he was a guy who was going to run the team as if it were a family," Schaffer said.  "He's a real personable guy.  I'm totally confident that he's going to be a great coach.  He's a very positive guy and I think he's going to do great things for our program."

In an attempt to bring the team and the new coaching staff closer together, Coach Jones invented the "Bearcat Olympics."  Captains were chosen (including Schaffer) and a draft was held to form ten teams (you can see some video here).  The event will culminate in a "Night of Champions" at Fifth Third Arena that will be open to the public.  The date and time are TBA, but look for an announcement in the near future on gobearcats.com. 

"It's a lot of fun," Schaffer said.  "We played basketball in the 12-foot pool in the rec center and we had to tread water for a whole basketball game.  That's not the easiest thing to do.  The "Bearcat Olympics" involves athletic talent, academics, and character, so you really had to look into the guys that you were going to draft.  I had to pick guys that could win me a dunk competition, that would get me a bunch of points in the classroom, and guys that weren't going to screw up off the field and get me negative points.  But it's a lot of fun and brings a lot of friendly competition into our family."

Schaeffer earned some community service points for his team this week by speaking to the Oak Hills Kiwanis Club where the audience included his parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  They are the biggest reason why the LaSalle High School grad accepted a scholarship offer from Cincinnati as soon as he got the phone call from assistant coach Kerry Coombs.

"Looking up into the stands and seeing my family there - I just want to do everything that I can to make them proud," J.K. told me.  "That's my main driving force before anything else."

It sounds like he has two families to play for.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Three days a week, UC senior Josh Schneider rolls out of bed at 5:15 in the morning in order to be in the swimming pool by 6:00am.

"I dread it every time, but you have to have that internal drive because you know your competitors are out there doing the same thing," Schneider told me.  "There's no way around it.  If there was, nobody would be doing it.  Every morning, you wake up and question why you're doing what you're doing.  But this past week makes everything well worth it."

Last week at the BIG EAST Swimming and Diving championships in Pittsburgh, Schneider won all three events he entered (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly), setting UC, meet, and pool records in each event while being named the BIG EAST Men's Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive time.

"He is tremendously gifted," said UC swimming coach Monty Hopkins.  "Genetics certainly play a part.  He is an extremely athletic man.  He's maybe 6'3" or 6'4", probably about 210 pounds, very muscular and lean, and extremely athletic.  But talent can only get you so far.  To go beyond that you have to draw on every resource that you can, and much to Josh's credit, he is very serious about improving the little points.  He'll do the extra work in the pool on technique.  He'll do the extra work in the weight room.  He'll sit and watch video of his swimming looking for one little thing that will help him go faster." 

Josh's best event is the 50 freestyle and last week's time of 19.08 is tied with Cal's Nathan Adrian for the fastest in the nation this year.  Schneider says he can go even faster.

"I wasn't fully rested so I have a lot more to give," Josh said.  "Also, some pools are known to be fast and the Pittsburgh pool isn't.  The walls are unlike anyone else's walls - it's really hard to judge when you want to start your turns so I had to lift my head up to see where I was and that's actually a real novice move.  I wasn't able to make aggressive turns."

The 7-time BIG EAST champion will square off against Adrian in the NCAA Championships from March 25-27 at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State University.

"The emphasis all year has been on the NCAA Championship and beyond, and while he had some great swims last weekend, we're hoping that there's more to come," Coach Hopkins said.

"Putting up those good times is going to give me a good seed in the NCAA's and it's a great confidence booster going into them," Schneider said.  "If I come away with a win in the NCAA's, it could open a lot of doors for me in terms of sponsors like Speedo or Tyr or any sort of companies that would want to sponsor me."

Schneider is seeking financial support to help him pursue his goal of qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

"I'm actually moving down to North Carolina to train with Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones," Josh told me.  "Competing with him every day will raise my standards and I think I'll also have to focus more on technique instead of just strength and conditioning.  I'll be packing my bags and finding a place to live to spend two years training just in hopes of making it to the Olympics."

"As much as he's improved, if he can see that next little bump in his ability, he's going to be a player on the national team level and I hope that he does achieve that dream," Coach Hopkins said.  "It's kind of like catching a shooting star, and if you can't dream about it you're probably not going to make it.  So he dreams about it, and thinks about it, and is working towards it - which is the key - and he's got a real shot of being an Olympian."

Unlike most elite swimmers, Schneider competed in a wide variety of sports in high school, setting Taylor High School records for pass receptions in football and in the 110 meter hurdles in track.

"After my freshman year at UC, I talked to my coach and said, 'I only have one more year of swimming left in me and then I'm going to go back and play football,' Josh said with a laugh.  "I stuck it out because I realized that if I'm going to do anything big, it's going to be in the sport of swimming."

"He probably could have played football," Coach Hopkins told me.  "He's a big, strong, fast guy.  But he can be a national champion swimmer."

And while swimming doesn't garner the attention that football does, Schneider loves its simplicity.

"It's pure," Josh said.  "You have no one to blame if you do something bad.  If you don't perform up to expectations you have to look at yourself in the mirror.  You can't blame anything on the refs because it's all based on time.  It's a reflection of what you put into it."

And how early you're willing to wake up. 

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

If you didn't attend the Mick Cronin radio show last night, you missed all-you-can eat ribs at the Montgomery Inn for $19.95 (the promotion runs through Thursday).

If you weren't there or didn't listen to the show on 700 WLW, you missed Coach Cronin addressing the biggest questions that Bearcat fans were asking after the Marquette game.

Question:  Why wasn't Yancy Gates in the game for the last seven minutes of regulation and overtime?

Mick: "We were up 58-54 and they went on a 7-0 run to take the lead while we had some guys in the game - he being one of them - that I thought were breaking us down defensively (Note:  It was actually 56-52 with a 9-2 run by Marquette).  We get a lineup in the game that was able to go from 61-58 down, to 64-61 up by getting numerous defensive stops.  So we go from down three to up three with a defensive lineup in the game by getting stops.  The hardest thing sometimes is that you want to play a guy offensively but you can't take him out defensively.  I thought we had the game under control with the lineup we had in the game.  We gave up a "3" that tied the game at 64 and then we went right back and took another three point lead.  We missed a free throw and at that point I was going to keep my best defensive lineup in there and Hayward hit a tough shot.  You try to put the guys out there that are giving the best effort and playing the best as a group to give your team the best chance to win."

Question:  Did you consider putting Yancy back in on offense for the final play of regulation?

Mick:  "I thought about it, but in a late-game situation if you put a big guy in for offense - I don't care if it's Yancy Gates or Tim Duncan - the easiest thing if you're going to try to run a play for a big guy is to double-team him.  So if you put him in to throw him the ball, they're going to double-team him and now you risk turning the ball over and not even getting a shot off.  You're putting him in a bad situation there.  At that point, you're trying to get the ball to a guard who can drive into the lane and have our better shooters in the game to spread them out."

Question:  Why is Lance Stephenson struggling?

Mick:  "It's playing with four other people.  It's not that he doesn't want to.  It's a lifetime of, 'Here's the ball and we'll all watch you play,' to now trying to play with other people and letting me get him shots through our offense.  The tough part about it is that he had some really good practices leading up to the game.  His competitiveness gets the best of him at times where . . . say somebody scores on him like (USF's) Dominique Jones.  He comes down and immediately shoots the ball to try to score back on Dominique Jones.  You can't do that - you've gotta just play the game.  In the Connecticut game . . . Gavin Edwards blocked his shot and he immediately fouled Gavin Edwards for his second foul.  You got your shot blocked - you've got to get back on defense.  We need you to stay in the game.  It's a matter of controlling his emotions and maturing to a point where he can morph his talents into a team system.  He's done it at times.  He's had good games - it's just a work in progress.  The one thing I appreciate about Lance is that every day he comes to practice and very rarely is his effort lacking.  Very, very rarely is his effort lacking.  His mistakes are usually made out of hustle and being aggressive."

Question:  What has happened to Lance's swagger?  Is his confidence shot?

Mick:  "I don't think his confidence is shot by any stretch of the imagination.  He knows he can play - I have to help him score again in a way that's conducive to us winning games.  Part of that is getting him more attempts, but they have to be quality attempts.  It's got to be off of one or two dribbles - not seven or eight dribbles.  It's all a matter of helping him get through it as a coach.  It's hard to be confident when you're not making shots.  We have to get him the shots that he's most confident of making, which are 17 feet and in.  That's where he makes them every day in practice." 

I don't remember the question, but Mick had this to say about the team's inconsistency.

"Inconsistency from all of our players has been a problem and I'm responsible for that.  I'm their coach, so at the end of the day I take blame for everything - trust me.  Nobody beats themselves up more than I do about replaying situations and trying to get guys to be more consistent.  That's my job."

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

I had a couple of requests at last night's show for an updated photo of the handsome lad, so here is 3 ½ year old Sam Hoard.

I was on a plane from Boston to Cincinnati yesterday morning from 10:15 to 12:59, meaning I was one of the few people on the face of the earth who wasn't glued to the TV during Tiger Woods public apology.

Immediately after landing, I turned on my smart phone and read what Tiger said online.

I thought it was just about perfect - until I saw the video.

It's just my opinion, but Tiger's wooden performance on camera dulled the impact of his words.  He looked like a politician looking into the camera as he delivered his closing comments at the end of a televised debate.

But if you ignore the stilted delivery and read the text, Tiger apologized for his behavior, defended his wife, vowed to be a better person, and asked for our forgiveness.  What else was he supposed to do?

As a reporter, I would love to interview him.  I want to know how he got caught and for how long he's lived in fear that he would get busted.  I'm interested in what he thinks this has done to his legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

But I completely understand why he didn't hold a news conference and I'm amused by media members that seem offended by that.  He's dealing with incredibly embarrassing issues for himself and his family.  Who knows what a reporter from TMZ or the National Enquirer would ask?

Tiger's behavior has cost him millions of dollars, but he has plenty of money left.  He might never get his wife and kids back, not to mention the respect and admiration of millions of fans.

He's said enough for me. 

* * * * *

I was honored to serve as master of ceremonies for UC's Legion of Excellence celebration on Friday night that saw three all-time Bearcat greats enter the James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame:  Track legend Mary Danner Wineberg, Soccer All-American Andrew Kean, and Football Star/Basketball Sub Brad Jackson.

Wineberg, who won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 meter relay in the 2008 Olympics, told the audience that she hopes to compete in the 2012 games in London.

Kean wore a traditional Scottish kilt and spoke in a thick brogue about what it meant to come to the United States and attend the University of Cincinnati.

