2009-2010 Cincinnati Bearcats Team Preview

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

2008-2009 Record: 18-14, 8-10 Big East (t-9th)

Key Losses: Mike Williams (9.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Alvin Mitchell (6.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg)

Key Returners: Deonta Vaughn (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg), Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), Dion Dixon (7.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

Newcomers: Lance Stephenson, Ibrahima Thomas, Cashmere Wright

Senior Deonta Vaughn will lead the Bearcats in '09-'10.
(photo credit: ESPN)

Mick Cronin's 2009-2010 Bearcat team will be by far the most talented in his four years at Cincinnati.

It starts with senior Deonta Vaughn, a potential first round pick who just may be the best player in the Big East you've never heard of. Vaughn is an explosive scorer (15.7 ppg for his career) whose offense is based around his ability to hit the three.

When he gets hot, going for 30 is not an uncommon occurrence.

But he isn't just a shooter; Vaughn is able to put the ball on the floor and either get to the rim or draw an extra defender and find an open man.

Vaughn's numbers dipped quite a bit during his junior season (17.3 ppg to 15.3 ppg; 40% 3's to 34% 3's; 1.36 pps to 1.22 pps).

Thanks to an injury to Cashmere Wright, a freshman who was expected to start at the point, Vaughn was forced to play out-of-position. (He is much more effective as a scorer when he can play off the ball.)

The other issue was a lack of depth on the perimeter for opponents to fear. Every night, he would face defenses completely geared towards slowing him down.

That will change this year.

Not only is Wright returning from injury, but the Bearcats also added all-world recruit Lance Stephenson to the mix.

I know that Stephenson is a freshman, but already he is as talented a scorer as there is in the country: He's the all-time leader in points scored in the state of New York.

There may not be a more potent "1-2 punch" in the country, let alone in the Big East.

The Bearcats will also have a lot of back court depth, as juniors Larry Davis and Rashad Bishop, sophomore Dion Dixon, and freshman Sean Kilpatrick will compete for minutes.

As ridiculous as it may sound, Wright may be the most valuable of the three starting guards.

There really isn't another point guard on the Bearcat roster.

Sure, Vaughn can slide over and do a serviceable job, but having your senior leader playing out-of-position (especially on a team with this much talent) is less than ideal. Wright was a top 100 recruit before hurting his knee, but he will be entering this season with no college basketball experience after rehabbing a knee for a year.

While he will take a while to get back to his pre-injury form, the Bearcats will not need much more out of Wright than to avoid turnovers and get the ball to Stephenson and Vaughn in places where they can score.

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