The Cincinnati Bearcats’ mens’ basketball season opened on Friday night against Valparaiso with an impressive 88-70 win. It seemed as though the game was going to be close, with a halftime score of 38-37 in favor of the Bearcats. However, Bob Huggins was not going to allow a loss for the season opener; especially not at home.
The Bearcats came out ready in the second half. With a very impressive second half, the Bearcats out-rebounded and just out-played a very good Valparaiso zone defense.
Valparaiso, however, stayed in there until the 12:30 mark in the second half, when the Bearcats finally pulled away, going on a 15-6 run. The spark for the run came when Valparaiso’s coach Homer Drew was charged with a technical foul.
In that run, junior-college transfer Jihad Muhammad delivered a no-look behind the back pass to James White, who slammed it away. Fifth Third Arena was bursting with excitement and never really got quiet as the Bearcats pulled and finished up the 18-point victory.
Though the Bearcats play was sloppy in the first half, they turned it into a victory. The Bearcats finished with four players in double figures, with leading scorers Erik Hicks and captain Jason Maxiell, who contributed 18 points each. Hicks, a junior, played one of his best games as a Bearcat and was short of a double-double by just one rebound.
All in all, the Bearcats seem to be on the right track. They came into the regular season unranked for the first time in years. The question is, can the Bearcats prove they belong in the top 25? They’ll have another chance to prove their case as they face off with Northern Iowa on November 24 at 8 p.m.