Jackson became quite emotional as he discussed why he will always be a Bearcat.  In my introduction I said the following:  "As a football player, he'll be remembered as one of the hardest hitters in Bearcat history.  As a basketball player, he'll be remember as . . . one of the hardest hitters in Bearcat history."  It's worth noting that Marvin Lewis - who coached Jackson as a member of the Baltimore Ravens - was in attendance to see Brad enter the UC Hall of Fame.

In addition to the new Hall of Fame class, Jack Drake, Dr. Frederick Haffner, and Carl Lindner were inducted into the Order of the Black Blazer, which recognizes individuals for their contributions and support of UC Athletics.  Presentation of the Strubbe Distinguished Service Award went to John Courter and Sue Stephens Jones.

It's always a first-class event.  Kudos to everyone who did a magnificent job of putting it together.

* * * * *

Sunday's home game against Marquette is obviously a huge one for the Bearcats.  In my opinion, if UC can go 3-2 in its final five regular season games, the team would be right on the NCAA bubble going to the Big East Tournament since two of those victories would have to be "quality wins."

Tuesday night's offensive performance at USF was ugly, but the NCAA tournament committee doesn't watch every minute of every game, they only go by results and a road loss at USF isn't a deal-breaker.

Every bracketologist - without exception - has Cincinnati right in the mix for one of the final spots in the Field of 65.

Let's hope the 'Cats seize the opportunity beginning with critical back-to-back home wins over Marquette and DePaul.

Hope to see you at Fifth Third Arena.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Interesting weekend in the Big East huh?

Cincinnati's win at UConn would probably be ranked 4^th on a list of biggest upsets.

In case you missed it on Sunday:

St. John's won at Notre Dame - perhaps not that big a shock considering that the Irish did not have Luke Harangody (who is out with a bruised knee).  Still, it drops Notre Dame behind UC in the Big East standings at 6-7 with tough road games remaining at Louisville, Georgetown, and Marquette.  Hard to imagine the Irish doing better than 8-10 in league play.

Louisville beat #2 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome (3 days after the Cardinals lost by 19 at St. John's).  Rick Pitino has now topped his former boss Jim Boeheim in 8 of their last 9 meetings.  Enormous win for the Cards NCAA prospects.

Rutgers beat #7 Georgetown for the Scarlet Knights first win over a Top 10 team in seven years.  Rutgers won despite going 7 ½ minutes without a field goal in the second half.

Selection Sunday is four weeks away.  Here's the way I see it:

5 Big East teams are locks:  Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown, and Pitt

Louisville appears to be in good shape at 7-5 (including a win at Syracuse) with home games left against Notre Dame, Georgetown, and Syracuse and road games at DePaul, Marquette, and UConn.  The Cardinals should win at least 3 of those games to get to 10-8 (or better) in league play.

That leaves 6 Big East Bubble schools battling for one or two more spots:  Cincinnati, Marquette, USF, Seton Hall, Notre Dame and UConn.

Let's start with the premise that a team would need to finish at least 9-9 in the Big East to have a shot at an at-large bid.

UConn is barely alive with a 4-8 record in league play and Notre Dame is a long-shot for the reasons I listed earlier.

Seton Hall is 5-7, but only has 2 games left against teams with winning league records.

Home:  Rutgers, Marquette

Road:  St. John's, West Virginia, Rutgers, Providence

USF is also 5-7, but has 4 home games remaining and only 1 game left against a team with a winning league record.

Home:  Cincinnati, St. John's, Providence, UConn

Road:  Villanova, DePaul

Marquette is at 7-5 (thanks in part to playing DePaul and Providence twice) with three straight road games beginning on Sunday at Fifth Third Arena.

Home:  Pitt, Louisville, Notre Dame

Away:  Cincinnati, St. John's, Seton Hall

Which leaves Cincinnati at 6-6 in the Big East with a tough remaining schedule that includes four teams with winning league records. 

Home:  Marquette, DePaul, Villanova

Away:  USF, West Virginia, Georgetown

Let's face it, the next two games are HUGE for the 'Cats since USF and Marquette are two of the teams that appear most likely to finish with at least 9 Big East wins.  The Bearcats can enhance their chances while dealing both of those schools a head-to-head blow if they can win.

It's going to be a big week.  Let's hope they can build on the great defensive effort at UConn.    

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Last weekend Syracuse nearly lost to lowly DePaul.  The third-ranked Orange trailed by 18 before rallying to win by 2.

Clearly, Syracuse took the Blue Demons too lightly right?

Not according to Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim.

"We were ready to play at DePaul," Boeheim told reporters this week.  "Whenever you have a bad game, people say you aren't ready to play.  It's never about that. We did not play well, period."

"It wasn't that it was a road game," the coach continued. "It wasn't that it was in the afternoon. It wasn't that we didn't have good food. It wasn't that we were tired. There's none of that. You have bad games, and we had a bad offensive game."

I don't entirely agree.  I do think that good teams sometimes take bad teams too lightly.  But Boeheim is right in the sense that it's never that simple.  In my opinion the "take the opponent too lightly" angle helps explain a slow start, but the good team usually gets that out of its system pretty quickly and has plenty of time to recover.

Still, I hope Syracuse fans are complaining that the Orange took the Bearcats too lightly at roughly 4 pm tomorrow.

I owe my friend Donna Ditota a public apology.

Donna is a sportswriter for the Syracuse Post-Standard, and when I ran into her at Big East Media Day she predicted that Syracuse would be a better team this year despite losing its top three scorers - Jonny Flynn (17.4), Eric Devendorf (15.7), and Paul Harris (12.0).  That's 45 points a game from a team that went 28-10 last season.

I thought Donna was nuts at the time.  I thought she was REALLY clueless on November 3^rd when the Orange lost an exhibition game to Division II LeMoyne College.

Three months later, Syracuse is off to the best start in school history at 22-1 and ranked third in the country.  It's pretty obvious that Donna knew what she was talking about.

"To me they're the best team in the country because they shoot 50% from the field (actually 53%) and they only give up 39% on defense," Mick Cronin said.  "They do a great job in their zone.  When you do penetrate their zone they block shots.  That's the backbreaker.  You gotta make sure you finish with strength around the rim against them because you can't get the ball down to the two-foot marker and come away empty.  You have to score or get fouled.  Their passing is excellent.  They get a ton of layups because of their transition, their size, and their passing."

In the LeMoyne loss, Syracuse played man-to-man defense and allowed 82 points - 50 in the second half.  The Orange has stayed in a 2-3 zone ever since and is playing it as well as a Syracuse team ever has.  The top six players in Jim Boeheim's rotation are 6'4", 6'5", 6'7", 6'7", 6'9" and 6'9".  That size has helped Syracuse average 11 steals and 7 blocks per game.

"They play hard," said UC junior Larry Davis.  "Their 2-3 zone is no joke.  They rebound the ball, they can get the ball in the paint, they've got a couple of guys that can really score . . . they're really tough."

In Syracuse's only regular season loss, Pittsburgh hit 10 of 24 three point shots in an 82-72 win.  Cincinnati is going to have to make a few 3-pointers, but the Bearcats are only shooting 30% from outside the arc this season and can't settle for jump shots against the SU zone.

"You're going to have to shoot the ball, the question is, 'Are you shooting open shots?' Coach Cronin said.  "One thing you have to be very careful of against Syracuse is taking bad shots because they just take off down to the other end with the best of 'em.  They've been that way historically - running with the basketball and converting.  They are so good in transition because they play above the rim."

In the past few weeks we've all started projecting what games UC needs to win - and is capable of winning - in order to make the NCAA Tournament.  With the exception of DePaul at home, nothing would shock me in Cincinnati's final eight regular season games.  Syracuse and Villanova are two of the best teams in the country but they are home games for UC and the Bearcats have been tough at Fifth Third Arena (where they also play Marquette).  Cincinnati will be a big underdog at West Virginia and Georgetown but the 'Cats have matched up well against those two schools over the last couple of years.  The Bearcats already have wins over UConn and USF, but can they complete the sweep on the road?

The Bearcats need to win at least half of their remaining regular season games to remain in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid.  To do that, they have to consistently play with the intensity they displayed in Maui.

Super Bowl Sunday at 2:00 would be a good time to start.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

When the Bearcats twice failed to get the ball inbounds and let a 3-point lead slip through their fingertips in the last 12 seconds at St. John's, Mick Cronin called it the "toughest loss of his coaching career."

Imagine how Providence coach Keno Davis felt 10 days later.

The Friars led USF by 13 points with two minutes to go . . . 9 points with 49 seconds remaining . . . 5 points with 16 ticks left on the clock . . . and lost by 4 in overtime.

Keno Davis was named the National Coach of the Year two years ago at Drake.

* * * * *

When UC squandered an early 12-point lead at Seton Hall, Deonta Vaughn admitted that the Bearcats lost their focus after jumping in front.

"We just relaxed too much when we thought we had them and they fought back," Vaughn told the Enquirer's Bill Koch after the game.

Vaughn was promptly ripped on various message boards.  "What an idiot," one person wrote.  "Who thinks they have a team beaten that early in the game?"

I wonder if there were similar posts on UConn message boards this week after the Huskies blew a 10-point first half lead in an 81-66 loss at Providence.

"We just took our foot off the gas. We thought that we had the game won already," UConn forward Gavin Edwards told reporters after the game.

Edwards played on UConn's Final Four team a year ago.

* * * * *

Here's my point.  Blowing a game doesn't make you a bad coach.  And failing to maintain intensity for 40 minutes doesn't mean a team has no heart.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion about Mick Cronin and it's fair to ask whether he can lift the UC program back to national prominence.  But a tough loss doesn't make him Dave Shula, just as a big win doesn't mean he's Don Shula.

Mick is the 38-year-old head coach of a team that's 14-7 overall, 5-4 in the nation's toughest conference, and currently projected to go the NCAA Tournament.  His team is looking to looking to increase its win total for the fourth consecutive season, and in the last two years he's signed the number one player in the city (Yancy Gates) and one of the most highly-touted recruits in the country (Lance Stephenson).

This year's team is agonizingly close to being 17-4 if not for a blown call (end of regular vs. Gonzaga), a terrible night at the line (10-for-22 in the 2-OT loss at Xavier), and the bad finish at St. John's.  Even winning two of those games would probably put the 'Cats back in the Top 25. 

That's obviously frustrating - it's perfectly OK to want the Bearcats to be great.  We all do.

But in case you haven't noticed, they're already good. 

And working hard to get better.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

As painful as the St. John's loss was last week, if the Bearcats win at Louisville on Sunday, they can erase the bitter taste of that defeat.

That's one of the great things about playing in the Big East.  While it's brutally difficult, there are plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself after an early season loss and enhance your NCAA resume.

"We're not even near the half-way point in the Big East and there are 5 ½ weeks left in the regular season," Mick Cronin said after Wednesday's win over USF.  "There's a long way to go and we've got to continue to strive to get better."

The Bearcats have 11 regular season games left and only three of them are against teams that are currently outside of the top 75 in the RPI ratings (USF #84, Providence #92, DePaul #190).  If Cincinnati wins those three games, the 'Cats would still need at least two "quality wins" to finish .500-or-better in league play.

That's why Sunday's game at Louisville looms so large.  The Cardinals suffered heavy losses from the team that won last year's Big East regular season and tournament titles, but a win at Freedom Hall would still look great on Selection Sunday. 

Since Louisville plays at Seton Hall on Thursday night, UC will have an extra day to prepare - but with no guarantee that Lance Stephenson will be on the court.

"He's got a sprained ankle and it's the same ankle that he sprained earlier in the year," Mick told me.  "He's a tough kid - trust me, I'll have to tie him down to stop him from playing on Sunday.  But I'm not going to put him in any jeopardy - if he's healthy he'll play, if he's not he won't.  We'll give him Thursday off and see how his ankle reacts and go day-to-day.  He's too important to put him out there if he's not ready, so hopefully he can practice on Friday and Saturday and see if he's ready to go."

The Bearcats played well offensively without Stephenson in their win over USF, scoring 78 points on 56% shooting with only 8 turnovers.  But those numbers will be tough to match against Louisville on its home court.

"Our issue is consistency," Cronin said.  "We need to know that every night, certain guys are going to show up offensively and we really haven't had that.  We've had different guys play well at different times, but we have to strive to get consistent play from three or four guys every night on the offensive end."

The Bearcats won the last time they visited Freedom Hall in January of 2008, as a team with John Williamson, Adam Hrycaniuk, and Jamual Warren in the starting lineup, beat a Louisville squad that included future NBA draft picks Terrence Williams and Earl Clark.  Cincinnati is much more talented now according to Louisville senior Edgar Sosa.

"Cincinnati is a really tough, hard-nosed team that has most of its players back, and with a good recruit like Lance coming in, there's no telling how good they can be," Sosa told me at Big East Media Day.  "Cincinnati is definitely a team to watch out for in the Big East."

The Bearcats will look to prove Sosa right on Sunday.

* * * * *

Rick Bozich had an interesting story in the Louisville Courier-Journal on Thursday that makes the case that 10 Big East wins is the magic number for going to the NCAA tourney.

Since the Big East expanded to 16 schools four years ago, 27 of 30 teams that have finished above .500 in league play have been selected for the field of 65.

The exceptions were Providence (10-8 last year), West Virginia (9-7 in '06-07) and DePaul (9-7 in '06-07).

However, finishing at .500 has generally not been good enough since the league expanded as only one of four teams received an at-large bid.  Villanova qualified with a 9-9 record in '07-08, but Syracuse ('07-08), Providence ('06-07), and Cincinnati ('05-06) were left out with. 500 league records.

Syracuse finished below .500 (7-9) in '05-06, but rode Gerry McNamara to the Big East Tournament title.

* * * * *

Quick quiz:  What college basketball coach has made the following statements after his team's losses this season?

"The freshmen are trying ... but they haven't been through these wars yet.  If I live long enough, maybe it will help us a couple of years down the road. But I don't know if I can live through this."

"Some of our inexperienced players have to get experienced quickly, and a couple of experienced players have to play a heck of a lot better."

"We looked like a really inexperienced team in the first half. We reacted like an inexperienced team."

"This is the least experience and least depth I've ever had on the perimeter.  I always love big guys - but I've got to have guards. I've got to have perimeter players that know what they're doing."

"We both showed our inexperience.  We showed it in the first half and I think they showed it a little bit in the second half."

Answer:  North Carolina's Roy Williams.  His Tar Heels fell to 12-7 with a home loss vs. Wake Forest on Wednesday night.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

So the early NCAA tournament projections have started to come out, and Cincinnati makes the field of 65 in all but one that I've seen.

Andy Glockner of SI.com lists UC as a #12 seed facing Clemson.

Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News has Cincinnati as a #9 seed.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN ranks the Bearcats as a #12 seed facing Temple.

Bracketville has the 'Cats in as a #10 seed facing Vanderbilt.

Jerry Palm of CollegeRPI.com lists Cincy as a #8 seed taking on Cornell.

The Hoops Report has UC as a #8 seed with a first-round matchup against North Carolina.

Collegehoopsnet.com ranks the Bearcats as a 12^th seed.

The only "bracketologist" I could find that doesn't include Cincinnati in the tournament is Daniel Evans from onlinesportsfanatic.com, and he has UC listed among his last four teams out.

So what does that mean?

Zilch.

But it does go to show all of us that the season didn't end when the Bearcats gift-wrapped and gave away the St. John's game.

Saturday's win over Notre Dame was absolutely critical.  If you figure (as I do) that a 9-9 Big East record would put Cincinnati on the NCAA bubble while a 10-8 mark would give UC a strong resume heading into March, the Bearcats cannot afford to lose any more games that they are favored to win.

They also can't afford to keep shooting 32% from the field.

Fortunately, great defense, aggressive rebounding, and good offensive execution in the last 1:30 were enough to beat the Fighting Irish.

"We played with a lot of heart," Coach Cronin told me.  "It wasn't pretty, we didn't make many shots, and we made our share of mistakes.  But our heart was there and that's what carried us through."

No one embodied that more than Yancy Gates.  Mick likes to joke that instead of a "5-Hour Energy Drink", he wishes someone would invent a "2-Hour Angry Drink" for Gates to consume right before tipoff.

"The thing that I'm trying to get some of our guys to do - Yancy being one, Rashad being another - is to get serious and get mean," Cronin said.  "You've to play with some emotion and heart.  This is a game of wills and competitiveness and talent is only going to take you so far.  You have got to compete and show some emotion.  Lay your heart on the line out there because that's what the teams at the top of this league have historically done.  Those guys are good guys, but they have to get mean between the lines and that's what I have been challenging them to do."

Perhaps a few more shots will go in on Wednesday night vs. USF, but if they don't, a team that intends to stay in the bracketologist's projections has to find a way to win.

"I told the guys, you can't live and die with the jump shot," Cronin said.  "We have to live and die with the offensive rebound.  We have to go and rebound the ball because we are not going to win a game of horse.  A physical game, an athletic game, a rebounding game, a game of toughness and defense we can win."

* * * * *

In case you're wondering why Biggie McClain was not in uniform on Saturday, he took a nasty fall the day before at practice and hurt his knee.  Fortunately, an MRI found no structural damage and he could see action on Wednesday night.

Additionally, Ibrahima Thomas has been hampered by a sprained left thumb.  He's wearing a protective cover over it when he's off the court, but is only taping it during practice and games.

* * * * *

The Notre Dame game drew the biggest crowd of the year at Fifth Third Arena and there were several clever Brian Kelly-related signs in the student section including one that said, "The 11^th Commandment:  Thou Shall Not Covet They Neighbor's Coach."

Mick Cronin would love to see a similar home court advantage against USF.  As he jokingly pointed out on his radio show on Monday night, "Don't forget, they stole our defensive coordinator Joe Tresey prior to the season."

Something tells me that Tresey won't be the subject of any signs in the student section.

* * * * *

Sam Hoard (AKA "The Handsome Lad") attended his first game of the season on Saturday.  Special thanks to Director of Basketball Operations Chris Goggin, his wife Sonya, and their daughter Simone for showing Sam (and my wife Peg) a great time.

The only thing Sam enjoyed more than the win over Notre Dame was his first visit to Graeter's.  The kid loves ice cream and classic rock.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Here we go again.

The Bearcats lost a game as a 4 ½-point underdog and my in-box is flooded with angry e-mail.

Let's see . . . you're tired of excuses.  You can't believe that Deonta Vaughn said the Bearcats "relaxed too much" with a 12-point lead at Seton Hall.  You think it's time for a coaching change.    

Duly noted.

I'm not here to tell you that everything is perfect, but why did the season suddenly end with a loss on January 9^th?

The Bearcats are 11-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big East.  They have three wins over Top 25 opponents and have had one horrible performance (at UAB).  My hope for this season was to see the team return to the NCAA Tournament.  I still think that is realistic.

Mick Cronin finally has enough talent to have a fighting chance in the Big East.  That doesn't mean that UC has more talent than Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse or UConn, but it does mean that he's no longer bringing a water pistol to a gun fight. 

I don't know if/when Mick will lift the Bearcats to national prominence, but I do know this:  He's a Cincinnati guy who took on the challenge of rebuilding the program even though he knew it could get ugly.  The fact that he inherited a disgruntled fan base hasn't made the job any easier.  That doesn't make Mick immune to criticism, but I do think he deserves a realistic evaluation. 

As for Deonta's postgame comments, I think we put too much stock in what college kids say a few minutes after a difficult loss.  Did the Bearcats relax for a moment when they got up by 12?  Perhaps, but it wasn't like they completely stopped trying.  UC blew the lead because it started turning the ball over and giving up fast-break baskets.  It didn't help that Yancy Gates and Rashad Bishop were on the bench with foul trouble. 

There are 14 games left in the regular season.  The next three (at St. John's, home against Notre Dame and USF) are crucial, and if the Bearcats come through, they will be near the top of the Big East standings.

The Seton Hall game is over.  The season isn't.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

I'll admit it; I had the Pitt game penciled in as a win going into the season.

The Panthers lost DeJuan Blair (15.7 points, 12.3 rebs), Sam Young (19.2 points, 6.3 rebs) and Levance Fields (10.7 points, 7.5 assists) from last season's Elite 8 team and were picked to finish 9^th in the Big East in the preseason coaches' poll.

After seeing them in person on Monday night, they are a heck of a lot better than I thought they were going to be.

(Previously unbeaten Syracuse learned the same thing on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.)

There's a reason why Pitt coach Jamie Dixon won more games in his first six years than any other Division 1 coach in college basketball history - his teams are tough, disciplined, and don't make mistakes. 

In my opinion, the Bearcats can learn more from their loss to Pitt than any of their previous defeats this season.  They weren't robbed by a lousy call (Gonzaga).  They didn't blow the game at the FT line (Xavier).  And they didn't get outhustled (UAB). 

Simply put, they had a few more mental lapses on the defensive end (have you ever seen so many guys fall for head fakes?) and it cost them the game.

"We couldn't stop 'em," Coach Cronin told me.  "We didn't get enough stops to win the game.  That's not who we are.  We don't give up 49% shooting.  If we defend as we have all year we win this game."

Pitt methodically executed its offense for 40 minutes (48% shooting in first half, 50% in second half) and only turned the ball over seven times.  Cincinnati's offensive numbers were nearly identical (49% shooting, 8 turnovers), but when the Bearcats failed to score late in the game, they gave up easy baskets on the other end.

"When we don't score, we go down to the other end and carry that miss with us," Cronin said.  "It's got to be over with - you can't let a missed shot or an empty possession compound the problem by giving them an easy shot on the other end.  We have to develop a tougher mettle about us where we understand that there are going to be times that we don't score in crucial situations.  You cannot get deflated and let it impact the defensive end."

Pitt doesn't let that happen.  Let's hope it's a lesson learned for UC.

* * * * *

I've received a bunch of e-mail from fans that made the trip to New Orleans and every single person indicated they had a great time despite the outcome of the Sugar Bowl.

I'm still amazed by the sheer amount of red-and-black that I saw in the French Quarter, and the pep rally is one of the coolest things I've even been involved with.  Kudos to the folks from the UC alumni association for putting together such a great event.    

I had a chance to visit with Nick Carparelli, the Big East's Senior Associate Commissioner for Football, and he said the UC fan support had definitely made a statement that will help the Bearcats in future bowl negotiations.  We've come a long way in a very short period of time. 

I took one of team busses back to the hotel after the game and got a lump in my throat when I walked with the Bearcats through a roped-off line of thousands of cheering UC fans.  I can only imagine how much that meant to the players and coaches.  Thank you to everyone who waited at the Marriott to lift their spirits.

* * * * *  

I also want to thank all of you who stopped me in New Orleans to express your disappointment that I wasn't chosen to fill the Cincinnati Reds broadcasting position.  I can't adequately express how much I appreciate the kind words.  While that remains a dream job for me, I love broadcasting UC football and basketball and hope to do so for many years to come.

Finally, a number of you also wondered why I haven't posted any photos of the handsome lad lately.  It's a very good question.  Here is 3-year-old Sam, proudly wearing his Bearcat gear.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

I grew up in Lakewood, NY rooting for the Buffalo Bills and was lucky to attend three of their four Super Bowl appearances while working for a TV station in Syracuse.

Technically, I was there as a member of the media, but I was a diehard Bills fan at heart and the games were devastating.

Super Bowl XXVI:  Washington 37  Buffalo 24

Super Bowl XXVII:  Dallas 52  Buffalo 17

Super Bowl XXVIII;  Dallas 30  Buffalo 13

The Bills became a national punch line.  When Buffalo blew a halftime lead in their final Super Bowl loss, Letterman did a "Top 10 Things Buffalo Bills Coach Marv Levy Said at Halftime."

#6  "Hey, Kelly. Leave some champagne for everyone else!"

#3  "Okay, boys--get out there and start sucking"

At the time it sucked to be from the Buffalo area.  Some Bills fans (including my beloved mom) actually said they hoped the team didn't make it back to another Super Bowl because they couldn't stand the heartache.

I guarantee that they don't feel that way anymore.

Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, and Coach Levy have entered the Hall of Fame in Canton, and the Bills of the early 90's are widely considered the best team in NFL history that didn't win the big one.

As a fan, I have nothing but great memories of those teams and my Super Bowl adventures.  As horribly as the games turned out, I remember the thrill of seeing the Rose Bowl for the first time, the spectacle of watching 100,000 flashbulbs go off at the opening kickoff, and the pride I felt in rooting for a team that kept bouncing back after excruciating losses.

I know that's how we're eventually going to feel about the Bearcats.

In the short term, the Big East bashing will sting, and we'll have to put up with rival fans (think they enjoyed the Sugar Bowl in Louisville and Columbus?) who will attempt to diminish the 'Cats 12-1 season and back-to-back BCS bowl appearances.

(If Buckeye fans lay it on too thick, you can remind them that OSU lost to Florida for the 2006 National Championship by the same 27 point margin that UC lost the Sugar Bowl).

But at the risk of getting too "Oprah-ish," don't let anybody steal your joy.

If you were among the 20,000-plus that made it to New Orleans, remember what it was like to see red-and-black everywhere you looked in the French Quarter.

Remember the inspiration of Mitch Stone and how our team rallied around him.

Remember Armon Binns making the most important catch in UC history while playing with a separated shoulder.

Remember your heart skipping a beat when the clock briefly hit zero in the Texas/Nebraska game.

Remember the rags-to-riches rise of future NFL quarterback Tony Pike.

Remember the greatness on the field and the grace off of it displayed by Mardy Gilyard.

And yes, remember Brian Kelly.  He gave us a wonderful ride.

And the ride is not over.

Take it from a Bills fan.  A lousy night shouldn't ruin a phenomenal year.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Say "84% wrong" to a West Virginia football fan and, chances are, they'll know exactly what you're talking about.

Three years ago, the Mountaineers experienced what the Bearcats are going through now as head coach Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan 19 days before WVU faced Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

West Virginia's long-time radio broadcaster Tony Caridi - one of my old college buddies at Syracuse - admits that he wasn't very optimistic going into the game.

"It would be totally disingenuous if I said that walking into the stadium that night that I thought that West Virginia was going to have a chance to win the game," Caridi told me recently.   "Not only did they have to play a game without their head coach, but it was against an Oklahoma team that was being mentioned by pundits as perhaps the best team in the nation.    Rich Rodriguez and one assistant had already left, and you knew that several other coaches were literally going to be on the road to Michigan the next day.  It did not look like West Virginia would be able to win the game or even be competitive."

Football fans across the country agreed with the WVU announcer.

"There was an ESPN poll where fans voted on who would win the game and it looked like a presidential map with the red states and the blue states," Caridi recalled.  "84% of the nation picked Oklahoma to win the football game and the only state in the United States that picked West Virginia was West Virginia.  And that was obviously with their hearts and not their minds."

But West Virginia not only won, the Mountaineers dominated the Sooners in a 48-28 victory.  On the sideline near the end of the game, Mountaineers wide receiver Dorrell Jalloh held up a sign that said "84 percent wrong."

"When you first walk into the football facility at West Virginia, a photo of that sign is located to your immediate left and it is blown up to a huge size," Caridi said.  "That underscores defying all the odds when you're told that you can't do something.  I would think that would have to be the number one victory in school history.  It's the highest-ranked team that they have even beaten and then you have to consider the situation that they were put into.  And they not only beat them, they thumped them.  So I think that would probably be the number one victory - this is my 26^th season, and without question, in my 26 years that's the biggest." 

ESPN.com is once again giving fans the opportunity to make their online bowl picks (you can vote on the Sugar Bowl here).  As of December 22^nd, nearly 70,000 people had voted and 67% pick Florida to beat UC.

That comes as no surprise to Mardy Gilyard.

"Even at 12-0 we've got people asking us, 'Do you think you can compete with Florida?' Gilyard told me.  "Then when BK left, it was almost like pouring gas on the fire for us, because now there are people running around asking, 'Can they compete without Coach Kelly?'  People should know that Coach Kelly had a staff that had something to do with this too, and those are the guys who are working extremely hard to get us prepared for this game."    

The Bearcats goal is to hoist the Sugar Bowl trophy after the game.

Holding up a sign that says "67% wrong" would be nice too.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

After his team's lousy performance in Birmingham on Wednesday, Mick Cronin knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep, so he put his insomnia to good use by staying up all night and watching every minute of every Bearcat game this season in hopes of finding ways to be more productive offensively.

"There are things in that game that were embarrassing for me," Cronin said.  "Shot selection is something I pride myself on as a coach - my teams are going to play smart.  Any coach wants to feel like his teams are going to play smart basketball and we were disoriented at UAB.  We had to get ourselves back on the same page in order to take high-quality shots."

But two days of extensive work on the offensive end at practice did not produce early results on Saturday against Lipscomb as the Bearcats did not make a field goal for the first 6 ½ minutes. 

"I thought there was a possibility that we would come out and freeze because guys were so determined to run the offense that they weren't trying to score when it was there," Cronin said.  "Early in the game there was a lot of ball movement but nobody was looking to shoot."

Eventually, the Bearcats began to take - and make - good shots, shooting 54% from the floor in an 80-52 win over the Bisons.

"We had 21 assists today which is a direct reflection of ball movement and execution," Cronin said.  "You could see that the conviction to try to share the ball more was there today."

"You have to get guys to believe in letting the offense work," Mick told me.  "You have to hang on to your execution in tough times and not hang on to the bravado of, 'I'll grab the ball and go score.'  We have to rely on our execution.  Because we really got away with not executing in Maui, we hadn't become a team that really understood that yet.  Although I was very unhappy with the result at UAB, I do think it's going to make us a better team."

* * * * *

Ibrahima Thomas made his first start as a Bearcat on Saturday and played 18 productive minutes, finishing with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.

"Everybody saw the real guy that's got a chance to be a really good player and help us a lot," Cronin said.

But with Big East play looming in less than two weeks, the Yancy Gates who averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in Maui, needs to grab a return flight from the Islands.  On Saturday, Gates played four ineffective minutes in the first half (0 points, 0 rebounds) and stayed on the bench for the rest of the game.

"I love everybody in that locker room and I love Yancy as much as the rest of those guys, but we needed a win," Mick told us after the game.  "It doesn't matter who you are.  If I feel that you're not ready to play - you're not sprinting down the floor, you're not playing with strength - we have to go with somebody else.  Hopefully he'll come back and respond and practice hard and get ready to play on Tuesday.  As a coach, you've to play the guys that give you the best chance to win and that's really all I try to do."

Cashmere Wright also saw limited minutes.  Deonta Vaughn started at point guard and Jaquon Parker - who barely played in the previous two games - was the first point guard off the bench.  Wright eventually got into the game in the second half and played a total of nine minutes.

"Our point guards had eight turnovers combined which has to get rectified in a hurry before Big East play starts," Cronin said.  "Our point guards are better players than that.  Their decisions are the problem right now.  They had no forced turnovers.  They didn't get trapped.  Those were all turnovers where they either made a bad pass on their own, or drove too deep.  They just elected to do that.  They have got to start seeing the floor and stop staring at their target because the defense is reading their eyes like a free safety in football.  You cannot win in the Big East with your point guards turning it over eight times in a game.  It's not going to happen."

You know what results from point guards that turn the ball over?  More sleepless nights for their coach.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Perhaps the most memorable gift that Brian Kelly ever got for his dad occurred in 1987 when BK used his college coaching connections to provide 50 yard line tickets to a Notre Dame/USC game in South Bend.    

I can't remember whether the occasion was a birthday or anniversary, but I do know that it was a huge deal for Paul Kelly who - like many Catholics growing up in Boston - rooted for the Fighting Irish but had never seen a game at Notre Dame Stadium.

Brian's father will be seeing a bunch of them in the future.

As a Bearcat fan, I'm obviously sorry to see Brian Kelly go.  He's a brilliant coach with an engaging personality and I've enjoyed working with him immensely.  We've had many conversations over the past few years about the likelihood that he would stay at Cincinnati, and I genuinely believe that this was a difficult decision for him.

And while he once told me that Notre Dame was not his dream job, I understand why he took it.  After 20 years of building programs at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, and Cincinnati, he's going to where no construction is required.  At Notre Dame, budgets and infrastructure are never an issue; all you have to do is recruit and coach.

Oh yea, and you had better win.

I am disappointed by how things ended.  As soon as BK accepted the job, he should have flown to Cincinnati, called an immediate team meeting and let his players know exactly what he had decided.  It's such an obvious thing to do that I'm shocked that his guys were forced to twist in the wind waiting to hear it from him while every media outlet aside from Al Jazeera was running a "Notre Dame Hires Kelly" story. 

For a guy who usually has impeccable P.R. instincts, that was awful.

And it's not his fault, but the fact that UC will try to complete a perfect season without its head coach is ridiculous.  Perhaps this will lead the NCAA to consider a rule that would prevent coaches from interviewing for jobs until their seasons are finished.  The NCAA banned text-messaging to help student athletes - how 'bout allowing them to know that their head coach won't bolt before the biggest game of their lives?       

Still, there haven't been many bad moments during his three years at UC.  Brian Kelly obviously leaves behind a much better program than the one he inherited.  His eventual replacement will take over a roster that should be able to contend for the next two Big East titles with a junior class that includes Armon Binns, Ben Guidugli, Demetrius Jones, and Jacob Rogers and freshman/sophomores like Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Drew Frey, Adrien Robinson, J.K. Schaffer, Walter Stewart, and D.J. Woods.  UC will have a new practice facility and indoor bubble built by the fall, and with the Sugar Bowl ticket allotment of 17,500 already sold, this year's BCS bowl appearance should pump some badly-needed revenue into the athletic department's coffers.   

Brian Kelly's biggest contribution to the program was making us realize that there's no such thing as impossible for UC football.  The Bearcats can play in the biggest bowl games, pack Nippert Stadium, finish as the highest-rated team in Ohio, and yes, compete for a National Championship. 

Not 5 or 10 years from now . . . now.

You know what else we learned from him?  That nobody is irreplaceable.

To use his favorite phrase, "Next man in."    

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Are you trying to decide whether you should make the trip to the Sugar Bowl?

Here's something to consider:  New Orleans is the greatest city in the world to attend a big sporting event.

Trust me, I speak from experience.

For starters, everything is within walking distance - the downtown hotels, Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, the Superdome, live music clubs, tremendous restaurants, and great shopping.  Before the handsome lad was born, it was the number one place that my wife and I loved to go for a short vacation.

And it's ideal for a big sporting event because nearly all of the fans congregate in the French Quarter every day and night wearing their team gear.  You'll see everybody you know that made the trip, and will undoubtedly run into friends you haven't seen in years.  Additionally, you'll see the Florida fans every day and in New Orleans - where the perpetual vibe is to relax and have a good time - the interaction stays friendly.

My first taste of The Big Easy was in March of 1987 when I covered the Final Four for the Syracuse radio network and sat almost directly behind Bobby Knight when Keith Smart's last-second shot gave Indiana a 74-73 win over Syracuse for the National Championship.

And speaking of first tastes, the trip marked my introduction to the Hurricane - the unofficial cocktail of New Orleans that is as sweet as Kool-Aid but packs a lethal punch.  Fortunately, I was given valuable advice by a taxi driver on my way into town from the airport.  He said, "A hurricane is like a woman's bosom . . . one is not enough but three is too many."  That advice has served me well.

I returned to New Orleans nine months later for the Sugar Bowl between Syracuse and Auburn - a game that ended in controversy as Tigers' coach Pat Dye played for the tie with one second remaining (before overtime was added in college football).  Syracuse ended the season 11-0-1 and bitter 'Cuse fans mailed Pat Dye more than 2,000 ties in the week's that followed.  SU coach Dick MacPherson ripped Dye after the game and even took a classic shot at Auburn fans by saying, "They brought a $20 dollar bill and one pair of underwear on a bowl trip and didn't change either one."

Attending the Sugar Bowl gives you the chance to ring in the New Year in a city where "last call" doesn't exist.  I've celebrated New Year's Eve in Times Square, but I think it's less crazy and more fun in New Orleans. 

I vividly remember doing the countdown to midnight in five time zones on Bourbon Street.  Five, four, three, two, one - Happy New Year in New York . . . New Orleans . . . Denver . . . Los Angeles . . . Anchorage . . . Honolulu . . .

I was tucked away in bed by the time they got to Auckland.

While working for Fox 19, I covered the 1997 Super Bowl in New Orleans between Green Bay and New England.  The Packers' young quarterback led the franchise to its first Super Bowl win in nearly 30 years.  I wonder what Brett Favre is up to these days?

Favre was the big story all week because he was from nearly Kiln, Mississippi.  Like nearly every reporter covering that Super Bowl, Fox 19 photographer Dave Smith and I dutifully made the trip to Kiln to do the "Favre's hometown" angle.  While there, we ran into a fledgling musician named Stevie T. who had written a tribute song to Favre called "Brett's on a Quest."  These priceless lyrics are forever seared into my brain.

Daddy was a coach, showed him the way

Team, fight, win . . . that's the form-u-lay

My best New Orleans experience came as a fan, as Peg and I attended the 2003 Final Four to see our Alma mater beat Kansas for the National Championship.  It was like a college reunion set in the Big Easy as most of our closest friends from school showed up unannounced for the weekend.

It's the one and only time that I've busted out this hideous orange Hawaiian shirt.

Between business and pleasure, I've probably been to New Orleans 15 times.  Here are some of my favorite places to eat, drink, and visit:

Hotel:  The International House.  It's somewhat pricey, but worth it.

Restaurants:  K-Paul's.  If you like stuff "blackened", nobody does it better.

Irene's Cuisine.  Get the rosemary chicken.

NOLA.  It's an Emeril Lagasse restaurant, but cheaper and easier to get to than Emeril's.

Brennan's.  The ultimate "gain 5 pounds" brunch - Bananas Foster is a must.

Commander's Palace.  Take the trolley to the Garden District and splurge.

Clover Grill.  A dive where you can get a burger cooked under a hub cap after hours.

Hanging Out:  Café du Monde.  It's famous for its coffee and beignets (little powdered donuts) and open 24 hours a day.  I witnessed a powdered sugar fight there at 3 am once.

Bars:  Pat O'Brien's.  It doesn't get much better than enjoying Hurricanes (remember . . . stop at two!) around the fire fountain in the outdoor courtyard.

Napolean House.  Usually not that crowded since it's not on Bourbon Street, so it's a good place to meet friends.

Whatever is designated as the "Bearcat" bar.  One of the spots in the French Quarter will cover its walls with UC gear and become the unofficial home of Cincinnati fans.

Music:  Maple Leaf Bar.  It's a short taxi ride and always features great bands.  If the Rebirth Brass Band is playing, it's a must.

Wherever Marva Wright is singing.  She suffered two strokes this year so I don't know if The Blues Queen of New Orleans is performing again.  If she is, you'll have a blast. 

Aside from the BCS Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl would be my pick for the Bearcats bowl destination every year.

I'll get there on December 31^st.  See you on Bourbon Street.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

UC fans are understandably obsessed with any and all rumors coming out of Notre Dame (no matter how absurd), but there is a potentially huge story that isn't getting nearly enough attention - the Gator Bowl's publically stated desire to select West Virginia as its Big East representative.

In a story in the Florida Times-Union on Monday, Gator Bowl selection committee chairman Brian Goin (yes, that's Bob's son) said that the 8-3 Mountaineers are their number one choice to face an ACC team.

"There's no question West Virginia is in the driver's seat," Goin told the Jacksonville paper.

If Cincinnati beats Pitt on Saturday and earns a BCS bowl bid, the Gator Bowl story doesn't mean much.  But if the Bearcats lose, they could wind up in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on December 26^th in Charlotte, despite an 11-1 record and a possible Top 10 national ranking.

How do you suppose Brian Kelly would feel about that?

The Gator Bowl says it wants West Virginia for two reasons.  First and foremost, the Mountaineers have been to the game six times and have always brought a large contingent of fans.  Secondly, bowl officials have targeted Florida State to be the ACC representative, making it a regional draw for fans who would buy tickets to see Bobby Bowden's final game.

"The cool matchup would be to play coach Bowden against his former team," Gator Bowl President Rick Catlett told SI.com on Wednesday.  "One of the interesting things we've found is that [Bowden's] streak of 27 straight bowl games started with Florida State over West Virginia in the 1982 Gator Bowl."

This is potentially a huge embarrassment to the Big East.  In fairness to league officials, it's the final year of the Big East's deal with the Gator Bowl, so they don't have much leverage to convince officials from that bowl to pick the most deserving team.  Next year, the Big East's #2 team will go to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.

But here's my question.  Why haven't Big East officials been screaming at the top of their lungs about Cincinnati deserving a BCS bowl bid win or lose on Saturday?  Right now, most of the credible bowl projections show Iowa getting a BCS bid.  Would the 10-2 Hawkeyes be more deserving than an 11-1 Cincinnati team?  Sure, Iowa fans have a proven track record of traveling to bowl games, but did anyone notice how many Cincinnati fans made it to the Orange Bowl last year?

Again, it's a moot point if UC beats Pittsburgh on Saturday.  If the Bearcats win, they'll go to New Orleans, Miami, Glendale, or yes, even the BCS Championship Game in Pasadena.

If UC loses, it looks like they'll spend Christmas in Charlotte.

At the moment, I'm more bothered by the stories coming out of Jacksonville than South Bend.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

So ESPN's Mark May says that Brian Kelly is "campaigning for the Notre Dame job harder than Barack Obama."  His definition of campaigning is apparently not pulling out of a race before it has started.

The Chicago Tribune says that Kelly would "crawl on hands and knees over broken glass for the job."  Is that the same glass that Les Miles crawled over to get to his supposed dream job at Michigan or the shards that Greg Schiano had to cross before his widely rumored return to the University of Miami?

Then you have Matt Hayes of The Sporting News who since November 5^th of last year has written about the possibility of Brian Kelly leaving Cincinnati for Tennessee, Washington, Florida State, Texas A & M and Notre Dame.  That's 5 down . . . only 114 FBS programs to go.

You know what I say?  Thank God it's almost over.

In the very near future, Notre Dame is going to fire Charlie Weis and chances are they'll call Brian Kelly to gauge his interest.  He may not be on the top of their list, but he's certainly on it.

If you were him, wouldn't you listen to what they have to say?  It's Notre Freaking Dame, and while it's not the job that it once was, it's still one of the most storied programs in college football history.  Plus, it's a school that gave Weis a huge 10-year contract extension after he had coached all of seven games at South Bend.  Imagine the loot that they're going to offer to the guy who is hired to clean up the mess.

Brian Kelly is a great coach and a very smart man who knows there's no harm in considering his options.  As much as UC fans would love for him to publically state that he has no interest in Notre Dame or any other jobs, I'd rather have him avoid the subject than pull a Thad Matta and lie about about it.  Ask Xavier fans how that felt.

As for the suggestion that this is going to distract the team before the Pitt game, I don't buy it.  Playing for an outright Big East championship, a BCS bowl bid, and a perfect regular season trumps any and all job rumors - especially since the players have heard it all before.

I don't pretend to know what Brian Kelly is going to do, but I do know that he's very happy at Cincinnati.  The school has generously boosted the salaries of Brian and his assistants and will continue to do so within its means.  His personal appeals to boosters have helped get the Jefferson Avenue Sports Complex off the ground and the team will have the option of practicing in an indoor bubble at this time next year.  Hopefully, the Bearcats will be getting ready for their third straight appearance in a BCS bowl game.  With players like Zach Collaros, Armon Binns, D.J. Woods, Isaiah Pead, J.K. Schaffer, Walter Stewart, and Drew Frey coming back, a national championship run is not out of the question.  Especially if he sticks around.

If BK does meet with Notre Dame, we're going to experience severe anxiety about what would happen to UC if he leaves.  But think about the best-case scenario - what would happen if he turned it down?  Not only would Brian's popularity soar to record heights in Cincinnati, but the UC program would get a huge credibility boost nationally.  Anyone who hasn't been paying attention to what the Bearcats have accomplished over the last three years would certainly have to think differently about the program if its coach turned down the Fighting Irish to stay at Cincinnati.

Shoot, Matt Hayes might even have to find another name to toss in the ring for every available job.

I hope Brian Kelly will stay. 

I think it's a realistic possibility.

And I know I'll be happy when it's over.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

As a freshman, Yancy Gates spent a bunch of time watching DVDs.  But they weren't the latest releases from Blockbuster Video.

The coaching staff forced him to watch DVDs of Pitt bruiser DeJuan Blair in action.

The message was obvious.  The staff wanted Yancy to use his strength much like the Pitt All-American did, and based on the first two games of the Maui Invitational, the Bearcat sophomore was paying attention.  Last year, Blair averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds.  So far in Maui, Gates has averaged 16.5 points and 11.5 boards in leading UC to the championship game.

"He's in better shape, he's older, and he's coachable," Coach Cronin told me.  "And we spent all season explaining to him that power forwards are power forwards - not skilled forwards.  And if you're a power player - which you had better be at 270 pounds - you have to rebound and impose your will on the game.  He wants to be a great player and for him to get everything he wants out of basketball, he has to dominate people physically.  He's done that in the first two games and we won both of them by around double figures.  If he continues to do that, we have a chance to be a great team because he can be an all-Big East type player."

"There aren't many centers in the country as big and quick as what Cincinnati has in Gates," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "When you have an inside player like that, it changes the situation with Cincinnati."

While Gates has been UC's standout so far, back-to-back wins over Top-25 opponents have required a total team effort - especially on defense.  Cincinnati has been especially dominant on "D" in the first half of both games, holding Vandy to 24 points and Maryland to 18 points on a combined 29 % shooting.  Coach Cronin says that's not a coincidence.

"When the opponent is in front of our bench in the first half of games and you have the voices of teammates and assistant coaches calling out the other team's plays, that's when you should be a great defensive team," Mick said.  "It's much tougher in the second half when you're away from the voices on your bench.  You have to be able to come out and play great first half defense and that's a big part of what we're trying to do."

That's a key reason while the Bearcats will play for the Maui Invitational championship against a Gonzaga team that's just outside of the Top 25 (26^th AP poll, 28^th ESPN/USA Today poll).

"To be honest with you, we've been saying for more than a month that we're not flying all the way over here to get beat on ESPN," Coach Cronin said.  "You can't become champions if you don't make it to the title fight and we've got a chance now.  It hasn't been pretty, but you can see that our guys have a commitment to winning.  They've put so much work in that they're ready to reap the reward."

The bell sounds at 10 pm Cincinnati time.  

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

I've never been so excited about a player who missed 11 out of 13 shots.

In Monday's 67-58 win over Vanderbilt, freshman Cashmere Wright had a case of "Hrycaniuk-itis" at times as he repeatedly missed shots from close range.

But after watching the Bearcats struggle to dribble-drive with no true point guard on the roster last year, it was great to see Wright repeatedly take the ball to the basket against the Commodores.

"He missed a lot of his shots, but his drives broke their defense down," Coach Cronin said.  "That's why we got so many offensive rebounds - because we were driving the ball to the basket."

Cincinnati outrebounded Vandy 53 to 32, and 23 of the Bearcats' rebounds came on the offense end.  That led to 20 second-chance points against a Vanderbilt team with three players 6'7"-or-taller in the starting lineup.

Wright did not face high-level competition at Urban Christian Academy, so when he drove past his defender he had a clear path to the hoop for easy baskets.  At Cincinnati, he'll need to think pass when he beats his man and collapses the defense near the basket.

"That's what we talked about when we recruited him," Cronin said.  "When you have a guy like Cashmere who is super-quick, you have to do two things:  Number one, you have to try to teach him how to use his quickness and number two, you've got to know that he's going to make mistakes.  You can't tell him not to drive the ball - then why did you recruit him?  We'll reap the benefits if we let him play through it and learn on the run.  He just got going so fast against Vandy that he was diving away from the basket instead of jumping up at the rim." 

It was exciting to watch his relentless attacks on the basket on Monday.

Imagine how fun it will be when he actually makes a shot.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

I thought you might enjoy a couple of photos from the team hotel in  Maui.

The next time a UC player steps to the line to attempt two key free throws, he can expect to hear how easy it is from Coach Cronin.

Mick was one of three coaches who drained both of his attempts at a temporary court at the Westin Maui Resort.  The head coaches' free throw contest on Sunday morning helped raise money for local schools.

"I was the only coach wearing slacks and dress shoes," Mick said with a laugh.  "I've bragged to the guys that for years that I could make two in dress clothes - it's not that hard.  It was a lot harder than I thought with the sun shining in my Irish eyes, so I had to look down until I let the ball go."

Each of the eight coaches was paired with a local youngster and Mick and his partner - Kekoa Paschola - tied for second overall by going 3-for-4.  Arizona's Sean Miller and his young teammate made all four of their shots to win the title.   

The coaches will reunite at 7:00 pm for a Tip-Off Luau, but Sunday is obviously a key day of preparation as the tournament gets underway with Colorado facing Gonzaga on Monday at 3:00 pm (10:00 am in Hawaii).  Cincinnati and Vanderbilt meet in the second game at 5:30 pm (12:30 pm local).  In other words, sun and fun will have to wait.

"We talked about it on Saturday after practice and I said, 'If you're going to get in the ocean, now is the time,' Coach Cronin said.  "I told them if they go out in the sun to only go out for one hour.  I was sitting in the shade where everybody knows I belong, and they were coming back from the beach and pool early.  It was hotter than I anticipated so I didn't have to enforce that rule.  We're not leaving until the red-eye flight on Thursday so they'll have 24 hours to have fun after we play our final game on Wednesday."

When I saw all eight coaches posing for a picture on Sunday morning, it really struck me how deep the field is at this event.  In ESPN The Magazine's College Basketball Preview issue, six of the eight teams that are here in Maui are picked to go to the NCAA tourney (UC, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Gonzaga, Arizona, and Wisconsin).  Colorado and Chaminade are the only exceptions.

"I have to do two things as a coach," Mick told me.  "Obviously, we're here to win the tournament.  But at the same time, we have to understand that if we don't win the tournament, we're here to get better.  We're trying to get better as a team, and the competition is going to allow us to do that and get a realistic view of who we are as a team."

With 16 teams in the conference, the Big East wouldn't have sent Cincinnati to the Maui Invitational if league officials didn't think the Bearcats could make a strong showing. 

"For all of the preseason tournaments, it's hard to get into a really good one because the Big East is so deep and these things are planned out so far in advance," Cronin said.  "The Big East provides us with a layout of all of these tournaments and where there are gaps and openings to get your team in.  Fortunately, we were able to slide in here when Louisville slid out.  When I took the job, I let the Big East office know that we would love to get into Maui if we could.  Fortunately, they gave us an opportunity to come and I've already shared with them that we would love to come back.  It's a coup to be here.  For everything that goes on in college basketball that doesn't have to do with March Madness, this tournament associates us with class programs from around the country.  When you turn on the Maui Invitational, and you see the EA Sports logo on ESPN, it's a great showcase for your program and it's where we belong.  You can only do it every four years, but I'm trying to make sure that we can continue to stay in the rotation."

He won't have to twist my arm to come back.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

So the Bearcats are not off to a great start at the Maui Invitational.

They were swept by Vanderbilt in an Xbox tournament at the EA Sports Players Party at the Sheraton Maui Resort.

Each of the eight teams had two players compete in EA Sports' NCAA Basketball game against an opponent they will face for real on Monday.

UC was represented by Deonta Vaughn (the team's senior leader) and Darnell Wilks (supposedly the Bearcats best video gamer).

Unfortunately, Deonta lost to Vanderbilt's Darshawn McClellan 23-15 and Darnell was defeated by the Commodores' Andre Walker 27-23.

Let's hope the Bearcats fare better when it counts on Monday at 5:30.

By the way, if video games had been that realistic when I was a kid, I would have never left the house.  One of the UC players was playing a home game at Fifth Third Arena and the attention to detail was so incredible that the only thing missing was my bald head on press row. 

The player's party was quite the shindig.  I sat at a table with Gonzaga coach Mark Few and within minutes he was asking about the likelihood of Brian Kelly going to Notre Dame.

(Silly me.  I thought if we traveled 4,437 miles from Cincinnati we might be able to avoid that discussion for a few days.)

I also had a chance to visit with Arizona coach Sean Miller for a few minutes.  The Wildcats face Wisconsin in the first round on Monday at midnight.

The festivities continue on Sunday.  The head coaches compete in a free throw shooting contest at 8:30 in the morning and there's a Hawaiian Luau featuring remarks by all eight coaches that will be emceed by ESPN's Bill Raftery on Sunday night. 

I'll have all of the details from paradise.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Aloha . . . and greetings from somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.  I'm about three hours into a 6 hour and 23 minute flight between Salt Lake City and Honolulu where I will eventually catch a quick flight to Maui for the upcoming Maui Invitational.

It certainly beats working for a living.

This event brings back great memories for me.  In 1990, I did the play-by-play of the Maui Invitational on the Syracuse University radio network even though my job as the time was to host the pre and post-game shows.  Fortunately for me, there was also a Syracuse football game that weekend and the school elected to have play-by-play man Doug Logan stay home to do football while sending me to Hawaii to do basketball.

I don't think Doug was too pleased.

Syracuse won the Maui Invitational that year by beating Indiana (featuring highly-touted freshman Damon Bailey) in a great championship game.  It was only 3 ½ years after the Hoosiers defeated the Orange for the 1987 National Championship on Keith Smart's last second jumper, so it was sweet revenge for this 'Cuse grad.

The tournament has come a long way since 1990.  Back then, the games were not even televised.  Now it's probably the premier early-season event in college hoops with a Who's Who field that includes Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, Maryland, Gonzaga, Arizona, and Wisconsin.  It's going to be a tremendous test for the Bearcats.

Conferences are not permitted to send more than one team to the Maui Invitational, so with 16 teams in the Big East, it's meaningful that UC was selected to represent the conference.  It's a sure sign that league officials expect Cincinnati to be good this year.

The 'Cats can begin proving them right on Monday against Vandy.

* * * * *

By now you've probably heard or read that freshman Sean Kilpatrick is a candidate to redshirt this season (that's why he did not play in the first two games of the season).  

I asked Mick Cronin if he had to twist Sean's arm to get him to agree to sit out the season.

"I told him to think about it and it's something he goes back-and-forth on in his head every day," Mick told me.  "He loves it here and the best thing for his career is to redshirt.  When you think about guys like Melvin Levett, Bobby Brannen, and Ryan Fletcher who didn't play much as freshman and were good as seniors - if they just would have had that extra year they could have definitely played their way into better pro contracts and they definitely would have helped the Bearcats.  Hopefully Sean will elect to do it.  I don't believe in telling guys that they have to do that.  He's going to be a great player for us someday, but it's a numbers game for us right now.  We're pretty deep on the perimeter and it's hard to get all of those guys' minutes."

* * * * *

Cincinnati inked a pair of big guys in the early signing period:  6'10" Kelvin Gaines and 6'8" Justin Jackson.  Here's Mick's scouting report on each player.

"Kelvin Gaines is a great shot-blocker and it's hard to find 6'10" high school guys that can run and jump and have a skill that can impact the game.  His mobility as a big man is something that's hard to find.  He's quick off his feet and has a natural gift for blocking shots.  He can change the game that way.  He's also a very intelligent guy.  He's got a nice jump-hook but he understands that he has to improve offensively." 

"Justin Jackson is a relentless competitor much like Eric Hicks.  Just a relentless, fearless warrior.  He's got a nice 15-foot jumper and will even shoot some threes, but his calling card is rebounding.  He loves to mix it up.  He's a gregarious guy with an engaging personality.  He calls guys on this year's team to make sure they're working hard.  He's a happy person and a guy who wakes everybody up."   

"Whenever you can get quality young big guys it's exciting because trust me - there aren't a lot of them out there.  There's a premium on mobile, athletic big guys that can impact your program so it was a great early signing period for us.  Both of those guys are more mobile than any of the big guys that we have right now."

* * * * *

What did Cashmere Wright learn from the too-close-for-comfort season-opening win over Prairie View A & M?  To turn off his iPod before tipoff.

"In the locker room, nobody is going to listen to music anymore before the game - we're just going to focus," Cashmere said.  "If you focus on the small things, they become big things.  Lack of focus becomes a loss, and if you lose enough you won't get to the NCAA Tournament."

"Whatever a guy has to do to get ready to play I'm all for," Coach Cronin said.  "Whether you listen to music or brush your teeth seven times before tipoff.  Guys have a lot of weird idiosyncrasies and I don't care what you do to get ready to play, but you've got to respect your opponent." 

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

When I was a "TV guy" at Fox 19, there was one type of post-game comment I vowed never to run:

Any variation of "they wanted it more than we did."

There are three reasons why I tried to avoid it.

1.  It's what athletes instinctively fall back on when they don't want to (or aren't able to) explain what just happened.

2.  Fans overreact whenever a player on their team says it.

3.  Even when there's some truth to it, it obscures the real reason why a game was won or lost.

I'm not disputing that the Bearcats were not as intense as they should have been at the start of Monday's season-opener against Prairie View A & M, but frankly, that's not unusual for an early-season matchup between two schools from opposite ends of the college basketball spectrum.  It's not an indictment of Mick Cronin any more than Kentucky falling 18 points behind Miami is an indictment of John Calipari.

Here are the real reasons (at least in my opinion) that UC's game was closer than it should have been.

Yancy Gates needs to be more active on offense.  Even when the opponent collapses several guys around him, Yancy has to fight to get open and his teammates have to do a better job of getting him the ball - period.  Yancy attempted 5 shots from the floor and 2 shots from the line against a team that does not have anyone taller than 6'7".  He needs a dose of Danny Fortson selfishness at battling for position and demanding the ball.

The problem wasn't too many 3's - it was too many bad threes.  In the first half last night, 51% of UC's shots were 3-pointers (18 of 35 shots).  In the second half, it was 46% (12 of 26 shots).  That's not a huge difference.  But in the first half, the 'Cats passed it around the perimeter before hoisting threes.  In the second half, they penetrated before kicking it outside for wide-open threes.  That's been a staple of Rick Pitino's offense for years and it's what most of the good teams do - drive to the basket, collapse the defense, and throw it out to an unguarded player who can step into a 3-point shot.  When the Bearcats use that approach, I have no problem with them shooting treys.

Lance Stephenson had a subpar debut.  It wasn't all bad.  In fact, the first time Lance touched the ball he made a tremendous pass to Yancy Gates who promptly missed a wide-open dunk.  But Stephenson's shot wasn't falling and the end result was 7 points in 22 minutes.  I've seen enough of Lance at practice to know that he's not going to be held to 7 points very often.  (More on Lance to come)

The great equalizer.  Do you know why Miami nearly beat Kentucky last night?  Because the RedHawks were 15-for-26 (58%) from beyond the arc.  When Prairie View took a 15-point lead over UC on a 3-point shot by Duwan Kornegay with 5:11 to go in the half, the Panthers were 7-for-12 (58%) to that point from long distance.  Some of those shots were difficult, but the Bearcats left some good shooters open in the first 15 minutes.  Cincinnati pulled away when it forced Prairie View to take more contested shots.     

If the Bearcats improve in those areas on Wednesday night, they'll have a much more impressive showing against Toledo.

And nobody will say "they wanted it more than we did."

* * * * *

I asked Mick on the pre-game show where Lance Stephenson ranks among the top players he has ever recruited.

"He's the best," Mick told me.  "I've tried to downplay it and not put too much pressure on him because I don't want him to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders but from a talent standpoint he's probably the best player I've ever recruited.  Now remember, I didn't recruit Kenyon Martin - John Loyer did - I got to help coach Kenyon for four years, but as far as players I helped recruit, I would go with Lance, Francisco Garcia at Louisville, DerMarr Johnson, Kenny Satterfield, or Steve Logan.  Those guys were all great players, but I think that Lance has a chance to be better.  I think he's a combination of all of them because he's a scorer and a passer and he's got size at 6'5½" and I think he's going to have a long future ahead of him.  We have to start getting him comfortable in our offense because he's a potent offensive player and in the big-time games that we hope to be in this year, you have to have a guy who is hard to guard.  He's really hard to guard when he gets going at practice, so we just have to make sure we get him enough opportunities."

That's a pretty bold statement.  It's going to be fun to watch him develop this season.

* * * * *

It looks like freshman Sean Kilpatrick is going to redshirt this season.  Since UC has an abundance of players in the shooting guard/wing category, Sean isn't likely to get much playing time this season and it makes sense to preserve four years of eligibility.  It will help Sean immensely - he can practice every day, travel with the team, and get ahead academically. 

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Enjoy a recent photo of the handsome lad in front of his beloved train set.

Allow me to steal an expression from one of my favorite broadcasters Bill Raftery: 

"Onions!"

As in Brian Kelly has 'em.

More than any other coach I've even been associated with; the dude is completely fearless about being second-guessed.  Then again, why worry about criticism if you're the football equivalent of King Midas? 

Think about the way he used Tony Pike in Friday's 24-21 win over West Virginia.  When Coach Kelly announced that Zach Collaros would start but Pike would play, I think most people figured that Tony would enter on Cincinnati's third drive of the game . . . or first possession of the second quarter . . . something like that.  

Instead, after Collaros took the team right down the field on its first drive, Pike got the call to enter as soon as the Bearcats hit the red zone, and promptly threw a 10-yard touchdown strike to Armon Binns on his first snap in 29 days.

"Who's crazy enough to do that?  I guess I am," Coach Kelly said with a laugh on our post-game show.  "It was great to get Tony in and you could see him start to get that look back in his eyes that he wants to get back out there."

If Pike's return as a "red zone reliever" hadn't worked and UC had to settle for a field goal try - or worse yet, if Tony had thrown a pick - Kelly would have been ripped from coast to coast for abruptly yanking Collaros with a perfect season on the line.  Instead, his gutsy strategy not only worked - it worked twice. 

"It couldn't have been better," Kelly said.  "We were at the right place on the field - if it were two or three yards different in each one of those instances, we couldn't have used him.  It really scripted out well for us.  We lost D.J. Woods for two plays on that second touchdown and we had to wait for the play that we wanted.  We got D.J. back in and Tony made a great throw - he's the only one who can make that throw - and it was a great catch by D.J."

So now what?  Last Tuesday, Coach Kelly said that his plan was to have Pike return to the starting lineup against Illinois after the upcoming bye week.  But will Collaros continue to play?  I asked BK if would consider playing two quarterbacks for the rest of the year.

"I'm not opposed to that, but I think I would rather play one and have him excel at a high level," Kelly told me.  "We've had that this year.  When Tony started he played extremely well, and when Zach has started he has too.  We have a luxury in terms of having two quarterbacks that we not only can win with, but we think we can win a championship with.  It's a bit unusual, but it's not a controversy because our team is not split.  I think it's a controversy when you have different people with different opinions.  Our football team knows that both guys can play at a high level."

It's a recipe for success that's put Cincinnati within one win of a Big East title and a return to a BCS bowl game.

A recipe that's heavy on the onions.

* * * * *

I'm psyched for the basketball opener on Monday night against Mr. T's Alma mater - Prairie View A & M.

It will be my first opportunity to work with my buddy Chuck Machock this season, and in addition to getting his insights on the team, I'm eager to see if Chuck has heard who will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl this year.

It's his favorite band "THEE HO".

An explanation is in order.

A few years ago, the Bearcats played Temple in Atlantic City.  After the game, Chuck was driving to the airport with our engineer Mo Egger and asked Mo the following question, "Who the heck is THEE HO?"

Mo said, "Excuse me?"

Chuck repeated, "Who the heck is THEE HO?'

Mo said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

So Chuck pointed to a billboard that was promoting an upcoming concert in Atlantic City.

The billboard was for . . .  

You gotta love Chuck!

Talk to you on Monday night.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim won his 800^th game on Monday night.

Think about that for a second.  If a coach averages 20 wins a year, he would have to stick around for 40 years to get to 800.

It hasn't taken Boeheim nearly that long because he's averaged 24 wins a year.  This is his 34^th season as a college head coach - all of them spent at his Alma mater - and his all-time record is 800-288.  He's captured one national championship and been to three Final Fours.

Boeheim is 64-years-old and has already been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but has given no indication that he intends to retire any time soon.  Bob Knight's all-time record of 902 wins is not out of the question, although Mike Krzyzewski (833) and Jim Calhoun (805) could break it first.

The Syracuse Post-Standard had a reporter ask all of the Big East coaches for their reaction to Boeheim's milestone at Big East media day.  Here's what Mick Cronin had to say:

"I don't know about coaching 800 games, let alone winning 800 games," Mick said.  "It's amazing - a testament to what he's done there over the years.  Unbelievable.  It's mind-boggling.  I can't even begin to swallow it.  In this day and age, it's so dog-eat-dog.  You gotta win every year.  And coaches - we're all overpaid, so therefore we're all fired too quickly, we're scrutinized too much.  But it goes with the territory.  That's what happens when you get the dollars.  I don't know if you'll see a guy last as long as he's lasted at his institution.  I think that's sad because he's synonymous with his university.  And you see what happens when one guy gets to stay in one place for such a long period of time.  Not only does he impact winning, but he's been able to impact the university in different ways: Coaches vs. Cancer . . . being an ambassador for his university.  I'd love to have half of his run at my Alma mater."

I know that my pals Lance and Mo do a ton of prep before hosting their daily talk shows, but they probably won't need to this week.  They can simply bring up either of these two topics and watch the switchboard light up:

1.  Pike or Collaros?

2.  How much longer can UC hold on to Brian Kelly?

Let's start with the quarterback dilemma.  We discussed it at the end of the post-game show on Saturday night and I said, "If Tony Pike is healthy, it is still his job." 

Zach Collaros has been unbelievable.  In three starts he's 66-for-82 (80%) for 1,028 yards, 8 touchdowns and no interceptions.  That's an NFL quarterback rating of 151.3.  Between high school and college, Zach is 33-0 as a starting quarterback.

But I think some folks have conveniently forgotten how well Pike was playing before he got hurt.  Remember the "Pike For Heisman" t-shirts?  Remember the Mel Kiper big board?  I still think that a healthy Pike would give the Bearcats the best chance to beat an elite opponent.

The key word is healthy.  Right now, Tony is wearing a high-tech brace on his left arm that disperses the impact of a hit away from the injured area.  That's allowed Tony to run the offense in practice and he has been medically cleared to play.

But if he's limited in any way, it will be next-to-impossible to pull Collaros.  I have tremendous admiration for Tony Pike and would hate to see his senior year end due to injury, but the stakes are too high to base the decision on anything other than picking the guy who gives the team the best chance to win.

It's a tough call for Brian Kelly.  Fortunately, it's not nearly as tough as trying to stop whomever he selects.

That brings us to hot button topic number two - the inevitable Notre Dame rumors . . . or Michigan rumors . . . or fill-in-the-blank school with a bad record and big budget rumors.

At times I wonder if Brian Kelly thinks more highly of the UC job than those of us who want him to keep it.  Every Notre Dame loss sets off a new wave of panic.  The Enquirer does a mostly positive story about the topic and readers are angry that they even brought it up.  No matter what Coach Kelly says about wanting to stay at Cincinnati, people assume that someone will make him an offer that he can't refuse.

I don't pretend to be BK's closest confidant, but we've discussed it enough that I know that he really likes it here.  His family likes it here.  In less than three years, he's proven that you can win big at Cincinnati, pack the stadium, and make a ton of money.  Heck, if everything falls just right, he could be playing for a national championship in 60 days.

Furthermore, his legitimate concerns about the job are being addressed.  People from all economic backgrounds have generously stepped up to get a practice facility and indoor bubble built.  All signs point toward it being completed by next fall.

Nippert Stadium improvements will be the next hurdle to clear.  Let's face it, the ability to generate more revenue through luxury boxes, club seats, and expanded capacity is a necessity.  For Coach Kelly to stay long term it will have to get done.

Admittedly, stadium improvements are not an issue at the schools that will attempt to hire him.  Somebody could offer to double his salary.  But that comes with a price - the 24-hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year scrutiny that he and his family don't have to put up with at Cincinnati.

Brian Kelly is at a BCS school that's located in a recruiting-rich environment and plays in a conference without a perennial powerhouse.

Isn't it possible that he's perfectly happy building one?

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

My respect for Brian Kelly continues to grow.  And I wasn't sure that was possible.

Today Iowa lost its starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the second quarter with a lower leg injury.  When he the left the game, the Hawkeyes led Northwestern 10-7.

But backup quarterback James Vandenberg was not able to lead Iowa to any more points and the Hawkeyes suffered their first loss of the season 17-10.  Vandenberg was 9 for 27 for 82 yards with 0 TD and 1 INT.

Cincinnati has done such an incredible job of winning despite quarterback injuries over the last two years that many of us - myself included - totally take it for granted.

We shouldn't - and either should the people who vote in the AP and USA Today polls.

In the 10 quarters that Tony Pike has missed since injuring his left arm, the Bearcats have outscored the opposition 86-24.

Zach Collaros - who had thrown a grand total of 4 career passes entering the season - has taken over for a Heisman Trophy candidate and posted a NCAA quarterback rating of 218.44.

To put that into perspective, the NCAA record for a season is 204.6 (set by William & Mary's Shawn Knight in 1993).

I hope Brent and Kirk point out just how extraordinary that is to a national television audience tonight.

I can promise you that we'll be talking about it on the radio.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

Ready for a great stat of the day to wow your Bearcat loving friends?

If you use the complicated NFL passer rating system, a perfect score for a quarterback is 158.3.

In his first two starts at Cincinnati, sophomore Zach Collaros has a rating of 156.9.

Pretty impressive huh?

I attended practice on Thursday and can tell you that Tony Pike took part in some 7-on-7 drills.  While there have been published reports that Collaros is likely to start, Pike is clearly getting get close to returning and Coach Kelly told us on his radio show that Tony definitely will be in uniform this week.

When Pike is ready to play he gets his job back - it's as simple as that.  But what about the next two years?  I asked Coach Kelly if it's too soon to say that he's found his next starting quarterback.

"Well it certainly is a good start - let's put it that way," BK said.  "I don't want to take anything away from the young man because he's been outstanding.  He's allowed us to run our offense - that's been the biggest thing.  We haven't had to go back and cut down our offensive system so anytime that you can be seamless puts you in a pretty good position for the next couple of years."

While Tony Pike will almost certainly be back in action soon, UConn lost its starting QB Cody Endres for the rest of the season when he separated his shoulder last week against Rutgers.

Enter Zach Frazer - the Notre Dame transfer - who visited Cincinnati a few years ago before deciding to play for Connecticut.

Frazer started the Huskies first two games of the season before suffering a knee injury and lost his job to Endres.  He saw action for the first time in six games last week, and passed for 333 yards against Rutgers.

"Live arm," Coach Kelly said.  "Likes to throw the football and can make all the throws.  He was a national recruit and has all of the physical tools.  He's made some mistakes and turnovers (3 TD, 7 INT), but if he continues to improve, they've got another really good quarterback at the helm."

* * * * *

Connecticut enters Saturday's game with a 4-4 record and all four losses have been excruciating.

Week 2 - UConn led North Carolina 10-0 entering the 4^th quarter and wound up losing 12-10 when they were called for holding in their own end zone for a safety with 1:32 left.

Week 5 - UConn had a 21-3 lead late in the third quarter at Pitt, but lost by three on a field goal as time expired.

Week 7 - Less than a week after the death of Jasper Howard, UConn took a 24-21 lead at West Virginia with 3:50 left on an 88-yard touchdown pass, but allowed a 56-yard TD run by Noel Devine less than two minutes later to lose by four.

Week 8 - Took a 24-21 lead over Rutgers on a 2-yard run with 38 seconds to go, but allowed an 81-yard touchdown pass 16 seconds later to lose 28-24.

That's four losses by a total of 13 points - all decided in the last 2:10.  But the Huskies continue to show tremendous resilience since the stabbing death of Howard.

"It starts at the top with great leadership from Randy Edsall during these trying times," Coach Kelly said.  "He'll have his football team ready to play and I know they're excited about the opportunity to play a top-ranked team at Nippert Stadium.  I think they've overcome a lot and when you have a leader like Randy, he's going to get those kids settled in and ready to play and they'll play extremely hard."

* * * * *

The Mountain State Cougars from Beckley, West Virginia are off to a 4-0 start.

Why does that NAIA program get a mention on the blog?  Because its roster includes Alvin Mitchell and Nick Aldridge.